2002 Impala... Dash lights keep auto-dim. Can anyone help?

[1QWIK6]

Ok, cig lighter wasn't working. Fuse was fine. No power at the cig lighter. Figured it was a wire chafing issue. Jumped a hot wire to the lighter to get the lighter to work. Lighter now works fine... BUT..

The Dash/Radio/PRNDL lights keep auto-diming. You key up the ignition, and the PRNDL and RADIO lights go bright then dim. The headlamp dimmer doesn't seem to affect anything.

What is going on?!

 

[Black Box]

I had this problem (dimming dash lights) with my '00 Grand Prix, but never had any problems with the lighter.
As soon as I yanked the fuse for the damn DRL's, it stopped dimming the dash lights. It also killed the twilight sentinel function, but who cares, I know when to turn my lights on!

Steve

 

[1QWIK6]

Ok this may help

Where the wires are cut-n-twisted, I re-ran another HOT and GROUND to feed power to the lighter. Lighter then worked. BUT now the dash lights/radio/PRDNL lights seem like they are on the lowest diming setting. SOOO... I disconnected the HOT & GROUND that I wired, and re-hooked up the FACTORY wiring (as seen in picture). STILL lights are wayyy too dim to even see! Checked I/P fuses and it was fine. HELP!