need help - 5th gen instrument cluster....

[Rand0m]

well, the lights in my instrument cluster failed me, so i thought it was a fuse....changed the fuses, and still no light....same with the lights on my climate control....i dont know anything about the electrical stuff, so is there something i should be checking for? like maybe something 5th gens were known to have problems with...maybe a certain wire that comes loose, or something that is known to fry any help or pointers would be appreciated

 

[Jezek]

was it really a rand0m power outage or did they dim to death? Have you tried adjusting your dimmer? lol

 

[Blazed]

its possible the bulbs r out..but all of them to be out at the same time does sound fishy...
one of my climate control bulbs r out...

 

[1999stockaccord]

never had that problem, try poping out the dimmer switch and making sure its hooked up? might have come loose

btw- i have a dx cluster and bulbs if you want any of it, PM or IM me

 

[Rand0m]

the first thing i checked was to make sure the dimmer wasnt turned to "off" im not THAT stupid (well, yeah, i am) but i do remember that when they first shut off, i tried messin with the dimmer, and they came on for like 30 seconds, then blacked out again....so now that you mention it, i do wonder if maybe it does have something to do with the dimmer switch being hooked up....but even then, if the dimmer switch wasnt hooked up, wouldnt that only just control how bright they are, and NOT make them shut off all together?? i dunno, ill check it out...

and 95stockcivic (mark, right?) if i need anything, ill DEF let you know

 

[Gonzo]

it sounds like it is ur dimmer switch, its not likely thats all your lights would go out at one time. Also may be a possible ground??

 

[Karten]

dimmer switch, when i accidently forgot to hook it up, non of my lights came on

 

[Rand0m]

interesting....that will be the first thing i check then....is it easy to pop out, or do i have to take anything apart to get to the wires behind it help a noob out --- or maybe point me towards a how-to if you know of one

 

[BlackHopeDC5]

my friend had the same problem and it wasnt the dimmer switch.. but i cant remeber what it was so ill ask him tomorrow...i heard its a common problem though in 5th gens

 

[guwakjai010]

i had that problem. whenever i turn on my headlights, everything was dimmed. i changed the dimmer switch and everything was fine. u should look into that

 

[1999stockaccord]

interesting....that will be the first thing i check then....is it easy to pop out, or do i have to take anything apart to get to the wires behind it help a noob out --- or maybe point me towards a how-to if you know of one

yeah man its real easy to pop out, cover a flat head screw driver in a towel, stick it in from the TOP of teh switch bezel (in the middle) and pry it out, sometimes you gotta do it from the bottom too, but yeah if thats loose, or broke, or something, the lights will NOT come on, does teh defroster button light up? if not its all the dimmer switch

yeah im marc, i got the cluster sitting next to me, if you end up not needing it, im gonna rig up some x-mas lights inthe back and put it on my shelf.... but the bulbs and everythign are up for grabs (ill put up a f/s thread later when i get pics of stuff)

 

[Rand0m]

thanks bro yeah, none of my interior lights are coming on....well, except for the dome light, and my clock ill def be checking that dimmer switch

 

[1999stockaccord]

clock isnt connected to the dimmer i dont think, niether is the dome, hey if you do end up buying a dimmer switch, can i call dibs on the blank panel to the right of it? (closest to the steering wheel)

 

[guwakjai010]

clock isnt connected to the dimmer i dont think, niether is the dome, hey if you do end up buying a dimmer switch, can i call dibs on the blank panel to the right of it? (closest to the steering wheel)

actually the dimmer switch dims the clock too. thats why when i had teh problem, i thought it wa wierd cuz everything went dim. my mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong wit my car when i had this problem. i found it soo funny but anyway yea 5 bucks for a new dimmer switch. def. worth a try

 

[Rand0m]

well, im getting the car back tomorrow, so ill see if thats the problem....i appreciate all the feedback

 

[1999stockaccord]

any word on it John?

 

[Rand0m]

well, after i got the car back, i popped off the dimmer switch, and everything was plugged in, and i checked the fuses again....so im guessing that maybe the dimmer switch itself has gone bad i went to autozone, but they didnt have any, and the cheapest one on ebay was like 45 + s/h...well, the ones WITHOUT the sunroof controls were cheaper, but i like using my sunroof in the winter time so im gonna call around some junkyards, see if they have any 5th gens laying around

 

[guwakjai010]

5th gen ones are very cheap. u just gotta look around. when i was looking for them backthen, they were only about 5-10 dollars shipped. i suggest u keep looking or ask ppl who is parting out their civic. u only need the one wit the dimmer switch. its detachable from the plastic frame/cage its hooked up to.

 

[tnk]

well, after i got the car back, i popped off the dimmer switch, and everything was plugged in, and i checked the fuses again....so im guessing that maybe the dimmer switch itself has gone bad i went to autozone, but they didnt have any, and the cheapest one on ebay was like 45 + s/h...well, the ones WITHOUT the sunroof controls were cheaper, but i like using my sunroof in the winter time so im gonna call around some junkyards, see if they have any 5th gens laying around

theres a 93 EX in a junkyard i know of..when i go i'll see if its still there and grab it for u man...
whats the correct way to pop it off? a flathead screwdriver? i'll try not to damage it

 

[Rand0m]

ahh, sweet, i didnt mess with it enough to know i could pop out just the plate that had the dimmer switch on it....thanks for the heads up guys haha, i really didnt want to spend $45 just to get a new dimmer switch that had the sunroof option as well