Hey guys, interior dash lights don't work. Please help.

[TwiztidRat]

So I acquired another Lesabre, when I bought this car I was told the instrument cluster doesn't light up, all the gauges move but it doesn't light up. That's only part of the problem, the radio, steering controls, and HVAC lights also don't illuminate. The only buttons that light up at night are the door buttons. I have had the car at my family's shop and they tried doing a fair amount of work, had the whole dash ripped open, but they are saying it's one of the Modules deep inside the dash and I'm looking at a 5-6 hour job for that alone. I guess what I'm asking is, what module do you think it could be, and is it work fixing for just interior lights.

 

[02LTD2.0]

5 to 6 hrs? Sounds like they don''t have a clue. Take it somewhere else.
What year is it?
How much did you pay for this gem?

 

[DrivenDaily]

What year is your LeSabre?

I have the dash on my 2005 opened up because the gauges were less than halfway lit, the radio and HVAC were dark, and the headlight switch was dark.

I found that the "important" lights are populated by LEDs, but the backlighting is incandescent bulbs. All but a couple of those bulbs were burned out. What's even more perplexing is they are soldered to the boards, not in sockets. I replaced mine with LEDs, but it was a chore.

If you replace them with incandescent bulbs again, it's a simple desolder to remove, then solder to replace. But I want mine to go longer than that, plus I changed the color by using green LEDs. I like the color, but it took longer than using standard bulbs.

There is also the need to ensure that the needles are reinstalled so they are accurate. That may take some time, depending on how OCD you are.

 

[TwiztidRat]

Paid $1400. It's an 03 Limited with the auto digital HVAC display. I know those bulbs are soldered and the radio too, but I was told there is no power going to any of that stuff.

 

[02LTD2.0]

Sounds like ground issues.