A B747-400 WAS DISPATCHED WITH THE COCKPIT LIGHTING PARTIALLY INOP AND DEFERRED. ACTUAL FAULT WAS CAUTION LIGHTS WERE INOP. A NO-FLY ITEM!

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FLYING B747-400 WITH AUGMENTED CREW AND WITH FAA MAINT INSPECTOR ON BOARD. IN THE LOGBOOK AND DISPATCH RELEASE WAS LISTED 'COCKPIT-LIGHTING' AS BEING PARTIALLY INOP. UPON LOOKING AT THE MEL GUIDE; IT WAS PERMISSIBLE TO FLY FLT AS LONG AS ADEQUATE LIGHTING TO PLT ALLOWED VIEWING OF ALL INSTRUMENTATION. PART OF THE OVERHEAD PANEL WAS UNLIT. HOWEVER; IT WAS EASILY VIEWABLE WITH THE COCKPIT LIGHTING ON. I WAS THE CAPT OFF DUTY FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE FLT. IT APPEARED TO ME; FROM MY SEATING; THAT ALL OF THE LIGHTS WERE VIEWABLE. WE FLEW THE ENTIRE FLT WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE NEXT DAY; I WAS FLYING THE SAME ACFT. UPON LOOKING AT THE LOGBOOK CLOSER AND UPON CONSULTATION WITH THE SECOND CAPT ON THIS FLT; WE DETERMINED THAT THE LOGBOOK MIGHT POSSIBLY HAVE THE WRONG MEL SECTION STATED IN THE LOGBOOK. THE SECTION THAT WAS LISTED REFERRED TO GENERAL LIGHTING AND WE BELIEVED THAT ANOTHER SECTION THAT DEALT DIRECTLY WITH 'CAUTION LIGHTS INOP' WAS THE APPROPRIATE SECTION. AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION (INITIALLY MUCH DISAGREEMENT) WITH MAINT CTL AND MAINT SUPVR; WE ALL AGREED TO CHANGE THE MEL DEFERRED NUMBER. UPON DOING THIS; THE FLT COULD NOT BE DISPATCHED ON THIS LONG FLT UNTIL REPAIRED. MAINT SPENT NUMEROUS HRS TRYING TO FIX THE PROB. EVENTUALLY; THE FLT WAS DELAYED TO THE NEXT DAY; PAX AND CREW PUT UP IN HOTEL AND ACFT WAS FIXED OVERNIGHT. FLT LEFT THE NEXT DAY. IT IS VERY EASY TO FOLLOW INAPPROPRIATE MEL'S LISTED WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO PREFLT; HAVE WX DISTRS; AND FAA INSPECTOR DISTRS.