Hey I figured I would post this on here since I see from doing a Google search that it is a common problem. My dash lights went out on my 1999 Cherokee Sport one night with no gauge lights, console lights, and AC control lights. I found number 6 fuse blown (Dimmer fuse), every time I replaced it, it would blow again. I tore the whole dash apart, changed headlight switch, changed flasher module, confirmed my gauge cluster didn't short out, looked behind stereo for a wire shorting out, chased my harness and found nothing. After a full day of plying with wires I decided to take it to a specialist, he couldn't find the problem too until he check the rear wiper switch. Come to find out the rocker switches are all connected and if one goes it takes out the light system in dash. He had never seen that before but put a new switch in a WHAALAA! So everyone who is having this problem check that switch. I could never find a straight answer online as to what was happening but saw plenty others having same problem.

 

Thanks for the posting! This is the sort of information that we should figure out a way to collect and make available!
Learning from your experience could very well be useful in the future for many of us.
Thanks again, just my nickel's worth.
Ken

 

If you have photos and will do a write up it could be posted in the repair section and stickied.

 

where is that fuse located i have this problem!

 

It's not a fuse. He put in a new switch. It's the rear windshield wiper on/off switch located beneath the radio.

 

Did your rear wiper still work while the dash lights were out?

 

really that whole switch im soing doing this i hope it is it i would love to get rid of my wally world light :/

 

Longshot4612, did this fix your problem? my '93 xj just had the same problem. i checked my fuses, they were all fine. i dont know if i need to replace the headlight switch or both the headlight switch and the rear wiper switch

 

Oh sorry guys, I didnt know people were posting on here, I just barely got the email. My rear wiper switch did still work when the dash lights went out. It wasnt the switch itself but the light that glows to show the wiper emblem on the switch is what shorted. 843, sounds like you just need to change your headlight switch.

 

Eureka! Dashboard lights failed last night as I was finishing installing new carpet in my '99 Cherokee. Incidentally, I had been diagnosing the cigar lighter in the same panel as the rear wiper switch. Wiper's and squirter worked fine on the rear window no lights in the Dash. I checked Fuse #6 (5 amps, and thanks to a Chrysler repair manual easy to identify) It was toasted!

I'll disconnect the rear wiper at the connector. Replace the fuse and check again for lights.

Thank you for this post! if correct, you have saved me a ton of time figuring this out. Who would of figured that a light in a switch could cause this?

 

Man, I have been chasing this problem down for longer than I had cared to. Poppin' fuses, smokin' switches, looking for errant wires, etc.

Found this, and voila! Hallelujah!

After I pulled the switch, I saw my dash light up for the first time in.. well- way too long.

New switch on the way- until then I'd prefer my dash lights over my rear wiper, but I hope to have BOTH in a day or two.

Weird that the switch/wiper itself worked the whole time.

Again, thanks for this helpful post.

 

my dash lights went out last nite.thanks Im going to go check my switch..

 

Man thanx alot for your post I was going nuts trying to figure out what was going on with my gauge lights and I tried what you did and bam it works now!!!! thanx again

 

Sorry for reviving a dead post, but I wanted to provide some info that might help others having this issue. After installing my new H4 headlight housings and upgraded wiring harness, I kept blowing fuse #6 in the kick panel. My dash lights would go out, as well as the running lights on only the driver's side (the orange lights under the driver's side headlight, driver's side blinker). The weird thing was that those lights still worked when I turned on the turn signal.

Anyway, I ended up determining that the ground running from the negative battery terminal to the body of the Jeep was the culprit. The wire was pretty worn, so I cut a new length of wire and put a new connector on the end. I buttoned everything back up and was back in business. All lights are now working properly and I'm no longer blowing fuses.

 

This is the reason for #1 in my sig.