Instrument lights not working
 

2003 xk8 4.2s

The back lighting to the clock/battery/oil pressure reading have packed up - although th dials themselves are still working - which puzzles me.

The speedo & rev counter lightig still works fine.

I have got hold of a fuse diagram and it looks like drivers side F18 is for the "main instument cluster (including clock)"

Any idea if this will do it?

Instrument illumination
 

COX530;
The three gauges you describe are part of the minor instrument cluster, and part of the dimmer control module as are the other gauges which should dim when adjusting (turning) the dimmer switch. When you adjust the dimmer control knob on your steering column, do you have any illumination from the three gauges which you state are not illuminating? Do you have dimmer control of the other illuminating guages?
From your description of the fuse you are checking, you are checking the main instrument cluster (including clock). Check the passenger side fuse box, fuse #18 (10 amp) which is the dimmer control module fuse.
If the gauges are still not illuminating, after checking the dimmer control and the fuse, there is a wire (red/white tracer) that supplies the power from the major instrument cluster to the minor instrument cluster for illumination, which becomes more involved in getting behind the dash panels.
While possible, I doubt all three bulbs would be burnt out at the same time unless there was a short or they are not receiving power.

Great answer. Really impressed with all of the forum members who
respond to our dailey questions.

I agree, we've got some great members willing to share information, knowledge, and their time in explaining it.

THANKS - i checked that dimmer this morning - all of the other backlights adjust up and down fine - but these 3 do not illuminate at all - i asked a main deler yesterday and he said that as it happened when i pugged in a power cable to the cigar lighter, all the bulbs may have blown - i cant see this as there are 3 bulbs behinh each guage.

I have run into this situation in the past with some customers performing the 3-gauge conversion (Navigation to 3-Gauge Conversion - TheJagWrangler).

I beleive that the dimmer control is capable of sending out spikes of current upon reinitialization and possibly in response to electrical disturbances that are sufficient to blow out older, weaker bulbs.

Replace the bulbs with new and you are good to go.

When I did my satnav to 3-gauge conversion, 2 of the bulbs in the main instrument panel blew for no apparent reason. Probably a spike, as you say. I still haven't got round to replacing them.

My 2001 XK8 speedometer can not be seen during daylight. It's just a dark tunnel. It's fine at night I can adjust the light intensity. Nothing during the day.