No cluster lights after stereo install
01-18-2003, 06:38 PM
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Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
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Originally posted by dliske
Well, I got my car back last night, and I had a chance to speak with both the stereo shop owner, and the electrician to find out what happened:
According to the owner, the installer was "probing wires that he had no business probing." Something to do with testing the power antenna wire on the factory harness. Problem is, with my car, there is no power antenna, as the antenna is in the rear glass. It was while doing this, the dash and cluster lights went out.
The stereo shop realized they were over their heads in fixing the problem and sent my car out to be worked on. The short story is that I had the same problem that b12uceHuy had, though it was the multiplex unit on the driver's side fuse box that had been shorted.
There is actually a bright side in this story...it turns out the "electrician" that my car was sent to is actually an independent Honda mechanic in my town, and in speaking with him, he appears to be extremely knowlegeable. I will know be going to him for work, instead of the dealer.
Thanks for all of your replies.
David Liske
Well, I got my car back last night, and I had a chance to speak with both the stereo shop owner, and the electrician to find out what happened:
According to the owner, the installer was "probing wires that he had no business probing." Something to do with testing the power antenna wire on the factory harness. Problem is, with my car, there is no power antenna, as the antenna is in the rear glass. It was while doing this, the dash and cluster lights went out.
The stereo shop realized they were over their heads in fixing the problem and sent my car out to be worked on. The short story is that I had the same problem that b12uceHuy had, though it was the multiplex unit on the driver's side fuse box that had been shorted.
There is actually a bright side in this story...it turns out the "electrician" that my car was sent to is actually an independent Honda mechanic in my town, and in speaking with him, he appears to be extremely knowlegeable. I will know be going to him for work, instead of the dealer.
Thanks for all of your replies.
David Liske
this is very common on the accords. i dont know if the multiplexor is weak or what the story is but they seem to blow easy.
what causes it is the fact that on a honda the illumination wire goes hot like any car when you turn the lights on. the dash dimms by varying the ground from 0 volts to about 10 volts. when at 0 the dash lights are on full brightness.
since most people use the bright setting on the dash this means that if you accidnetly touched the wire to +12 volts or ground with the dimmer control set to low it will short out the transistor. the reason your radio still dims is because it is not connected to the illum wire.
the difference between illum and dim are simple illum goes 12 volts with the first and second click of the light switch. dimmer varies in voltage and allows variable "dimming" most HU just use the Illumination wire since all cars have dimmer circuits a little different. some vary the + voltage instead of ground but all cars use a illumination going +12 volts with the lights on so that is what you should be using.
