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For the fuses, just turn them in their sockets. "Spin the fuses!" as they say. That will break off any corrosion.
When you turned the headlights on, did the outside lights come on (the headlights and the parking lights)?
If so, that rules out the headlight switch.
If this is indeed the case, your rheostat is probably fried. I've gone though a good number of those things. The rheostat is the dash light "dimmer." I got tired of replacing them, so I eventually just clipped off the ends of the 3 wires going into it, and connected them all together using a wire nut. This actually made my dash lights brighter then they ever were even with the dimmer turned all the way up.
You can test it the same way. Disconnect the wires going to the back of the rheostat and touch the metal connectors together and see if your dash lights return.
You may wish to be able to dim the lighting though. In that case, just replace the thing with one from the junk yard. Any year will work, but stay away from the older ones. Easy way to tell if it is the newer style: The back of it is round. The old ones were squarish (if I remember correctly) and were not enclosed. They end up getting all screwy as the spring will eventually come out...
You may have 3 or 2 wires going into the rheostat. Some models have 3, some have 2. The rheostats should have 3 terminals on the back of it regardless.
Make sure you mark which wires connected to where if you do decide to replace the rheostat.
If this doesn't work, it is possible you have burned out all of your bulbs. Not very likely, but stranger things have happened to me...
As for the rear window defogger, Are you sure the rear window wasn't actually defrosting? Maybe the light in the switch is just burned out, making you think it's not coming on. Here's how to check for that.
Get a volt meter, and hit the rear window defroster button like you usually would. (Make sure the key is in the proper position.) Ground the negative side of the meter by touching the probe to a metal part of the car. Take the positive side of the meter and VERY CAREFULLY touch it against one of the lines that run across the back window. DO NOT SCRAPE ANYTHING AWAY. You should get a couple of volts or so if it's working.
One thing you didn't say was whether you have a 245 (Wagon) or a 244 (sedan). If you have a wagon, and you aren't getting power to the back window, I'd suspect the wires that run through the hinges in your tailgate are severed. You can see them with the hatch open.
If it is a sedan, my guess is the defroster relay. This is a total guess, since I don't know much about the later defrost system with the time delay switch.
This is all assuming your fuses are in good order.
I don't think the window and the dash lights are related. I could be wrong though (wouldn't be the first time that's happened! heh heh heh...)
Good luck! Let us know what you find out.
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If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as "Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!"
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