Car is a 1993 Camry LE, Automatic, 4cyl, 189k.
I got it Tuesday. I'll tackle one thing at a time.
(ALL fuses are good, even replaced 'questionable' good ones to make sure they worked for other things.)

1. Shift Lock
I could shift out of park normally on Tuesday, now I can't, and have to depress the override to get out of park.

2. No brake lights
When I brake, no lights (duh). I found packages of bulbs in the trunk, previous owner probably trying to fix the same problem.
When I turn the headlights on, the taillights do come on, but pressing the brake, again, has no further illumination.

3. No instrument cluster lights
Well, techincally I do have some.
When I turn the key 'on', it illuminates all the usuals, brake/CEL/brake light warning, etc. They go out when car is started, which is normal of course.
The gear indicator works through P/R/N. It does not illuminate D/1/2.
I do not have ANY backlighting at all.
The illumination rheostat/**** does nothing.

THINGS I HAVE TRIED

_| Once again, I checked ALL fuses, and ALL of them are fine, and of the correct amperage.
_| Replaced the brake switch under the dash.
_| Removed/inspected the Lamp Failure box in the trunk, the circuit board is not brown or melted or burnt. Has some discoloration around the border (see picture).

Thanks!

 

No brake lights work, even the top mounted one? Brakes use the Brake and Gauge fuses.

Power goes to the sensor box from the brake light switch via a green wire. Determine if DC power is getting to the green wire at the box when the brake pedal is pushed.

If power is going in but not coming out the red and green/red wires the sensor is bad.

Shift lock uses the Cig-Radio, ECU-G and Stop fuses plus brake light switch.

Brake switch and Stop fuse are common to both problems above.

The gear indicator lights on the instrument cluster are individual bulbs, one for each gear indication.

Does the glove box, radio and climate controls lights, etc work? All receive power from the same source as instrument cluster lighting, the Tail fuse via the tail light relay.

The glove box light is not on the rheostat circuit.

 

*update*

I pulled the relevant fuses again, to double check them.
The 25A 'STOP' fuse sparked inside when I put it back in, so I wiggled it around, causing it to spark randomly, and the guy I work with then said "dude your brake lights are on!"

I look at the fuse block, and the 'teeth' on the bottom of the socket are spread apart, not allowing contact with the fuse!
I bent the fuse legs apart a bit, stuck it back in, and bam! It works as it should, and of course the shift lock problem is now gone too.

I still do not have backlight illumination on my gauge cluster though, but that is the least of my problems.

 

Great!

Check which dash bulbs (including glove compartment work).

 

Ok, I didn't have the car in my possession (where I could mess around with it more), until now.

Dash lights/etc. that work:
- All cluster lights including gear selection.
- A/C button light
- Defrost button light
- Glove box light
- Dome light
- Door panel lights
- Clock

Lights that don't work:
- Gauge cluster backlight/illumination.
- Shifter lights (where the actual shifter is)

The dimmer/rheostat does not dim anything.

Also, I replaced all 4 bulbs and powered them up to make sure they worked, then put them into the cluster.

There is a basic Sony aftermarket stereo, but it was installed by Best Buy. I took it out and inspected the harness anyway, looks clean. (Sticker on the stereo said it was installed in 2002, so I don't think that's the issue lol).

Another thing I tried was jumping the dimmer connector (green to white & green to black) to see if that would do anything (I had read that in some other thread), no dice.

 

Dome and individual shift indicator lights are on the own circuit.

Glove box is not on dimmer.

As to the rest of the bulbs when the steering column light switch is set to running lights the bulbs have power on one side of the filament. The ground wires run to the dimmer control through various junction boxes. Same for the power wires.

Check voltage between the Black and White/Black wires of dimmer. Should have 12V when dimmer turned fully CCW and 0V when turned fully CW.

The shift lever light is on the same junction box as the A/T shift pattern dash light. When you press the shift pattern change button does the light on the dash come on?

The glove box light uses the same ground point as the dimmer switch.

 

Bigger fish to fry once again... car died while driving on the freeway.
No check engine light illuminated when I turn the key 'on'

Cranks fast & sounds fine, so I don't think the t-belt snapped... but won't turn over.
Checked ECU1/2, Ignition, and EFI fuses, they weren't blown.

*shrug* It's late and I'm hungry.

 

Check for ign spark.

It possible for the belt to shed some teeth the result is the timing is off. Remove the distributor cap and check the location of the rotor when crank at TDC, No 1 cylinder is on compression stroke. Should be close to the No 1 cap electrode.

Check AM1, AM2 and Gauge fuses.

 

Everything is fixed

Car died because a half-*** crimp connection fell apart under the steering wheel. It was from whatever alarm system was in there.

Dimmer/rheostat is dead. Jumped the wires on the connector, and now I have gauge backlight illumination.

Thanks for the help man, you are a workhorse.

 

Great, thanks for posting back with the fix.