# Just bought and fixed a 94 Sentra with no dash lights



## Steve-O (Nov 21, 2004)

So I just bought this 94 Sentra XE (black emerald) for dirt, dirt cheap. It had 170K, auto, new tires, etc. and seems like a great car (I love Nissans). The seller was sick of having to guess his speed at night since the dash lights were not working anymore. He said he replaced the fuses and still no luck, but the brake lights and all other lights worked fine.

So I read some posts here about fixing the radial dimmer switch contacts and tried that. No luck there. Then I remembered how I fixed my Honda's main relay by opening it up and heating up some cold solder joints. I pulled the dimmer switch out again and took it apart and sure enough the joints that hold the main harness leads to the circuit board were cold and had rings on them (for those of you who have seen cold joints you know the rings I'm talking about). I heated them up with my trusty soldering iron and that was that. Perfect, the dimmer even works great too because I had previously tweaked the brush leads!

The telling factor for this problem is if you can reach your hand behind the dash and twist||wiggle the wires and the dash lights come on momentarily. Another tell is if they work in hot weather but not in the cold or the other way around. 

Thanks, I hope to solve some more problems soon. The car has a bad moldy smell so I'm off to find trunk leaks...


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## new94 (Jan 9, 2004)

I found that when i pulled my dash out and put in LED bulbs that the actual connection was bad, they'd go out here and there it was annoying! I recently pulled the leds out they were a big waste of $$, and replaced them with the factory peanut bulb andfind at time's you have to bang the dash to get the odd on to light up just bad connections i guess! It's also a 94 go figure!


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## Caj Darkmoon (Jun 4, 2004)

Heh, my dash lights are on their way out. Every now and then I turn on my lights and have to push hard on the radial dimmer to make my dash lights come on. Perhaps I should search and figure out how to fix that.


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## Steve-O (Nov 21, 2004)

Caj Darkmoon said:


> Heh, my dash lights are on their way out. Every now and then I turn on my lights and have to push hard on the radial dimmer to make my dash lights come on. Perhaps I should search and figure out how to fix that.


You can fix the dimmer switch is if its acting up. Plus, its a no-risk attempt since the dimmer is already busted 

Take the dimmer out by reaching back behind the dash and popping it out from behind. Then unplug the harness and take it inside. Lay a towel down on the table or something so that things don't roll around. Pop the case apart with a small flathead screwdriver (be careful). The knob should come right out. Attached to the knob are 4 little copper brush wires. These things get compressed after 10 years and need to be stretched out a bit. Just give them a bend (again, careful) and put the whole thing back together. 

If that doesn't work take it apart again and examine the solder connections on the back side of the circuit board (the board just pops out once the case is open). Do a google search on "cold solder joints" to see some pictures of what to look for. 10 years of heating up and cooling down does this to solder joints. Just heat them back up by touching a hot soldering iron to the joint for a second. Rassemble, install, bingo... lights!


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## rlstumpe (Nov 22, 2004)

Steve-O said:


> You can fix the dimmer switch is if its acting up. Plus, its a no-risk attempt since the dimmer is already busted
> 
> Take the dimmer out by reaching back behind the dash and popping it out from behind. Then unplug the harness and take it inside. Lay a towel down on the table or something so that things don't roll around. Pop the case apart with a small flathead screwdriver (be careful). The knob should come right out. Attached to the knob are 4 little copper brush wires. These things get compressed after 10 years and need to be stretched out a bit. Just give them a bend (again, careful) and put the whole thing back together.
> 
> If that doesn't work take it apart again and examine the solder connections on the back side of the circuit board (the board just pops out once the case is open). Do a google search on "cold solder joints" to see some pictures of what to look for. 10 years of heating up and cooling down does this to solder joints. Just heat them back up by touching a hot soldering iron to the joint for a second. Rassemble, install, bingo... lights!


Guess what, I just went out and did this, but I just used a little spit and cleaned up the copper brush wires, but that wasn't my problem, its in the wiring there must be a little short, but hey they work now, it only takes about 5 minutes tops!!!!! :thumbup:


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## rickyl12 (Jul 20, 2006)

What did you do knowing that there was a short? I thnk I have that problem.


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## scruffered (Mar 19, 2008)

okay my dash lights do not work either and the fuse is fine but i cannot seem to get the switch out of the dash can someone please help me with this


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## G_Spot (Mar 28, 2008)

mine didnt have dash lights either. its the dimmer switch next to the cruise button. easy fix from a junkyard or if youre like me and my dad and have 7 b13s you always have parts...haha. but yeah id bet money thats the problem


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