Alright, here it goes. Ive done the search and found many similar but not the same as my issue. Got my kota a few months ago. Well, like my 6th kota. Anyway, it was all original (1987) and had the stock radio with butchered up speakers from something that looks like was dug out of the dumpster. Everything worked as it should. I swapped out the radio for a new 1 and immediately start blowing my tail lamp fuse. Over and Over. Everything I believe is wired correctly. Im no expert but Ive done this hundreds of times before without issues. I decide to bypass the factory radio harness, and wire directly into the fuse block. Now I have my taillights back and no problems with fuses, but NOW I have no instrument lights. Im not using the stock radio harness at all. Does the power for the dash lights run thru that harness somewhere? Other than that all is better, just no dash lights

 

LOL since you wired it up your self it sounds like you just made it worse. For the first problem of blowing the light fuse it sounds like you wired it wrong. You used the dimmer wire to be you power. Download the manual or the wire diagrams we have in the FAQ. Then rewire everything according to the factory diagram. Don't use the dimmer wire.

 

Nope. I wired it correctly. Im pretty sure about that. I got a wiring kit and everything. As of right now, I can have the radio hooked up to the fuse box and everything should be fine. I just dont understand what the factory radio harness has to do with the dash lights. If I plug that grey harness into the factory radio, the dash lights come back on. Only problem is, I bypassed that harness and its not needed. Is the orangs wire on the factory harness needed to go to power to run the dash lights somehow?