i searched the forum and couldn't find any issue like this one (or any person as unknowledgeable as myself wrt cars)

i have a 1997 mazda 626. i got the car used and it didn't come with a manual or anything and i can't find a soft copy anywhere. a few days ago the lights behind the heater panel and those that light the numbers (not the clock) on the radio now do not come on. all the lights by the speedometer work fine. i've pulled the engine and room fuses and they are both fine. the radio works great and its lcd display works flawlessly.

am i missing some fuse somewhere that runs these or are all the bulbs burned out?

 

The dash lights get their power from the "tail" fuse which is in the underhood fuse box. Do all your exterior lights work? This may seem like a stupid question, but have you made sure that the brightness adjuster is turned up?

 

> The dash lights get their power from the "tail" fuse which is in the underhood fuse box. Do all your exterior lights work?

one of the brake lights (the one on the outer fender of the left side) does not work, but all the other ones do.

> This may seem like a stupid question, but have you made sure that the brightness adjuster is turned up?

all the lights in the console where the speedometer is work great and respond correctly to the dimmer switch. it's all the button lights on the dash. In essence we can't see which of the heater functions we are hitting and fumble around trying to find the correct one. nor do the lights on the radio buttons work (the lcd is fine).

pat

 

What about exterior lights??? IE running lights.... in back and front....

 

all exterior lights work fine. turn signals, head lamps, break lamps (minus one left fender brake light that has been non-functional for a while), tail lamps, hazards.

as for the interior
working (all dashboard lights that are working respond correctly to the dimmer switch):
cab light
tachometer
speedometer
warning lights eg. seatbelt warning
temp gauge
fuel guage
heater temp slider
heater fan slider
indication of which heater function is currently selected
radio lcd
indication of what gear is currently in use

non-working
heater functions are non-visible. ie in the night we can't tell which button does which. we can see which is selected, but don't know what it does.
radio button lights. eg. the light that luminated the seek, scan, am/fm, or preset buttons. i believe this is the stock radio and honestly we don't remember for sure if there was a light on that, but both my wife and myself think there was.

could this just be a burned out bulb or something? i don't even know how to get to it to check it.

pat

 

It sounds like a bulb problem if that is all that is out is the heater function. I cannot say for sure about the radio though.

 

anyone have any tips on how to find the thing? i'd hate to break the console in my stupidity.

pat