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My 2008 Civic DX, 4dr, 1.8l engine, automatic, is having dashboard issues. It has about 95,000km on it.

The dash readouts keep flickering as if one was just starting the car - that is, the fuel and temp gauges go full then normal, the tach goes to zero and then normal, several warning lights come on and then off, the speedometer goes to zero and then normal, and the main odometer and trip odometers do not increase at all. This all happens while driving or parked, and the flicker happens quite consistently, every six seconds or so!

I have cleaned the battery terminals, and that seemed to help for a while, then it went back to the 'every 6 seconds' flicker.

My OBD tool gives zero codes. The car seems to drive just fine despite the dashboard flickering.

My next attempt will be to change the ignition switch. But in the meantime (until the new part arrives) does anyone have any idea what is going on, or how to fix this, should the new switch not help?

 
Rep Power: 222

More likely the connections for the dash, or a bad solder joint on one of the boards is the issue

 
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I ordered a new ignition switch from a provider who claimed it was suitable for my car. Alas, after installing it, I had the same dash problem, but now the radio and heater/defroster etc.control panel had no power at all! Thus, no good.

I put the old switch back in. Now the car still has an erratic dash, but the flickering period has gone from 6 seconds to about 11 seconds. It seemed to be decreasing as I continued driving. The odometers worked for a brief time (maybe 7 km) before not working again.

I do not have the personal ability to go looking for erratic solder joints.

I could try another ignition switch from a better source.

Anyone else have any insights?

 
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A follow-up on my post would seem to be in order.

After trying to fix the dashboard 'flicker' problem for about two months (I repeatedly tried disconnecting the battery, cleaning the terminals, trying to 'hard reset' the electronics) the problem would reduce for a few days (flicker less often, maybe every 45 seconds to begin) and then would get progressively worse again with time. At one point the dash was flickering every second! Most annoying, and also the odometers stopped advancing while this was going on. I did of course also change the appropriate fuses, but no effect.

About three weeks ago I tried a battery disconnect again. This time I took greater care to really clean the battery anode, and thereafter by some miracle the dash started to work properly again. It has now run properly for over three weeks, no flicker at all, and the odometers are working as expected. Happy times again! No need for any other new parts.

So if anyone else experiences this, I suggest a good clean and polish of the battery anode and connectors (as well as the cathode), to see if that sorts the issue.