No power to shifter backlight bulb - Solution found! (1 Viewer)

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Aug 13, 2013
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Location
Barrie, Ontario
The shifter backlight (at the gear shifter, not on the dash) no longer cones on when the ignition is on and the headlights are turned on. Checked bulb - it’s good. Checked for power with multimeter - no power. Could not see any broken wires etc. under the shifter cover. Wiggling wiring harness and bulb did not cause bulb to flicker. Fuses in panel to the left of steering wheel and under hood all good. Anyone ever have this problem before? Any easy to do suggestions on how to get switched power to the bulb?
 
I would get a copy of the EWD and start tracing the wiring backwards towards the battery until you find 12v power with the multimeter. Then you know where the issue is.
 
Does your O/D switch work? I was looking at EWD and I think it’s on the same circuit.
By O/D switch, do you mean the button on the side of the shifter? If so, yes, when pressed in, the indicator light comes on the dash. And the transmission stays out of overdrive. Unfortunately I am not great at troubleshooting electrical problems and don’t read EWD very well at all.
Does your O/D switch work? I was looking at EWD and I think it’s on the same circuit.
 
I am looking at the 1995 EWD.

As @voodu3 mentioned, the illumination to the shifter and the O/D button are wired together. So if you have power to the O/D bulb then you probably have a broken wire to the shifter.

Do you have illumination to your dash panel switches (hazard, rear window defogger, antenna up/down, etc.)?

Did you try dialing the illumination dimmer up and down? If not, I would turn it up all the way and remeasure the voltage at the bulbs as a next step
 
I am looking at the 1995 EWD.

As @voodu3 mentioned, the illumination to the shifter and the O/D button are wired together. So if you have power to the O/D bulb then you probably have a broken wire to the shifter.

Do you have illumination to your dash panel switches (hazard, rear window defogger, antenna up/down, etc.)?

Did you try dialing the illumination dimmer up and down? If not, I would turn it up all the way and remeasure the voltage at the bulbs as a next steps.
I am looking at the 1995 EWD.

As @voodu3 mentioned, the illumination to the shifter and the O/D button are wired together. So if you have power to the O/D bulb then you probably have a broken wire to the shifter.

Do you have illumination to your dash panel switches (hazard, rear window defogger, antenna up/down, etc.)?

Did you try dialing the illumination dimmer up and down? If not, I would turn it up all the way and remeasure the voltage at the bulbs as a next step
Yes, I checked the dimmer - it works, but does not affect the shifter back light. All dash panel lights work as well. I’m wondering if the #2721 bulb I tried to use is not compatible with the connector. The factory bulb is a 9098111014 (same bulb for glove box and ash tray). I’m looking on line to see what is comparable to the factory bulb: 74,192 or 194.
 
Yes, I checked the dimmer - it works, but does not affect the shifter back light. All dash panel lights work as well. I’m wondering if the #2721 bulb I tried to use is not compatible with the connector. The factory bulb is a 9098111014 (same bulb for glove box and ash tray). I’m looking on line to see what is comparable to the factory bulb: 74,192 or 194.
Decided to run an extension from the ashtray light to the shifter backlight socket. Sacrificed the ashtray light but now have a shifter backlight. Not a perfect solution but it works for me as there are no smokers in my vehicle needing a lit ashtray! Thanks all for your suggestions!
 

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