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I have a 1998 cadillac catera I have lost my instrument lights

 
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  • Answered by:Dan
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Customer Question

I have a 1998 cadillac catera I have lost my instrument lights and also oil pressure reading on the gauge is low

Submitted: 1426 days and 3 hours ago.
Category: Cadillac
Value: $9
Status: CLOSED
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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 21 hours ago.

Does your fuel tank door release switch, trunk release switch, and seat heaters work? Thanks

Customer replied 1425 days and 14 hours ago.

yes every thing work also replaced the headlight switch

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 13 hours ago.

The instrument cluster lights run off the same power and ground as the fuel tank door, trunk, and heated seats. So considering those all work is is a good chance your bulbs are burned out in the cluster or the cluster is bad. You can remove the cluster and check the black wire terminal 7 for constant ground. If ground is good check grey/yellow wire terminal 8 for battery voltage with lights on. If you have battery voltage this means bulbs or cluster needs to be replaced. If you have no power or ground you will need to cut wire and run new wire to ground or headlamp switch depending on which one is problem. As far as the oil pressure problem it is either a bad oil pressure sensor or low oil pressure. YOu can do a oil pressure test, it should be at around 22 psi warm at idle. If it is low you have an internal engien problem causing low pressure or a failing oil pump. If oil pressure is good, replace oil pressure switch. Here are instructions to remove cluster and a wire diagram. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks

 

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Customer replied 1425 days and 12 hours ago.

I have been trold that there is abreak in wire between the cluster gray/yellow when I apply voltage at pi 8 on the switch it lights up the clester tyhat is why I thaught the switch was bad Thanks for your help and I will sure to accept ytour help

Customer replied 1425 days and 12 hours ago.

Do you have an idea where it might be pinched or broken

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 12 hours ago.

Yes, this means there is a break in the wire. Your best/easiest option would be to cut the wire at the cluster and run a new wire splicing into the grey/yellow wire at the light switch. These wires orignally splice together by the Instrument panel wiring harness near the data link connector, you may be able to follow the grey/yellow wire. If you can find where the wire splices factory you may be able to find the problem without running a new wire. But easiest thing to do would just run a new wire from the cluster to light switch. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks

Customer replied 1425 days and 12 hours ago.

If I understand you correctly the thing to do is run a new wire between pin two on the switch and pin 8 on the cluster

Accepted Answer

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 12 hours ago.

Yep, do that and your problem will be taken care of. It will be exactly the same as orignal setup, just on new wire. Let me know if there is anything else. Thanks

Expert TypeTechnician
Category: Cadillac
Pos. Feedback: 95.3 %
Accepts: 1564
Answered: 5/15/2009

Experience: Independent Shop Experience, 2 Year Automotive Diploma, & Access to Information Database

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Customer replied 1425 days and 12 hours ago.

thank you I will do that and if I need your help How do I get in touch wih you
Again Thank You
Asif

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 12 hours ago.

If you need my help, just come back on here and reply to this question. I'm happy I was able to help, let me know if you need anything. Thanks

Customer replied 1425 days and 8 hours ago.

well that did not work checked all gray yellow with ohm meter have a solid conection any suggestions

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 8 hours ago.

That is strange, as you can see in the diagram the tunk button works off that same power feed. Do you have power on the gray/yellow wire #2 comming out of the headlamp switch or power at the wire going to the cluster? If so, the only other problem could be the ground, but you said you jumped power to the wire before and the lights came on which indicates ground is good. Let what has power, thanks.

Customer replied 1425 days and 7 hours ago.

there is no power at # XXXXX at the switch and if I apply power it lights up the cluster and the rest

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 7 hours ago.

Check to make sure gray/green wire going into switch has power with lights on and make sure the black wire is a good ground. Let me know what you find. Thanks

Customer replied 1425 days and 7 hours ago.

there is no power to grey/green at all is there an inline fuse on grey/green whire

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 7 hours ago.

Check the 10 Amp fuse location 26 in the fuse block. Make sure fuse is good, if it is check to make sure there is power with headlights on, on one side of the fuse, let me know what you find out. Thanks

Dan39948.8712479977

Customer replied 1425 days and 7 hours ago.

the fuse was blown and after I put the fuse the lightscame on an then faded away back ti no lights and the fuse is really hot

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 7 hours ago.

Did you replace it with a 10 amp fuse? This means there is likely a power to ground short somewhere between the fuse and the switch. With a voltmeter, put one lead on grey/green wire at the switch and the backprobe the fuse with the volemeter to check voltage differences with lights on. If there is a high difference this indicates a short. Let me know what you find out. ThanksDan39948.8818612269

Customer replied 1425 days and 6 hours ago.

20 amp fuse but will have to tackle this tomorreow have to go to my daughter college gradutationthank i will let you know tomorrow

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Expert:  Dan replied 1425 days and 6 hours ago.

Sounds good, you may want to remove the 20 amp fuse, this may fry the wire, but at the same time if wire did fry it would be clear where problem is/was. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Thanks

Customer replied 1424 days and 11 hours ago.

When I plug the switch therethe grey /green has a ground short when I un plug it there is no short to ground any suggestions

Customer replied 1424 days and 11 hours ago.

Correction there is a ground short at gray/green wire and the fuse shows short on both end too weather the switch is pluged in or not

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Expert:  Dan replied 1424 days and 10 hours ago.

If a 10 amp fuse blows out with the switch disconnected this means there is a power to ground short between the fuse and headlamp switch. If this is the case, cut and replace grey/green wire going from fuse to switch. Let me know what you find out. Thanks

Customer replied 1424 days and 10 hours ago.

this all started when I tried to fix the light on the trunk lid and the center brake light does that may have any thing to do with this

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Expert:  Dan replied 1424 days and 10 hours ago.

Does the trunk light still come on with this fuse removed? It should, I believe these are on different circuits and could no way effect eachother. The Radio, traction control, hazard switch, and cigeratte light are all powered off this fuse. To figure out where the short is you can put a 20 amp fuse in and check for which one does not function. Otherwise you will have to take a voltmeter and check for resistance between each and fuse. Grey/yellow wire at traction control switch, hazard switch, radio, cig lighter, and rear heated seat switch. Then whatever one has high resistance is where you will have to replace wire. Let me know what you find out. Thanks

Customer replied 1424 days and 8 hours ago.

10 amp fuse blows out the min I turn the light switch to park when the switch is disconnected nothing happens

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Expert:  Dan replied 1424 days and 8 hours ago.

Then the next step is to take a voltmeter and check resistance between fuse and all of the grey/yellow wires at all of the above switches. This short will cause a resistance problem which you will see with a voltmeter when you check for ohms. What circuit has high resistance will need to be cut and replaced. Let me know what your test results are. Thanks

Customer replied 1422 days and 13 hours ago.

well I think I found the short it was in the switch for rear heat on both side as soon as i disconnected I was not getting any reading on ohm meater and it quit blowing the fuse. so I put it back togather now when i turn the car on and turn the lights on the radio and dash goe crazy wonder what I could have done

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Expert:  Dan replied 1422 days and 12 hours ago.

What do you mean by the lights go crazy? Thanks

Customer replied 1422 days and 12 hours ago.

radio shuts off dash gauges bouncand the instrument lights are still not on light in the switch is on may be I damage the headlight switch

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Expert:  Dan replied 1422 days and 12 hours ago.

Considering that it worked before with a large fuse but only dim indicates the circuit is good and since the fuse is no longer blowing this means there is no more short. I would also agree that the switch has failed. Maybe being overheated from the short. You could try to manually connect power to the grey/yellow wire to see if everything operates as it should, if so replace switch. Let me know what you find out. Thanks

Customer replied 1422 days and 11 hours ago.

grey and yellow wire when connected with manually the lights work

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Expert:  Dan replied 1422 days and 11 hours ago.

Disconnect switch and jump the grey/green wire at the switch what is the power to the grey/yellow wire. If lights work, this verifies complete circuit is good and to replace switch. Thanks

Customer replied 1422 days and 11 hours ago.

there is no power to the gray/green at the switch end and at the fuse when I disconnect the switch but if I apply power from another souece to the gray/.yellow we have lights

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Expert:  Dan replied 1422 days and 11 hours ago.

The problem is most likely the switch, in order to be sure you would have to jump the two large terminals together at the parking lamp relay so the gray/green wire has power and then jump the grey/green wire to the grey/yellow wire to verify circuit is running good. If it operates good this means switch is problem. Thanks

 
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