1997 Corolla Dashboard Lights Out / Fuse or Bulbs?
The dashboard lights in my girlfriend's 97 Corolla are out, with the exception of the left side of the speedometer. The light on the automatic shift indicator and the dome* light are also out. Here's a picture of the dash:
Would this be a problem with the fuse or would I need a new bulb? They have been out since at least April 2010. I know next to nothing about cars. My dad knows a considerable amount though. Thank you for any help!
The first thing I'd do is check all of the fuses inside the cabin. The interior fusebox which contains the fuse that controls the instrument cluster lights is located on the driver's side, to the left of the brake pedal (on left hand drive models). Simply remove the plastic trim and the fuse box will be exposed. Pull each fuse one by one and check to see if it is blown. Be sure to reinsert the fuse in the same position before removing the next one otherwise you're likely to get them mixed up. If all of the fuses check out okay then it could possibly be a bad ground connection.
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The first thing I'd do is check all of the fuses inside the cabin. The interior fusebox which contains the fuse that controls the instrument cluster lights is located on the driver's side, to the left of the brake pedal (on left hand drive models). Simply remove the plastic trim and the fuse box will be exposed. Pull each fuse one by one and check to see if it is blown. Be sure to reinsert the fuse in the same position before removing the next one otherwise you're likely to get them mixed up. If all of the fuses check out okay then it could possibly be a bad ground connection.
What would a blown fuse look like? And is it just a matter of pulling them out and pushing them back in?
What would a blown fuse look like? And is it just a matter of pulling them out and pushing them back in?
A blown fuse will have a breakage in the metal. Once you remove the fuse you'll see a metal piece at the top. If it's still completely intact then the fuse will still be good. If the metal piece has a break in it or you see burn marks on the plastic, this will indicate a blown fuse. Yep, it's just a matter of pulling them out, checking them and then pushing them back into where they came from.
Here's a photo of a blown fuse for your reference:
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A blown fuse will have a breakage in the metal. Once you remove the fuse you'll see a metal piece at the top. If it's still completely intact then the fuse will still be good. If the metal piece has a break in it or you see burn marks on the plastic, this will indicate a blown fuse. Yep, it's just a matter of pulling them out, checking them and then pushing them back into where they came from.
Here's a photo of a blown fuse for your reference:
Thank you so much. I removed the panel and there is a diagram on the back. I'm just wondering if there is a specific fuse it would be, before I remove all of them:
Thank you so much. I removed the panel and there is a diagram on the back. I'm just wondering if there is a specific fuse it would be, before I remove all of them:
You're very welcome. The ones you want to check relating to your problem would be the 'STOP' fuse and the 'GAUGE' fuse.
None of the fuses in the driver kick panel were blown. I didn't even have to remove them, I had a super bright LED light and I could see that none of them were blown. Could it be a fuse in the engine fuse compartment? It seems like it could be the DOME fuse, according to the owner's manual. Also, would it even be a fuse problem if half of the speedometer is still lit? I was thinking the bulb/s were just burnt out.
EDIT: The lights out in the car are: most of the dashboard, the dome light does not work, the automatic shift indicator does not work either.
None of the fuses in the driver kick panel were blown. I didn't even have to remove them, I had a super bright LED light and I could see that none of them were blown. Could it be a fuse in the engine fuse compartment? It seems like it could be the DOME fuse, according to the owner's manual. Also, would it even be a fuse problem if half of the speedometer is still lit? I was thinking the bulb/s were just burnt out.
EDIT: The lights out in the car are: most of the dashboard, the dome light does not work, the automatic shift indicator does not work either.
I would personally remove each fuse individually and inspect them up-close, because sometimes the break can be very small. Yes, the 'DOME' fuse in the engine compartment could potentially be the problem. It services your interior light, but is unrelated to the dashboard lights. Be sure to check the 'TAIL' fuse very carefully as this is the one that controls the dash lights. I would say that it's highly unlikely for all of those bulbs to have blown, although it's definitely possible. Rule out all blown fuse possibilities before moving onto replacing the bulbs.
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If it was the fuse, ALL of the lights would be out.
Your bulbs are burned out. There are 4 bulbs behind there of the 194 type. You have 2 burned out (you can see the light on the bottom right of the gas gauge still works), simply replace them. It is easy to replace the bulbs by removing the cluster.
Take your instrument cluster out:
Remove cluster trim piece (2 screws then pull straight out)
Cluster is held by 4 screws, 1 at each 'corner', tilt cluster out at right or top side, slide hand behind and unclip the 3 wire harnesses (press down center tab).
Take cluster out and the 3 bulbs I have 'arrows' pointing to below (> and <) are your back light bulbs. The two with the '>' arrows are the blown bulbs. Twist counter clockwise and they come out.
The bulb of the same size on the top right of the picture is the low fuel warning indicator. The smaller black, gray and blue ones are your indicator and warning lights.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gold94corolla
No NO NO it's NOT the fuse...
If it was the fuse, ALL of the lights would be out.
Your bulbs are burned out. There are 4 bulbs behind there of the 194 type. You have 2 burned out (you can see the light on the bottom right of the gas gauge still works), simply replace them. It is easy to replace the bulbs by removing the cluster.
Actually, the fuel warning light is the only gray socket on there. If you look at his original picture, you will see the light coming from that corner.
Humm, seems you would be right from the first picture. But I could have swore when I pulled my cluster out and went through every bulb that the corner was 'piped' to the low fuel warning. Oh well, not the first time I've been wrong!
Was wondering why the cluster w/tach that I installed had 4 back lights... :O
Quote:
Originally Posted by gold94corolla
Actually, the fuel warning light is the only gray socket on there. If you look at his original picture, you will see the light coming from that corner.
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