Center console wiring affecting exterior/interior lighting?

[rcarbajal4]

To start off, this is a fixer upper I picked up with many known problems(1991 tsi awd). This is my second dsm and frankly I feel pretty comfortable messing with anything BUT electrical wiring.
So... this car was missing the radio and had this mess hanging there:

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My interior lighting and external (back and corner lights) all worked, then I noticed the cables moved and all the lights stopped working. So do these have a ground or a specific mounting place?
Any help would be appreciated as this is my DD

 

[laserspeeddemon]

That looks like all radio wiring. Check your fuses. Does the interior lights still work?

 

[rcarbajal4]

That looks like all radio wiring. Check your fuses. Does the interior lights still work?

Everything is out except for the main dome light. Ill try and check in the morning since I just got off work.

 

[goalie6263]

All that mess is just radio wiring. It's actually not really a mess, you should have seen mine! Anyways,
Check the dimmer switch, here is how.

Remove dimmer rheostat. See in REMOVAL & INSTALLTION. Connect dimmer rheostat to battery with 40-watt test light. See . Turn rheostat knob to full right and left positions. Brightness of bulb should change without flashing or flickering. If brightness does not change or change smoothly, replace dimmer rheostat.

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If it is bad and you do not want to replace the dimmer switch, unplug the switch and cut the black/yellow wire and ground it. This will wire it so that the dash lights will be full brightness whenever you have the headlights on. Keep the dimmer switch unplugged then.

 

[miguelmcv]

First before you do anything, check your fuses, there is a light wire going to the ratio, if this wire is the one that touch the ground, the you got a blown fuse, replace the fuse, but before you do that, isolate the wiring, put tape or something to avoid future shorts.

Let us know what happens.