when headlights turn on no lights on inside

[Shomsky462]

ok so i just got home from work and just noticed that whenever i turn my headlights on my clock and cluster gauge lights dont go on, my radio works but why is this? i just got a new alternator about a week ago and havent done any wheeling. i have a 91 xj 4.0 HO limited. and yes i searched.

 

[Rev Den]

Did you check the fuse? It is the same fuse that controls the tails and markers, so if that is blown you will not have tailights either.

Rev

 

[Eagle]

Did you try rotating the headlight knob? The instrument lights are on a dimmer, which is an old-fashioned mechanical rheostat. (A metal contact sliding along a length of coiled up resistance wire.) Sometimes the contact point on the coil gets burned, creating a dead spot. My dash lights on the '88 XJ won't work at the very brightest setting, but if I rotate the knob just a fraction away from full-bright, I get lights. Too lazy to replace the switch until the problem gets worse.

 

[XJAnthony]

my fuseblock melted on that fuse, then i found a short in the heated window in the back, so id check the fuses