I have a 2002 Chevy Monte Carlo. My dash lights have stopped coming on at night a few days after I installed a new aftermarket radio, my tail lights and brake lights still work, all the lights inside the car work, the stereo lights up, my headlights still turn on. Both orange wires are capped off and cannot touch anything. I have an interface to connect the stereo to my car and I've triple checked that and all the wiring. I've checked and replaced all the fuses twice and still nothing on my dash at night. I can't tell what gear I'm in or how fast i'm going and I can't see any of my gauges. I've been driving with a flashlight in my car at night to be able to see everything but this makes it harder to see in general. I've ordered a new headlight switch to see if that fixes the problem but it won't arrive for another week, there has gotta be a way to fix this and get it to light back up at night. I don't know what would be causing the dash not to light up at night. It lights up during the day but it seems like when my car senses it's night and turns on my headlights it turns off my lights for my dash, the dimmer switch is turned all the way up, and still nothing. Please help, not sure what else to try to change. Any ideas?

 

Sounds like it may be the sensor itself, that senses it's dark and turns on the dash lights....any chance that came unplugged? I have a 2006 so different circuitry, get a Chiltons if you don't already have one. You may be able to "jump" voltage in and see where it's missing.....

 

X2 on that! I think you may have unplugged something in the switch area. That dashlight dimmer might also have come unplugged.

 

 

Chilton's is a company that produces service manual's. If you go to a parts store there's usually two brands of book's they sell Chilton's and Hayne's. Used to be able too check these books out from a library in a pinch. Good luck

 

Electrical gremlins are the worst. At this point your best bet would be a shop that has a service manual - the Chiltons/Haynes manuals that I have don't even show the sensor. My guess is it's (on my 06 at least) the small dome "thingie" (high tech term) that sticks up from my dash pad surround in the center of the dash, near the windshield. A better wiring diagram would show how that operates, whether it applies a ground for the light circuit or voltage...my guess is it grounds the system. So to test, you could connect a small jumper wire from ground to the side nearest the dash lighting circuit.....obviously nothing to attempt unless you were sure how it operates. Wish I could be more help, I don't have access to a better wiring diagram, maybe someone here does....good luck with this!

 

 

check your owners manual to verify this..........But these cars make a lot of changes thru the radio, resetting the power door lock remotes keyless entry, lock cylinder resets, there is more.
So if you switch out the Radio for a new aftermarket Radio system being able to make the proper changes are no longer an option unless there is a bypass for all that. I have heard that it is, however I am not sure how to do it.
So the stock radio communicates with the Cars computer to keep functions of the car working.
When you installed the after market you may have compromised that function.
Sometimes checking Youtube to see if there is a fix for the problem.
here is a link for the youtube.
https://www.google.com/search?source....0.1xE6LQ1LRGQ

here is a link to ebay for the service manuals

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...anual&_sacat=0

 

Be grateful all it took out was the dashboard lights. One of the other members here lost his headlights.

Get an unlocked stock radio into the car.