Radio lights My radio light are not very bright is it bulb or fuse?

Oh boy, I just went through this with my '92 Lesabre, took a long time to trace it all down, and wound up splicing in a new wire just to my instrument cluster lights. A short kept blowing fuses somewhere in that circuit.
Down where your feet go, up under the dash at the fuse panel, there is a 15 amp fuse for park/tail lights. When you hit the light switch (for heads or park lights), power is sent to that fuse, and then to the exterior park lights. There is another wire from that fuse (green wire on mine) that also goes up under the dash, and splices to several bulbs-on the radio, on the HVAC controller, on the ashtray light, also one to the under hood lamp, and then one to the dimmer/brighter switch on the dash, the rheostat that controls brightness of interior lights. One of the green splices goes into this switch, and then another wire goes from this switch to the instrument cluster for the gauge and dash illumination. I couldn't find the short, so ran a new wire from the park light fuse to the gray wire to the instrument cluster for the cluster bulbs. I bypassed the dimmer, and left off the HVAC bulbs and ashtray light. Too much trouble to wire them all up, and think my short may have been in the dimmer rheostat.
If you have a voltmeter, pull out the dimmer switch and check for power on those wires, the green from the fuse. The park light must be switched on, or the fuse has no power. There be 8 or 9 wires on that dimmer rheostat-I never did figure out where all of them went. Asked all over a Buick forum, but nobody had an answer.

Have you tried to replace the headlight switch? I ask that because you say the radio and clock go out, with the headlights on clock and radio go dim, so not so bright at night but bright in day to see them. So maybe the switch is bad?

what kind of vehicle is this? very important detail. alot of vehicles have multiple bulbs behind the instrument panel. if these bulbs burn out you have to remove the panel and replace the burnt out bulbs.

For a car that’s over 20 years in age, I would say bulbs need replaced. For the dash though, check the “bright/dim” adjust for the dash lights to make sure it wasn’t turned to the off position.

what you are seeing is the bright filament on the bulb working,
the tail light bulbs have two filaments in each bulb,one is dim and one is bright,the bright one is to the brake and turn signals,that way when you step on the brake with the tail lights on the same lens light up brighter to warn drivers behind you..
you need to check the fuses in the car for tail lights first,see if your plate light is on that will tell you the bulbs are just blown

First, your instrument panel lights. Make sure to check the knob on the dashboard to the left of the instrument panel which controls
the brightness of the instrument panel lights. Push the knob to get it to pop out. Turn the knob to adjust the brightness.
If that is not the problem, go to your fuse boxes. Check those in the interior fuse box (left kick panel, below the dash--fuse chart on the cover) and those in the engine compartment fuse box (far upper left as you face the car). If, after you replace anything that has blown, it blows again, that would suggest a short somewhere in the system.
If you don't find any blown fuses (and I think you will) then it's time to go to the light bulbs. The tail light bulbs are accessed from inside the trunk. The license plate bulbs are just above the license plate and are accessed by removing two screws that hold the fixture in, then taking off the click plate and removing the bulbs.
Hope this is of some help.

Nissans like most all cars and light trucks made for sale in north America the taillights dont work either if the dash lights are out. Tailights work go to next step, or fix tailights (parking lights) The fuse blown for the parking lights can happen at the radio and is common problem with aftermarket radios hooked up wrong. If The car has an after market radio and the fuse for dash or tail is blown I check the radio first unplug and look for loose bare or untaped wires see if a new fuse holds with the radio hang and then unplugged. Always use the right fuse as the headlight switch can't take a bigger load and you may not find the problem till you have a fire. The tailights are next if their out I just unplug the wire from the light fixtures and try a new fuse if the dash works now with it on plug the tailights in one at a time and watch operation If the bright light (brake bulb comes on the bulb is in backwards ( see it all the time ) or doesnt light at all or dash goes back out fuse blows again You found your bad light and the bulb the socket are suspect. with it apart You can see the problem. Lets say the tailights work just right. and the dash lights still don't work. Theres a dimmer for the dash lights that can fail. its' a thumb knob deal that pops right out of the dash with a light pry and will hang by its wire ( 3 ) with the lights on two wires will be on if only two wires both will be hot cold with the lights off. if it has aground wire its because it lights up too. the grong wire is black. Connect the other two wires together or if two wires connect them and the dash lights up you have a bad switch. You can plug in a bebt paper clip tape over and reinstall or order up a new one from Nissan as the parts stores mostly don't have these. Call with your VIN and the parts guys are more friendly. Still no good. The headlight switch can fail but you'll say the tails don't work and the fuses are good and they were good when you checked them. With the covers removed from the steering colum the turn signal head light switch can be removed. Most of the time they fail after big fuses were added or lots of miles and tailight or radio problems. Most always created by a wrongly directed repair. Find the wire thats the same color as the wire you saw on the back of the dimmer switch for the panel and with a test light see if it comes on ( switch removed but hanging by the wire and the wire plugged in ) With the switch turned off two or three wires will be hot turn the parking lights on only and one more will come hot ( check with test light ) turn the lights on bright another wre comes hot switch to dim another wire comes hot and the one that was hot on bright goes dead the other two wires are the turn signals they need to work before your done as long as the lights work OK don't go diging into sonething thats not broke. Key off two wire hot one more with the key on (turn signal) if not good here your back to checking fuses The front lights can also short out as the car may have hit something. all the marker lights ( edge of the headlight ) Sides of the front and rear fenders and all the lights in both tailights are suspect. Last the wires that go to the lights are damaged somewhere. Theres lots of bulbs in the dash, glove box, ash tray, Speedometer, heater control and console gearshift. The likely hood of all being blown is unlikely. Power put on the panel dimmer switch will find out.

The answer to your question is in your question. Yes, the lights have independant fuses for each side and hi and lo beams.

Hello and welcome to FixYa . Locate the dial that controls the brightness of the dashboardlights. If the control is not immediately evident. Make sure the brightness control is turned on. If it is and the lights aren't working, the problem may be a bad fuse. Check the fuse that controls the dashboard lights Replace the fuse if necessary. If just one part of the instrument panel is not lighting up, then you have either a burned-out bulb or a wiring problem.

Passenger side kick panel fuse breakdown for a 1996 jeep Cherokee Country

01 - 25A Rear Wiper/Washer
02 - 15A Radio, Cigar Lighter
03 - Empty
04 - 15A Passing Light
05 - 30A Blower Motor
06 - 30A (Circuit Breaker) Power Windows
07 - 02A ABS
08 - 20A Turn Signal Flasher
09 - 10A Radio/Clock Memory, Courtesy Lights, Glove Box, Cargo, Dome Lights, Telltales
10 - Empty
11 - 25A Headlamp Delay Module, Horn
12 - Empty
13 - 20A Power Door Locks
14 - Empty
15 - 15A Instrument Panel Lamps, Clock/Radio and Memory, Headlamp Switch, Parking Lamps
16 - 30A (Circuit Breaker) Power Seats, Trailer Tow
17 - 7.5A Instrument Cluster Gauges, Headlamp Delay Module, Chime Module, Overhead Console
18 - 25A Rear Defrost
19 - 05A Instrument Panel Lamps, Radio Illumination
20 - 5.5A (Circuit Breaker) Windshield Wipers and Washers

This should get you going. And you can always Ask Me.

The quickest way to find a short circuit is by putting a bulb in place of the fuse. Anytime the time the bulb lights there is a load. And if the load is a shorted wire the brightness of the bulb will give you a hint. So while you're at it, finding a 'short' is a quicky...keep your eyes on the bulb. gotcha!