1997 Toyota Corolla Dash Lights - Pre-1997 Toyota Corolla and Geo Prizm

Guest brandonharris

Hello all;

I have a 97 Toyota Corolla that runs like a dream. I was having some problems with my radio (sounded like a loose speaker wire) and so i was jiggling around on that mess when my dash/shifter/AC lights all went off. I'm 90% sure it has to do with the wiring harness' orange dash/illumination wire (orange). The bulbs are fine, and if I wire the orange to the radio's power wires the interior lights come right back on (albeit, then I can't get them off).

Could this be a fuse issue? I don't recall the orange wire being connected to anything when I installed the radio (I think it was just taped up, and most of the tape was sloughing off after so many years); would it be possible the orange wire hit another wire/the frame and tripped something? Has anyone had anything like this happen before? Thanks in advance.

If you can wire the orange wire to the radio's power lead and the lights come on, then it is not a fuse issue. Possible you have more than one short under the dash. Is the radio connected to the OEM harness via a adapter harness or wired directly into the OEM harness? Have you tried disconnecting the headunit - see if that was the source of the electrical problem? Did you notice any other electrical issue - dome light still working? Power points still working? etc.