Panel Lights Stay On!

This morning I switched off the head lights and went to get out of the H1. When I normally turn off the lights, the panel lights go off also. Well, not this morning.
I played with the light swicth and dimmer switch with no luck until I "tapped" the dash and the panel lights went out. I went into work not worrying my battery would be dead when I got out. I got back in after work and drove home. On the way home I "tapped" the dash near the light switch and it stayed on all the way home.
1. Pulling the instrument panel lights fuse doen't do anything! The panel light stays on full. According to the books, and sevice manual the fuse panel fuse location is different so I tried them all and then some. I would have thought that would have cut the power, but no.
2. Sliding the dimmer switch up and down doesn't do anything. No dimming of the panel. It stays on full.
3. Switch the light switch up and down, the panel light still stays on full. No changes.
The only thing I could do was "tap" the dash for the light to go out. I think that tells me there is something loose behind the swiches or maybe a broken switch. Could the signal be coming from some module somewhere? Without a schematic I can't tell. I've looked through the service manual and can't find the schematic anywhere. Am I on drugs or is it really missing in there?
Has anyone seen this kind of problem before?

Possibly the Dash Grounds? http://flashoffroad.com/electrical/grounds/grounds.htm

Also, This site has a wealth of knowledge that may help you in the future. It has helped me tremendously sometimes! http://flashoffroad.com/

DANG! you're right! This is a great site. Thanks much for the help.:thumbs:

i would say either the switch or the switch plug is burned. i have come across that in a few vehicles.

OK.... This is what I found....
One more thing I saw that I didn't see before. The outside marker lights were on with the panel lights. The main headlight switch was off!
So... I tore apart the lower dash cover and popped out the Main Headlight Switch, Dimmer Switch, Cargo/Dome Light Switch to look behind at the wires. The Gound terminals all looked tight. Wires all looked good. Dimmer checked out. I even disconnected the dimmer slider and the panel lights were still on full! Athough I do see a transistor mounted on the dimmer slider and have no idea why its there. I don't see it on the schematics. Took my meter and traced where the power was coming from and it wasn't the Main Headlight switch (as it should). Beleive it or not, it came from the 2 position Cargo/Dome light switch. When I disconnected the Cargo light switch all worked great. Dimmer worked, headlight and marker lamps all worked great. I measured the resistance in the switch and found some pins were shorted together and not where it should be. I can shake the dome switch and hear some parts rattling around inside. Just ordered a new one.
I'll let you know when the new switch comes in and if it works.
Thanks for all the help guys.

Nice detective work!

:agree: