Gauge cluster lights not working
 

Hi everyone. I'm new here so sorry if this problem has been discussed already. I kind of doubt it.

I had aftermarket gauges installed many years back on my 2000 Civic Si. They were reverse indiglo. The first set I had installed was done by Circuit City along with other work at the time, fog lights I believe. Those gauges crapped out not too long after. Just a crappy product. The second set of gauges I installed myself and just followed what had been done before.
The second set lasted about 5 years or so until recently they started to go out here and there. I had some alarm work done and after that they stopped working. I believe a wire was coming loose or breaking and the alarm work jostled it out completely.
I put everything back to stock. When the first gauges were done the gauge illumination lights were takin out or disconnected. The big bulb almost in the center in the back was just unplugged. I plugged it back in and it does not come on. It is connected to two smaller bulbs above the gauge cluster and they do not come on either. They are not burned out.

I replaced the other 4 gauge illumination lights and they do not come on either. It was discovered that there was a wire coming from the stock dimmer switch that was not connected to anything. There had been splicing done here for the aftermarket gauges. The stock wire was located and spliced back to the stock dimmer switch. None of the lights come on still.

There are 3 wires going into the dimmer switch, a red on each side and a black in the center. The 2 reds both have 12 volts coming into them and the black is a ground. It is believed the problem exists here as it doesn't seem to make much sense that 2 hots are going into the dimmer. It seems a hot should go in and the other red should have the changed current going out. This is not so. The wires going into the dimmer appear to be stock and not changed other than splicing done to one of the hots. At the switch it looks original though.

I'm wondering if anyone knows if the dimmer set up is correct. Also, what might have been done by the first install people to cause the illumination lights for the gauges to not work. It should be noted that the lights for the heat control knobs by the radio do not light up either. The indicator lights do light up, i.e. low gas, check engine, oil, seat belts, air bag....

Any help with this is appreciated. Sorry for the long post.

The dimmer controls the ground side of the circuit. One end of the bulbs is connected to power from the light switch and fuse. This is the red wire with black stripe. The solid red wire goes from the other end of the bulbs to the dimmer. The dimmer pulls it more to ground to make the lights brighter.

The red and black stripe also goes to the dimmer to power its internal circuit.

If you unplug the dimmer and jump the solid red wire to the black wire, lights should come on full bright when you turn the light switch on. If that works, replace dimmer unit.

Sounds like a plan. I can hope that the only problem is that I need a new dimmer switch.

Does seem to be the culprit right now.

I'll try this and let ya know. Thanks!!!!

still having problems
 

Well I fear I may need a whole new circuit board for my gauges.
I turned on my lights last night, remarkably the first time I have all week, and about a minute or two down the road I smelled a burning odor, like electronics burning. I noticed a faint glimmer of light coming from behind the dash. I was like oh wait they work and went to turn the dimmer up or down. When I touched the dimmer switch it was warm.
When I rolled the switch to one side the switch became hot to the touch. I turned it back the other way, and went home. I pulled the connection from the dimmer until I could look at it today.
I jumped the wires as instructed above and did not notice the dash lights come on. So I tried jumping the other hot and ground. That blew the fuse. After replacing the fuse I plugged the dimmer back in to see if it would heat up. It would not. I tried this a few times actually before I ever started anything and could not get it to heat up. I however noticed now that the lights for the climate controls were on. When moving the dimmer they dimmed. So, the switch works, but still no lights on the dash.

I pulled the cluster out and it's not good. It appears the lights I had put to replace the ones missing were wrong or something else is wrong. The burning smell was the thin plastic covering the copper that ran to all the light I replaced. I have taken those lights out. I may be able to salvage it still, but at one point the wires actually broke it appears. I have a friend that can help sauder(sp) it back hopefully.

So the switch works, but either I've fried the circuits or I just need to use the correct lights. Any thoughts?

still hoping someone might have some help/explanation for why my circuit board tried to burn up.

I have another question though. There is a large bulb almost in the middle of the back of the gauges that is tied to two smaller bulbs that are on top of the gauges. These are not burned out and they are not coming on. Not even if I jump the dimmer switch. But as previously stated I think the dimmer switch works as the climate lights come on and when rolling the dimmer they dim.
There isn't a seperate power source to the dimming lights for the gauges is there? As stated before the indicator lights work just fine. Seems those are on a separate circuit though.
This is driving me crazy.