my 03 S would flicker on and off then stay on but now it's totally gone. tach is dead too but everything else is good.

anybody have ideas? all searches came out empty.

i have a new optima battery.

 

The dash lights and tach are both controlled by circuits in the speedometer. That may be a clue, although it isn't good news.

 

Hopefully you did not fry something installing the battery.....I have an optma too...no problems....
The first thing I would try is a computer/cluster re-set...and see if everything moves....mights up, etc. Look on the "Viagra" thread for how to do it.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ni-viagra.html

 

well more investigating found that the F21 fuse had blown. When i replaced it the dash lights won't turn off now! i did the ecu reset as well as a battery disconnect but neither worked.

another weird thing is with the fuse in, the light showing the trunk isn't closed is on. with the fuse out it doesn't show but i get a dsc light on meaning that dsc is deactivated.

anybody think it could be a bad body control module (BCM)?

 

I would check your grounds first.....you might have disturbed it when you installed the new bat.

 

The instrument cluster module inside the speedometer controls all of the dash functions -- lighting and all of the display functions including warning lights. I think a malfunction is more likely to be in the speedometer rather than the BCM.

The speedometer does use fuse F21. You might check these others that also connect to the speedo: F40, F9, F5.

 

the battery was installed 6 months ago so i don't think battery.

anybody has diagram of grounding points? i'm pretty annoyed with this.

 

Since the bat is older than a few weeks, I would not worry about it.
If the speedo is bad I remember seeing one for sale from an '04 s at WayMotorWorks...
Good luck!

 

I pulled out all the fuses 1 by 1 to see if i could get the light to turn off and no luck. Those are the ones at the driver's kick panel.

i'm going to see if i can get behind the dash and disconnect / check connections and see what's going on.

Also I noticed that the factory radio can turn on without the key. Is this normal? I don't recall I ever tried it until now. If it's not normal I'm feeling something is stuck on ignition mode so the dash lights stay on.

 

It's normal, and it will shut itself off after about 20 minutes.

 

Well that theory failed. I wil check on the speedo plugs. I remembered it would come in and out.

 

I'm new to Minis's so I'm not all that familiar with the wiring nuances, but that sounds like a classic example of a fried relay to me.

dp

 

i'm gearing towards that or a bad dimmer switch because i just noticed the dimmer doesn't adjust any of the guages or needles. the odometer is the only part that changes.

 

well i bought a speedo on ebay and it solved this mystery. the only issue i have now is the speedo mph needle is off. i didn't realize that it's not sitting at zero but actually below it. i guess i can live with that for now since it was off before from the wheel/tire combo. im trying to get a partial refund for that.

thanks all for the help.

 

You can align the needle to zero. People who install aftermarket dial plates always have to do it -- they have to remove the needle to install the dial, and when they reinstall the needle they have to align it to zero.

The procedure is fairly simple. You don't have to remove the speedo or dash panels.

• First remove the outside trim ring. It is attached to the middle dash trim piece and just pops off by pulling on it, but if it won't budge you can pry it up with a blade or screwdriver.
• Next remove the clear lens cover. If you still have your old speedo, you can examine how it unclips. At the outside perimeter, press in at the tab positions at 50 mph and 100 mph. The lens should unclip at the top and release easily. After removing the lens, the dial and needle are completely exposed.
• Remove the needle by simply pulling it off the center pin that it is attached to. It may require more force than you'll be comfortable with, and you just have to be courageous about it. Practice on your old speedometer to get a feel for it. The silver cap in the middle may pop off but you can just snap it back on later. You may need to pry up the needle with a screwdriver.
• Turn on the ignition to the 1st position. This will power up the speedo, and the center pin (without needle) will be at 0 mph position.
• Leaving the ignition on, press the needle back in place, ensuring that it points to 0 mph. Before pressing the needle all the way in, recheck the 0 .position of the needle by turning the ignition off and back on
• Snap the lens and trim ring back on

 

i think that did it. i'm going to see if it stays there but i'm sure it will.

thanks

 

Today when I got home, the dash lights wouldn't turn off. Also the blinker wouldn't make a clicking noise or blink inside the tach module but I can see from the outside that it works just fine.

I did a test 21 reset and the lights turned off. Then it wouldn't turn on! I did some other speed test and found that the lights have the ability to turn on. Do you guys think the left stalk busted or the speedo cluster? Where does the blinker click sound come from?

 

To give this a little bump, and to say THANKS! My dash lights stopped working yesterday. The background lights in the speedo, tach, even the cigarette lighter light stopped working. Couldn't find any blown fuses. Everything else worked, including blinkers/emergency flashers. The actual tach/speedo worked also. Doing this little ECU reset described in here made the lights work again!

 

Not normally the guy to bump old threads but i'm having the same issue... I'm at a loss... Just bought an 05 MCS with 97K and the car works great with the exception of the Rear Brake lights staying on when i turn the car off. I have NO dash lights and Nothing on the tach works, no rev counter, turn signals, CEL, etc.... The speedo works fine. Any ideas??

 

Mine (05) is having this problem and seemingly about 90% of every other problem on this forum. My back lights stay on as well, but if I shut the car off, then turn the key almost to the ignite engine location, then off again, mine go out. Problem is when I forget- dead battery.

 

Fixed mine... it was a nightmare and wouldn't be a common issue. Sunroof drain soaked floorboard and destroyed wiring harness. Got it fixed up and haven't had the issue since.

 

Thanks!! Mine has so many problems I have no clue where or what to start on. Will try that.

 

This should help:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...le-issues.html

 

I had this problem intermittently, found it to be the cd changer connector under my rug in the trunk shorting out because of moisture under the carpet, dried out the plug and worked great.

 

I have a similar issue where both my fog light indicators on the dash don't light up. Could this be fuse related?