2004 X - no sound, no lights, no right brake light...

[MichiganMan]

Have something of an interesting issue with my 04. The situation:

• No instrument panel lights. Guages and idiot lights work fine.
• No headlight warning buzzer (which led me to a dead battery, but I digress)
• No right BRAKE light - tail lights both work fine. The brake light has been out for a while, much longer than the IP lights so I don't think they are related.

What I've done:

• Driver's side parking lamp connector was gone and the wires were loose. Taped the individual ends, then wrapped the whole thing a tucked it up out of the way. My X had at some point hit something in the front (thanks to my sis-in-law) and this could have been this way for a while.
• Check fuse 39 under the hood. It was definitely cooked. Replaced with a new fuse.

Still no IP lights and no headlight warning chime. Thoughts on what to do next?

 

[TJTJ]

Normally, you trace the hot from the battery to the items of concern, and see where the last place you are getting juice stops.

That's typically where the problem is.

 

[MichiganMan]

My understanding is that the IP lights and the chime were all on fuse 39, which was bad. Wondering why replacing it did not fix the problem. Weather here (12 degrees today with 16 inches of snow on the ground) is not real conducive to working on the truck in the driveway

 

[TheFauxFox]

Check more of your fuses and relays such as the radio fuse. A bad jump will pop'em.

 

[MichiganMan]

Some further info - the IP lights just stopped working one day. No jump start, nothing. Came out of the hockey rink with the boy and no lights. Radio, radio display, XM all work fine, the only things that don't are the headlights on chime and the IP lights.

 

[J Everett]

Generally, the IP lights go out to tell you that you have no brake lights. I don't know if brake lights are on the fuse 39 that you checked. Check whatever fuse is listed for stop lamps on the first gen.

 

[MichiganMan]

I definitely have a brake light out, but it was out for weeks before the IP went. Guess I'll get around to replacing that bulb this weekend and see if that fixes it.

 

[J Everett]

I don't think a single brake light will cause the IP to go dark. It happens when the stop lamp fuse blows. Make sure you only have that one brake light out, and haven't lost all of them before you get on the road again.

 

[NismoFire]

Third brake light...

 

[MichiganMan]

Update - in addition to the IP lights, I have no tail lights either. Passenger and center brake lights are fine, as are fog and head lights. No IP lights, no tail lights, no right brake light. It looks like the wiring for the left marker light is gone almost all the way back to where it runs in parallel to the fog lamp wiring. There is just a 4 or 6 in length of wire sticking out, no plugs or anything else. I'm assuming this is what is shorting out the circuit (I keep blowing the fuse for the tail lights). Can I just tape the hell out of that wire to keep the moisture out and call it good, or does there really need to be a connection to the marker light? I really don't want to rewire this pig when it is -15 outside...

 

[MichiganMan]

There was a short on the driver's side marker light - the wire was completely snapped. Cut it, stripped it, and separated the ends - no more short and I now have all my lights back (minus the side marker, but who cares...)