On my B250 I have no lights at all,no instrument panel lighs,no brake lighst or rear lights at all etc ...I can get high beam only if I hild the shwitch. It started last week by losing the instrument panel lights,and I figured it was fuse related. I checked all the fuses and they seem to be fine..... Before all of this started to happen ; I noticed a very light electrical smell that it was hard to detect. Everything else works just fine.ignition key buzzer,lighst on buzzer when the light switch is pulled back,all power windows,hornn,etc. I really do not know where to start. I've been reading some forums and I will double reseat my ground and positive cables of the battey just in case. Is it there a relay that may have gone bad? any ideas?

Thanks

 

I'd first test your fusable links.

 

I already checked the fuses...Do you mean the actual fuse box.

 

No not the fuses, fusible links. They're there to carry the main power to the fuse block from the battery.

 

Stay away from the fusable links for a moment if you can. if you dont understand how they work, then I can explain that shortly.

I need to ask an imprtant question, are you sure that you have no BRAKE lights as well or just no marker lights which are the ones that come on when you pull the headlight switch out one notch?

If you really have no BRAKE lights that come on when the brake pedal is pressed, do you have a dome light, or does the gas gague move? Also you say you have high beams, do you also have lows?

If the fuse for the marker lights is blown, the dashboard lighs will also go out, but so will one other thing....Does your cigarette lighter have power?

Depending on your answer to the above questions I can give advice to where to goto from here.

 

Thanks for the reply.
Basically ; I do have brake lighs,signal,dome light ,haz bllinkers and all gages seems to be working properly. However ; becasue I have an alarm system and the auxiliary "intelligent" battery back up system I have to reset everything to get the head lights to come on and still no rear back lights or prking lights. I forgot to mention there is not Lic plate light either or instrument panel even when I do the full reset. I tested the fuse box and all the fuses are getting power execp the one for the the instrument panel. I have no blown fuses and everything seems to be normal including cig lighter.

 

The license plate light gets power from the same circuit that energizes the marker lights that that explains why it too is out. It sounds like everything that is out is after the headlamp switch in the circuit. The dimming function of the dash is controlled by a huge wirewound ceramic rheostat that is on the front of the headlamp switch. Also, the headlamp switch is where all of the lighting controls come together. The split for the marker lights wires front and rear is also right at the switch. So either the headlamp switch is bad, or one of the 3 power wires which go into the switch if you try to test the headlamp switch with it out, you will get nothing, because it uses the place where it screws into the dash as the ground for the switch.
What I ended up doing is pulling the switch, and connecting the front of it to the dash with an alligator clip lead. Though the easiest thing at this point would be just to replace the switch as a test. They are about $15 us, and are available from most parts stores. Just bring your switch in with you to compare them. If it turns out to be the switch, then you can keep it and if it isn't the switch, keep testing with the new one. while you track down the wireing

To get to the switch itself out, you need to remove the dashpad. then take out the plunger by pressing a spring loaded button on the bottom of the switch. you may need to wiggle the button & plunger some to get it to come off. then you take off the chromed plastic light bezel and then unscrew the hole screw (I don't know what else to call this) which you should save. The new switch won't come with a plunger either.

The spring loaded button is close to the dash metal on the inside of the dash. If you have the lower drivers side vents you may have to pull out the dash cluster to get the switch out and inspect its wiring. If you dont have the dash vents on the drivers side, then 2 screws along the bottom edge of the dash will let you remove that plastic panel and reach up from there.

There is only one wire coming from the headlamp switch and going to the H/L beam selector. In the H/L selector switch is either 3 or 4 wires, if you have the 4 wire version, one is always hot, and this the switch connects to the high beams when actuated. This explains why you have Highs, but not Lows. Once again it points back to something in the area of the main headlamp switch.

I've never seen documentation on the pin out of the dash mounted light headlamp switch, so when I put in my plow, I took the H/L beam power from the H/L switch and put in a DPDT switch to to run the H/L power to either the regular lights (back into the H/L switch) or out into the wiring I installed for the plow headlights. I replaced the existing H/L switch with a SPDT switch. also mounted on the dash. because the location of the switch wiring on the column interfered with the clutch pedal that I installed to convert my van to a manual transmission. You would fully depress the clutch, the wiring would unplug the switch, and the headlights would go out. The switches I picked up came from a contractor lighting supply because all of the auto store switches had a center off position. and I didnt want that for headlights.

Good luck, and Merry Christmas.

 

Thanks for the info....I was looking at the manual and I was thinking more likely to be the wire split or connector after the switch,but you're right ... I will try the switch first to see if it works. It also makes more sence since there was a light burnt smell weeks or days before I started to have the proble.I'll keep you posted.

 

It was the switched... When I pulled out the old one;some of the contacts were kind of melted down. Replaced it and it all works now.

 

I had a similar electrical problem with my 93 Dakota 5.2 4wd. Yesterday morning the tach registered at 5 o'clock and did not move. When I started it later in the day it worked fine. This morning the tach was stuck at about 4 o'clock. When I cut the headlights on, the right and left turn signal indicators stayed on and the oil, temp, gas, and alternator gauges cut off and the buzzer stayed on. When I dimmed the headlights, the buzzer sound went lower. When I cut the lights off, the gauges worked, but not the tach, and the buzzer stopped buzzing. Strange!!! I'm thinking it may be a bad ground. Any ideas? Thanks.