Rep Power: 265

97 Civic:

I just installed a pioneer deh3800mp. After I was done, everything was working fine, but last night I turned the key and the instrument panel light and air control lights didn't come on. The signnals, speedometer, fuel gage all work fine. Radio works fine. It's only the main lights that don't come on.

I visually checked the instrument fuse under stearing whell and it works fine. Yes, I turned the dimmer control, but no luck. No clue...

 
Rep Power: 307

Make sure the tailights are working. Check fuses in under hood box.

You may need to check/remove the illumination connections you made to the head unit.

On the 7th gens the fuse to check is called "small lights" (in under hood box), not sure on this generation though should be similar.

 
Rep Power: 265

Alright, the situation is quite flippin' absurd. I have a Metra wire harness, and one of the wires is ORANGE (more like a peachy orange) and it says ILLUMINATION/DASH LIGHT. It was NOT connected. Okay, so I need to hook it up, right? Except the Radio DOES NOT have a Illumination/dash light connector! there are 12 wires all together on the Pioneer radio instead of 13, and that is the exact wire I'm missing. Unless I'm missing something!

 
Rep Power: 262

Don't hook the orange wire up to anything. Just cap it off, do the same with any orange/white or orange/blacks you may have in the harness. Next, check fuse 30 in the underdash box, it's listed as 'instrument lights' and is a 7.5A fuse.

 
Rep Power: 265

Christmaspie, I hooked up my stock radio directly to the cars harness, and I get the same results: Radio front is lit up when lights are off. When I turn lights on, the "main dash lights" (which are controlled by the dimmer switch) do not kick in, so the radio is not illuminated. Neither do the climate controls, and the dash. So what does that indicate?

I checked the 7.5a instrument lights fuse a while ago and it looks normal.

 
Rep Power: 307

I have a 96-00 factory manual in PDF format. I will check some stuff for you.

How are you with a VOM ??

 
Rep Power: 257

maybe when you took off your console to install the head unit, you knocked some of the lights loose. happened to me. just had to take out the console again and push in the bulbs properly

 
Rep Power: 265

Well I'm back after a week. I have a micrometer, but I've never used one before so I'm crossing my fingers. I'm going to do a continuity test with the battery unplugged. Going to hook it up to the dimmer switch cord.

I have a PDF format manual. Thanks!

 
Rep Power: 265

Okay, I seem to have resolved it. The dash illumination switch went bad. When I was testing the stereo, some of the wires crossed and I heard a *zap.* The switch probably blew.

I went to the junk yard and found a switch. Since the front didn't match --it was tan instead of grey-- I just removed the internal chip/roller and put it into the original housing.

 
Rep Power: 0

Is the "dash illumination switch" the dimmer **** that you turn to change the brightness of the dash lights?

If so, do you mind explaining how to get to it, and change it?

Thanks for the help.

 
Rep Power: 811

no i think that switch is the stick that you use to turn on parking (and dash) and headlights.

 
Rep Power: 307

It is the dimmer dial.

It is a separate unit on this generation. (not part of the cluster like 7th gens)