What are possibles problems cuasing the dashboard lights to dim?

If the dashboard mileage light on your 2001 Buick Regal LS is very dim and the Service Vehicle Soon (SVS) light and antilock light stay on, there could be a few potential causes for this issue. Here are some things you can check:

1. Dim dashboard light: If the dashboard mileage light is very dim, it could be due to a burnt-out bulb or a problem with the dimmer switch. Try turning up the brightness using the dimmer switch, and if that doesn't work, check the bulb and replace it if necessary.
2. SVS light and antilock light: The SVS light and antilock light staying on could indicate a problem with the car's computer system or with the antilock brake system. It could be caused by a faulty sensor, a wiring issue, or a problem with the computer itself. It's recommended to have the car's computer system scanned for error codes to determine the root cause of the issue.
3. Battery or charging system: A weak battery or faulty alternator can cause electrical issues in the car, which could be related to the dim dashboard light and the warning lights staying on. Have the battery and charging system checked to rule out this possibility.

The lights on the radio are dimmed with the instrument panel dimmer control so usually they are fed with a separate 12 volt signal that is separate from the main radio power. It may have a separate fuse but may not. If it's not a fuse it could be a loose connector going to the radio, assuming the rest of the instrument panel lights are working correctly. I suppose it is also possible that the dimmer control has two sections, one for the radio and one for the panel lights, and the section for the radio is bad. Run the dimmer control back and forth stop to stop a few times, push on it etc. to see if that effects it. I suspect it is somewhere in the dimmer circuit.

check under the dash for loose ground wires (one screw/bolt attached to the frame of the dash with a bunch of brown or black wires going to it) loosen that up, then re-tighten.

Check the dimmer switch position or possibly you have a bad dimmer for your instrument panel lights could be found with headlight switch knob or a separate adjustment on dash.

Theres a control below the light switch that will brighten the dash lights when in dim

just to clarify, the radio lighting goes OUT? or it DIMS...? the lighting is supposed to dim when you turn the lights on (brighter at daytime) and should be controllable by the dimmer switch - the same one that controls the brightness of your dashboard. if the lighting is actually going out, i would suspect a problem the dimmer switch itself. good luck!

On most vehicles you have a dimmer switch ( not talking about headlights) which you can adjust how bright or how dim the dashboard lights are because some people want them bright and others prefer dim either check your owners manual or check all around for it from drivers seat ( within drivers reach) when you find it if you can't adjust it then you want to consider replacing dash lights or switch.

i have replaced my dimmer roller switch to solve my problem with the dash bord light flickering and dimming by them selfs .. that or just flip (smack) the roller switch for temp inprovement untill you decide to install a new dimming switch..?

you have one or two bulbs burnt out that can be changed with the dash face removed generally possibly from behind

I had intermittent instrument light problem that went dark for months, until today. :o) I read somewhere that it could be the dimmer switch and didn't think that was my problem as the dimmer worked (dimmed the radio and transmission indicator light) and playing with it never seemed to help with the problem. I did find it odd that dimmer was not completely linear, as it would get brighter up to a certain point and get slightly dimmer with the last little bit of travel.

Today, I took the instrument cluster apart to fix a broken clock, sticking gas & voltage gauges, and to explore the instrument light problem. I took apart the dimmer switch, and to my surprise (was expecting a simple POT), it was a very complicated PCB with some IC's, resistors, transistors, etc. I thought, "all this just to dim the light???" Anyway, I found the POT (potentiometer) and gave a few squirts of WD-40 and found it turning smoother. After putting it back together, the instrument light came back and the dimmer is now perfectly linear. Apparently, less than perfect POT causes some sort of funny logic through the network of IC's and transistors and can cause the instrument light to go on or off randomly at certain intervals.

Anyway, I'm so happy to have the light back along with a working clock and not having to punch the instrument cluster to see how much fuel I have. Not really a posting type, but wanted to help someone else out there with a similar problem with same cause.

1989 740 Turbo