96 electrical issues.Help please!

[96SE4x4]

So I bought this 96 Pathy a few months ago.The PO took out the factory stereo and cut the plugs off.Needless to say he couldn't get any sound because as I learned from this forum it is a premium sound system with an amp.Before I knew that I meesed around trying to get it working and in the process lost my dash lights.Today I tried to work on it again.using this wiring diagram from Crutchfield's website.


FUNCTION PIN WIRE COLOR
Accessory 12 Volt 1 GN/WT
Constant 12 Volt 7 RD/GN
Chassis Ground BODY
Power Antenna 8 RD
Remote 12 L.GN/RD
Illumination 6 PK/BK
Dimmer 2 PK/GN

Left Front + To Amp 4 PK
Left Front - To Amp 10 BU
Right Front + To Amp 3 VT
Right Front - To Amp 9 L.GN
Left Rear + To Amp 14 PK
Left Rear - To Amp 15 BU
Right Rear + To Amp 11 VT
Right Rear - To Amp 13 L.GN
Shield Ground 5, 16 BARE


FUNCTION PIN WIRE COLOR
Left Front Spkrs + 1 GN
Left Rear Spkr + 3 L.GN
Left Front + Input 4 PK
Left Rear + Input 5 PK
Accessory 12 Volt 6 GN/WT
Accessory 12 Volt 7 GN/WT
Left Front Spkrs - 8 RD
Left Rear Spkr - 10 BK/YW
Amp Remote 12 L.GN/RD
Left Front - Input 13 BU
Left Rear - Input 14 BU
Chassis Ground 15 BK
Chassis Ground 16 BK

FUNCTION PIN WIRE COLOR
Right Rear + Input 17 VT
Right Front + Input 18 VT
Right Front Spkrs + 20 BN
Right Rear - Input 21 L.GN
Right Front - Input 22 L.GN
Right Rear Spkr + 23 OG
Right Rear Spkr - 24 BK/PK
Right Front Spkrs - 26 BK/WT
I ran new speaker wires to the speakers so I could bypass the amp for now just to get the stereo and dash lights working.Here are my problems.I the bundle of wires for the stereo there should be 1 gn/wt for constant power,1 rd/gn for acc1 pk/bk for illumination.I found 2 of each. My question is did he probably cut them so there are 2?
Also where does the pk/gn dimmer wire need to go?
I also found 2 Gray wires but none should be there according to crutchfield.Are those grounds?
Also the rd/gn acc has no power at all and I keep blowing the audio amp fuse in the under dash fuse panel.

Next, on the dimmer switch I have power from the pn/bk and the pk/gn but still no dash lights.I tried to connect a jumper to those 2 wires but still no dash lights.What should I try next? I did get another dimmer switch from a salvage yard but wonder if it is any good.It was still in the pathy exposed to rain snow etc.

Sorry this is so lengthy.Any help anyone has would be greatly appreciated.I suck at electrical and I am frustrated.Tia for any help anyone can give me.

[IanH]

I think you are going in right direction.

I would think that the the double wires "come in " and "go out"
This could be cause of your dash lights not working.

Try connecting them together, if they are same color code should be OK.

Does the pk/grn dimmer wire have somewhere to go on the radio ?

I have left wires like this just blanked off with crimp fitting or tapped off. You can feed it to the display so night display is dimmed but the units I purchased didn't have this feature.

good luck.....