Dash Lights Out HELP

[IDGMC]

I installed a new stereo last weekend. I was driving home last night and realized I don't have dash lights. When I extracted the old stereo I had one set of wire left over from the truck, was that the dash light dimmer to the old stereo? Do I need to put a jumper between those two wires to complete the circuit to get my dash lights back? any help would be great.
Thanks

 

[ct85k10]

that sounds like the dimmer (yellow i think)you shouldnt need to jump it, if its just hanging it will blown the fuse if the end hits metal


colby

 

[IDGMC]

its two wires....browish/yellow and black. They are in a plug so no short issue. Oh...I bet i just need to ground that black one you think? by the way 1991 v10

 

[1985_K5_Silverado]

Yellow isn't the dimmer! Yellow is 12V constant power (unswitched, to keep your clock and presets memory info), and that one should be live 12V all the time. Orange with a white stripe is the dimmer/illumination.

Most aftermarket stereos don't need it to illuminate the display, but just use the appearance of power in that orange/white stripe wire to signal the head unit that the headlights have been turned on, so the display ought to dim itself.

Wiring diagrams can be found here:

http://brochures.slosh.com/wiring/

 

[IDGMC]

Well i think it may be orange with a white stripe, but looks a little more tan than orange. anyhow its matted with another wire and they both go into a plug that plugged into the existing stereo harness. When I put a meter on them they didn't do anything. At the time I wasn't thinking about lights so I'm sure if I'd turned on my lights it would have been hot. So if this is right, why arn't my dash lights working? Would it be a ground that when to the stereo and now its not hooked up?

 

[1985_K5_Silverado]

I know that on my '85 (your 91 wiring might be a little more involved in some areas), there ia a 5A fuse (labeled "INST LPS") in the mainfuse panel, for the instrument panel lamps and also the 4WD indicator. This fuse also protects the light that tells you your rear defogger is on (if you have one, which I do not).

 

[IDGMC]

ok...thanks i'll check that out and see if its blown

 

[rusty79beast]

The same kind of thing happened to my 91 about 2 months ago. It turned out that I thought there were two black wires from the original harness so I connected both of them to the ground on the new radio. It ruined the radio and upon further investigation, one was brown and one was black. The brown wire was for the dimmer, and black was ground of course. Like it was mentioned above, newer radios don't need the dimmer wire, so tape it off good with electrical tape. Hope this helps.

 

[TheSunDanceKid]

yea lol i install stereos for a living and yes it definatly hooked to your dimmer and it probably poped the fuse for your lights hook the 12v to the right wire cap the dimmer off because if it is left bare and hits ground it will probably take your lights out again change the fuse after you have changed the wire
also for 91 chevy pickups that actually have a dimmer

Constant 12V+Orange
Switched 12V+Yellow
Ground Black
Illumination Gray
Dimmer Brown
Antenna
-----------Right Front
Front Speakers 3 1/2"
Dash Left Front (+)Tan
Left Front (-) Gray
Right Front (+) Light Green
Right Front (-) Dark Green
Rear Speakers 4" x 10"
----------Rear Sides
Left Rear (+) Brown
Left Rear (-) Yellow
Right Rear (+) Dark Blue
Right Rear (-)Light Blue