1995 Mazda 626 no gauge cluster illumination

MAZDA4MENC

MEMBER
1995 MAZDA 626
4 CYL
FWD
MANUAL
140,000 MILES

I currently have no lights for the gauge cluster, I'd rather not guess how fast I'm going when driving at night. I have checked every fuse in the interior fuse panel, and those in the engine compartment, and all of them are fine. I don't know what to check next, or am I simply going to have go to the dealership. As I remember the gauges went dark all of a sudden w/o warning ( the car has not been driven in over a year so I don't recall any issues I may have had before.)

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 AT 5:15 PM

1 Reply

ATKAPARKING

MEMBER
64 POSTS

Depending on your mechanical ability and aptitude, you might be able to solve this yourself. There are two paths you can take. The first requires proper planning--find a wiring diagram for your vehicle. Trace the wiring path from the fuse responsible for dash lights. Or you can just jump in and remove the instrument cluster--not too difficult, the hardest part is removing the speedo cable. The screws holding the cluster to the dash can be tight--make sure you have a really good screwdriver, an extra long one allows for more torque and better angle over the bottom lip of the dash. A mechanics or dental pick will allow you to pry the speedo clip back for cable removal--don't bend it to far or it won't snap back in on replacement. Once its out, you can check bulbs and power supply to them.

If neither of these options appeal to you, I don't think you need to take it to a dealer for this problem. A competent independent shop will be more reasonable on the price, as well as more willing to install a used part if its the actual cluster which is at fault. Good luck

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Thursday, April 30th, 2009 AT 1:08 PM