Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

I recently put footwell lights in a 2000 Honda Civic 2Dr. I tapped into the cigarette lighter for a 12v source and sparked the positive and negative once before I taped off a cut wire. :eek: Now the cigarette lighter doesn't work and the gauges wont light up at night. Does anyone know of which fuse I might have blown? I looked in the manual and visually checked the interior fuse pannel but none seemed to be blown.

I also had this problem in my GMC Sonoma, same install of the lights and everything, where the gauges wouldn't light up and the cigarette lighter wouldn't supply power.

Does anyone know which fuse to check or is there another problem that can be fixed/replaced?

While I've got this thread open, I'm sure someone knows what the speaker sizes are front and back. Are they 6.5" in the doors and 6x9's in the trunk/rear? I'm sorry these are noob questions, this is not my car. It's my gf's car and I will be replacing the audio system in a few months.

Thanks again!

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

A quick update: I had some time with the car and found a fuse blown that corrected the cigarette lighter not working. Now the neons light up and the cigarette socket works as it should. Only problem is that the gauges still will not light up.

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

could it be the case that the fuse was not in there - or did she have the lights before.
also, there is a dimmer for those lights. make sure that the dimmer is not all the way off.
And does not honda put the fuse diagram on the underside of the cover for the fuses.
they did on 1988.

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

The fuse diagram is also in the owners manual and that's what I was looking at. The gauges all worked before I installed the lights. I did check the dimmer and that is all the way up.

Simply asking, what fuse(s) control the gauges? Driving at night becomes difficult so I'd like the gauges to be lit up next time I see the car which will probably be tonight.

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It's my gf's car and she can only drive at night with no gauges for so long. She keeps saying it's scary to not know how fast she's going or how much fuel is left. I just don't understand what else it could be...

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

do yourself a favor......
go to autozone or any autoparts place and buy a light tester. then just tape the tester to each side of every fuse and find the blown one.

thats all youve done most likely is blown a fuse...

also if ya dont want to buy a light tester buy a fuse tester than......... when ya press the little white plug like piece over a fuse in the fuse box it lights up a green led to show that its working... they work decent..... basicaly it just makes sure its a complete circuit from each fuse contacts.

preaty simple... just REMEMBER to replace that fuse with the same fuse rating!!!!! dont throw in anything larger than it was designed for!

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

It's not a fuse. I bought a tester and checked every fuse under there. Even ones under the hood. I took apart the gauges and visually checked every bulb there. All were good. I am at a loss for what to do/check next.

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

This is why u dont "tap" into an existing wire. Run a new wire from the battery to a relay.....do it the right way the first time.

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

ya dont run any new wires unless you have to... i tap into the fuse box for lower power addons.



but if all your fuses are good then you had to forget to plug something back together.....

tho i still hold firm to a blown fuse! ya gotta be missing one fuse.....thiers just two-three locations of fuse panels i know of, under dash drivers side... engine compartment rear passenger and right above my wheel... but mine might just be thier for ABS i think.


tho know that i think of it... ya might have fried a relay...........
try pulling a few relays and moving them around in different spots.... one might have fried and stuck closed.... MAYBE! thats the only thing i can think of that coulda failed when ya arched the wire....
cause my lighter is only powered on with the ignition.
but if its not a fuse or relay and your SURE you pluged everything back in, then i say you beter take it into a shop!

does your new footwell lights still work?

RE: Gauges Wont Light Up After Lights Installed
 

Footwell lights work perfectly now. Cigarette lighter works perfectly now. Dimmer is all the way up, and no gauge illumination. I'm sure I plugged everything back in. I'm sure there is no blown fuse. Just to be sure, I checked them twice again; once with the car off and once with the car's engine on.


I like this relay idea. It's something new and I'm desperate for ideas. Which one should I look into? I'd take it to the shop in a heart beat if I had $300 for them to tell me it's a simple problem I overlooked. Plus it's the weekend and no one's open.