i just bought a 98 neon SOHC 5 speed bla bla bla...the first night i drove it i turned the lights on and the dash lights, and lights around heat controls didnt work. so i immediately checked the fuse(#12) and it was blown. i drove to the parts store, bought fuses and put one in it. i turned the lights on and it popped the moment they came on. So i put a bigger amp fuse in it. it calls for a 4, i first put a 5, then 7.5 then a 15 and it blew every single one. I've searched this site for someone with the same issue and most have taillight problems but mine work. There is nothing electrically aftermarket. just a CAI. i also have the stock radio because it has the factory 6disk changer. when i turn the lights on, it dims all the way down and my dimmer control does nothing. My buddy had a 96 with the same problem and took the orange wire from behind the deck, and wired it to the power so when the car was on, the lights were on. But...he had a aftermarket deck so the orange wire was there and free. Anybody have any idea whats wrong? Obviously there's a short some wheres but where should i start/do? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I would just take a look at the cluster lights. Just pull up on the top part of the dash by the cluster and the top piece comes off and then the cluster is held in by 4 screws and pull it towards you.

I don't know if you have a tach or not, but somewhere around the right side of the cluster its a little hard to see but there will either be a "Door ajar" or a triangle (looks like a hazard triangle) etched into the cluster. Look behind and see if the PO put a light bulb in there. I put a bulb in that socket once and whenever I would turn on the lights OR the blinkers the fuse would blow. So I just took it out and all has been fine since then. Just giving a place to start. If there isn't a bulb in there though, then I would start tracing wires and see whats going on.

Just came to mind, it could also have something to do with the headlight stock but not sure though.

 

If the stereo has ever been changed/swapped or pulled out, it could be that the factory dimmer wire to the stereo has been cut or is shorting, only thing I can think to check, I will also mention that the switchs for the lights are notorious for going bad and where they control the dimmer may also be a cause. Hope this may be some help to you. I'm curious to see what the resolve is.

 

Thanks both of you for the help ill try all that out tomorrow. My car does have a tach and does have a door ajar bulb so maybe that is whats wrong. I also have a few other quirks. When i open my drivers door my interior light doesn't come on but it does with the other doors. I push on the little button in the door jam but doesnt do anything. Sometimes when its open there is a loud clicking noise in or near my fuse box and if i push the button on the jam it stops then does it again. is this also another short?? And when i make a left turn my car starts stuttering and wants to die. no matter how sharp of a left i make it always starts cutting out. My father suggests maybe the fuel pump is going bad...any ideas?

 

For the door, its just one of those little push switches going bad OR the relay has gone bad which is that clicking sound you hear.

Does the door ajar light work?

 

yes, the door ajar light works

 

So, after being really lazy and getting annoyed with my 12v dashboard spotlights from Autozone, i finally took the cluster out. I started with the door ajar light advice i got and pulled the light socket out. And lo and behold, the dash lights work! Thanks for the advice "NeonCrazy101" The clicking sound i was hearing was just a bad door jam switch, and it needed a fuel pump. I went to the local scrap yard and got a pump from a 2000 neon. The guy there said it shouldn't work but it physicaly looked identical except for the size of the sock, or pre-filter. However, i got it all back in and everything but now my gas gauge is opposite of what it should be. Full is empty and vise versa. anybody know what would cause this? i re-checked everything all my connections are fine, its all the way in the tank bla bla bla. any help is greatly appreciated.