I have a '91 MPV and now the instrument panel won't light up. The headlights work. The idiot lights work, but I can't see the dash at night. I looked under the dash and couldn't find a fuse for the instrument panel so I pulled each one out and inspected each fuse visually and they seem ok... The round **** that controls brightness doesn't do anything. Help?????

 

Check your parking lights, if their out too then you need a new headlight/turn signal switch. About $50 and easy to change.

 

Thanks for your answer. I checked the parking lights -- they work fine. Do you know how many bulbs light up the instrument panel? If it's just one big one, it may be out. If it's a whole bunch of little ones, I think it's unlikely they all went out at once.

 

Did you check the dimmer switch on the dashlights...

Responding like this is not intended to poke fun, but some people don't know there is a dimmer switch for the dashlights and if you turn it all the way down then the lights are usually off.

It should be on the dash on the left side and look kind of like a speedometer with a little roller switch.

 

That's the switch I was referring to when I said that turning it does nothing. Is there a way to check this? and any hints on accessing this switch?

 

I was starting with the easy cheap answers (sorry I misunderstood the part of your message about the dimmer switch I thought you meant the brights (solely my bad))

Hmmm, there are bulbs for the dashlights, that could be it. You just pull the gauges out and see if one is burnt out. It should be a few screws kind of hidden around the gauges. So cars have led bulbs but on a 91 I think you should ok for having incandescent bulbs.

Or a bad dimmer switch. I am not sure how to check if the dimmer switch is hooked up and functioning properly, I guess your could go in behind the dash on the switch side and check the voltage across the switch with a voltmeter. That and make sure all the wires are hooked up.

I mean there is only a headlight switch, a dimmer switch and the bulbs.