# Dimmer switch :-(



## sentra2nr (May 26, 2003)

I am sick and tired of my stupid dimmer switch. There is a loose connection in the wiring harness, but I dont really want to mess with it because the clip that connects to the switch is a pain to fix. I want to know, There are three wires coming out of the back of the switch. Can I twist all three of those together and have a permanently on instrument panel when I turn my headlights on? or are there certain ones that you have to twist together and certain ones you dont. I have the switch set to full on all the time anyway, so cant I just bypass it. The stupid connection is so weird that I can be driving down a dark road at night and the instrument panels will go out my headlights and all that jazz stay on , it just gets really dark inside the car. Please someone help. I dont want have to fuss with it anymore


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## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

Have you tried replacing the switch?


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## dono200sx (May 2, 2002)

Mine does the same thing. What I do is just flick the dimmer dial off then on real quick. I haven't been able to find a solution I am happy with.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

[EDITED]

if you want to bypass the switch, you can tie 2 of them together. DO NOT TIE ALL 3 TOGEHER OR YOU WILL GET A REALY BAD SHORT. Cut off the 3 wires, set the red/blue (or red/grn) wire aside and splice together the black one and red/ylo one.

[/EDIT]


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## UofLsentra (May 25, 2003)

I just always keep my dimmer switch just barely underneath full power as a "fix." There's hardly a difference in light, and it doesn't short at all this way. Just moving the wheel for a second works, too, but tedious.

I use to have that annoying short with friends in the car and mess with their heads. I acted like the whole car died, very fun stuff. 

Has anyone's little "light" part on the cruise control switch right by the dimmer broken. I pushed it too hard once and the film is all messed up there now. Any fixes? And there's this little spot under all that that looks like it could go to another switch what is that, sunroof possibly?


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## sentra2nr (May 26, 2003)

Are u sure about the red and orange wires. what purpose does the black serve. I thought the black was supposed to be a ground. Anyway the switch itself is not the problem, it is the stupid little connecting harness that connects into the back of the switch.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

[EDITED]

The dimmer switch controls the brightness of the lights FROM THE NEGATIVE SIDE.

The red/blue (or red/grn) wire is the positive input just to power the bulb within the dimmer switch. The black wire is the negative input, while the red/ylo wire is the 'controled' negative output going to all the lights.

[/EDIT]


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## sentra2nr (May 26, 2003)

*hmmm....*

so will that mean that I will have to ground the black one or can that be free floating. I just want it functioning. It is a pain trying to see how fast I am going like this. 

So let me get this straight. twist two red together, leave the black by itself, and voila, the interior lights work minus one dimmer switch, correct?

Thanks for the help...
:banana:


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

hold off on this, I may be wrong, lemme keep looking in this diagram


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

Sorry guys, I was wrong. Tie the black wire to the red/ylo wire. The other red wire (red/grn and sometimes red/blu) needs to be taped up (so it doesn't accidently touch something) and can just hang disconnected.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

I edited all the above posts to correct the mix-up. I originally thought the dimmer switch controled the positive input to the bulbs when it turned out to be the negative input.


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## LaRon (Aug 22, 2002)

UofLsentra said:


> *I just always keep my dimmer switch just barely underneath full power as a "fix." There's hardly a difference in light, and it doesn't short at all this way. Just moving the wheel for a second works, too, but tedious.
> 
> I use to have that annoying short with friends in the car and mess with their heads. I acted like the whole car died, very fun stuff.
> 
> Has anyone's little "light" part on the cruise control switch right by the dimmer broken. I pushed it too hard once and the film is all messed up there now. Any fixes? And there's this little spot under all that that looks like it could go to another switch what is that, sunroof possibly? *


Yea, my cruise control switch did the same thing. It just kinda caved in... the green part of it that makes the light emit green. now it's just a big bright white light coming from it that used to annoy me but I've gotten used to it.

That spot underneath that looks like a switch belongs there.... can't be sunroof because the sunroof switch on the 200's are on the roof between the sunroof and mirror. That's where mine is.


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## sentra2nr (May 26, 2003)

no luck with this fix, tried to fix it today, and now I have only headlights working, taillights and corner lenses do not illuminate. WTF so I am going to try to piece together the dimmer switch.. I cant say I am very thrilled about the info I have gotten on here, if anyone can back up 1997GA16DE on his info it would mean a great deal, for the time being, I cant drive my car at night. Not too thrilled about that, seeing as how I go to school at night.


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## sentra2nr (May 26, 2003)

wait a sec, so the dimmer runs off a negative setup only??? I am confused how can you run a negative input and a negative output and get light on the inside of the car???? I dont get it, am I f**ked on this now that I have nipped off the harness that connects my dimmer switch?


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## sentra2nr (May 26, 2003)

well got it fixed, tyrns out the red/blue wire was faded to red/yellow and the red/yellow was faded to an orange and white. thanks to 1997 GA16DE for all the help and sorry about the rant earlier, I have been trying to fix all of this in like 90% humidity with the temp about 97 degrees. It is not too fun, you San Antonio people know what I am talking about


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## IXLR8se-r (Apr 14, 2003)

UofLsentra said:


> *I just always keep my dimmer switch just barely underneath full power as a "fix." There's hardly a difference in light, and it doesn't short at all this way. Just moving the wheel for a second works, too, but tedious.
> 
> I use to have that annoying short with friends in the car and mess with their heads. I acted like the whole car died, very fun stuff.
> 
> Has anyone's little "light" part on the cruise control switch right by the dimmer broken. I pushed it too hard once and the film is all messed up there now. Any fixes? And there's this little spot under all that that looks like it could go to another switch what is that, sunroof possibly? *


amen dude, simple FREE solution


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

glad it's all working 2nr. At first I didn't understand the setup, then I realized it's the positive feed that's constant. The dimmer runs the negative side of the circuit. If the tails and all burnt out, it's just a fuse under the hood.


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## sentravis (Jul 7, 2002)

1997 GA16DE said:


> *Sorry guys, I was wrong. Tie the black wire to the red/ylo wire. The other red wire (red/grn and sometimes red/blu) needs to be taped up (so it doesn't accidently touch something) and can just hang disconnected. *


i was about to say.. ohhh noo LOL..... yeah... i have done SOOO many fog lights and headlight wirings by now.. im not a car electrician... but.. like hes been saying.. but there are the need for three wires.. one.. your ground.. your right... one.. your hotwire.. and one.. is for the power to the switch itself .. (i dont remember if there was any sort of light that the switch needed for itself or not... ) if that was the case.. but if there is no wording such as (dimmer) or anything that would light up on the switch.. then i dont know what the hell the other wire would be for.. unless that switch itself needs it because of the dimmer selection.. just thought i would add my two cents.. Travis


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

ok, here's a simplified diagram of the interior lights:


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## rickyl12 (Jul 20, 2006)

Damn I screwed it up. I accidently did something wrong. My lights don't turn on. I thought it was the dimmer switch, but I took it to my other sentra, and it worked on that sentra. But it didn't work on mine. I think i accidently touched all 3 wires or something. Now I cant see how fast i'm going at night boo hoo. What do I do now?


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## aphex4000 (Oct 9, 2002)

I just came across the same problem. Gauges were out, HVAC was out, taillights were out, but stereo was working. Turned out to be the last thing I checked which was the taillight fuse under the hood (not under the dash). Thanks to everyone that contributed to this post! It made troubleshooting much easier!


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