Gauge lights went out!?!?!

My lights for my gauges do not come on with the headlights. THe blinker indicator lights, high beam and low fuel light all work, but I can't read my speedo or tach at night. Could it be a fuse, or should I find a replacment light for the gauges. Might be a good excuse to install a nice face plate, but I'm hoping its the fuse. Any ideas?

Twist your headlight switch first, it's a reheostat, see if you dimmed them first..

Yeah, tried that. The switch does nothing until it hits the indent to switch onthe interior lights. Still nothing from the gauges.

It probably is a problem with the rheostat in the headlight switch. I had the same problem on my '87. A new (used) headlight switch out of a junkeyard cured it.

Check your rear parking lights. I bet they don't work. If they don't its the fuse. If they do check the switch connections.

What Year xj? I have had problems with newer style guage cluster connectors corroding at the terminals...... causing a multitude of symptoms also a tsb out for it.

Darkmage said:

What Year xj? I have had problems with newer style guage cluster connectors corroding at the terminals...... causing a multitude of symptoms also a tsb out for it.

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When I had problems with my 98'x idiot light cluster after cleaning the pins and tweaking them a bit I put some dielectric grease on them, worked fine for several years after that. When I replaced the idiot light cluster with a gauge cluster out of a 97 I just did the same thing, put some dielectric grease on the pins and seated the panel. The pins on the panel I took out were as clean and shiny as the day I cleaned it. I use dielectric grease almost as much as I use anti-seize....
One day this fall when the weather is nice I will probably start pulling some of the grounds and clean them up as preventative maintenance.

I had the same thing happen a few years ago...wire for shift gate lite got caught up and shorted out in the shifter. It would pop the fuse everytime I put the thing in 2nd gear with the lights on.