why when i dim up the cluster lights my fuse goes down and no light the instrument panel?

1999 DODGE RAM
155,000 MILES
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PAULRU
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when i turn the headlight switch on theres no light in the instrument panel. i found the fuse blown, and change it and when i dim the light it blow again.ichange the headlight switch,same thing.check the tail lights and same thing.check the bulbs in cluster all good. my fuse box shows ground ond one side of the fuse .and volts on the other. please .
Mar 21, 2012 at 4:23 AM
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CARADIODOC
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Do you have an aftermarket radio?
Mar 21, 2012 at 4:47 AM
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PAULRU
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its a 2001 jeep cherokee stereo.but i have it long time ago and never fail.
Mar 21, 2012 at 5:18 AM
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CARADIODOC
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Rats. A lot of people install aftermarket radios and mistakenly find what appears to be a ground wire in the gray plug. There are no ground wires in either plug, but the tail light wire and the dash light wire will measure very low resistance to ground through all the bulbs on those circuits. Using either of those wires as the ground will put a short on that line leading to blowing fuses. I was hoping you had that problem because it's an easy fix.

What you can do instead of blowing lots of fuses is to plug in a pair of spade terminals, then use a pair of small jumper wires to connect them to a 12 volt light bulb. For this circuit a brake light bulb should work well. When the circuit is powered up and the short is present, the bulb will be full brightness so don't allow it to sit on carpet or against a plastic door panel as it will be hot. Now you can go around and unplug things to see what makes the short go away. When it does, the bulb will go out or dim.
Mar 21, 2012 at 7:21 AM