No dash lights brake lights or wipers

[morganw715@gmail.com]

Hi. I have an '82 Tercel SR5. I just installed a weber carb and on my test drive I noticed that my dash lights, brake lights and windshield wipers were not working. I checked the fuses and none seem to be blown.
I remember a while back I was tightening up the belt when my prybar slipped and arced on the back of the alternator. Could that have blown some sort of main fuse that I'm not seeing?
Thanks for your help.

[dlb]

So all your lights and wipers worked before you installed the Weber, and now they don't? How long ago was the alternator arc incident? If that incident was a while back and things worked fine until you installed the weber, I don't think there would be a link between that incident and the electrical issues you're now having.

This forum is primarily for the second generation Tercels and yours sounds like it's a first gen so we won't know much about its specifics here. Does it have an electrical box in the engine bay like the wagons do, and if so did you check the fuses in there too?

[morganw715@gmail.com]

Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure if the lights and wipers were working before I installed the Weber. The arc incident happened just before when I was messing around with the old carb. There is a fuse box in the engine bay, on the drivers fender. That's where my wiper fuse is located. The fuse is fine. I'm not reading any voltage at the fuse with the engine running and the wiper switch on so that's what made me think maybe there was another fuse somewhere.
Could be the problems are not related but I just noticed them at the same time.

[dlb]

Ok. More sleuthing required.

Dash lights: do the first gens have a dimmer for the dash lights? Sometimes that knob can get turned right down, I've seen that be the cause on here a number of times.

Do your running lights and headlights work? I ask because if they come on but your dash lights don't, could the bulbs in the cluster be burnt out? If none of the lights come on, I think the switch itself might be bad, or maybe the plug for it (which I presume will be on the underside of the steering column) is unplugged or corroded or something.

[morganw715@gmail.com]

There is a dimmer, but that doesn't change anything. All my front lights work but only turn signals in the back. No brake or running lights. I still need to check the bulbs then ill test the switch and look for the plug.