Picked up an 81 a few weeks ago. Dash light haven't worked since I bought. After checking all the fuses I took the two red wires from the dimmer switch and connected them together. Still no dash lights... and now my headlights won't go down and my taillights are out -_____-
Any suggestions?

 

check the fusible links on the left strut tower. ensure the "RETRACTOR" link is complete and not burnt or broken. i would also look into removing and cleaning the contacts on the headlight switch at the column assembly. a faulty dimmer switch can cause the dash lights not to illuminate. you can jump the two lower pins on the female connector that the dimmer plugs into in order to bypass the dimmer and test the function of the lights. my guess is that the contacts in the combination switch are faulty.

 

Fusible links are good however, now when I turn the key to start it nothing happens. Warning light don't come on, hatch/gas release don't work, etc. The only thing working is the headlights. Battery has charge and the lights are bright so its getting power. Help?!

 

i would check the 30A main fuse under the dash first and fore most. if that's good then i would look into the ignition switch and its corresponding wiring.

 

Thanks for the pointers, Starting issue was caused by a loose ground going from the battery to the fusible link. Tried jumping the dimmer today but no change. How would one go about checking the combination switch? I tried referencing the fsm but all those wires had me stumped

 

You should have 12V in the Red/green wire connected to the dimmer when the lights are tuned on. If not, check that the red wire in the plug for the combination switch has constant 12v and the Red/green wire (same plug) has 12v when the lights are turned on. If the red wire has 12v and the Red/green does not, the combination switch has a problem.