greatbatman111

When I turn on the head light switch - Both high beam lights don't work and no dash board lights either. If the headlight switch is off then the gear position lights do comeback but still no dashboard lights.
I have checked all the fuses both the driver seat side and the one son the engine - all fuses light up with the tester. Also checked both bulbs - they are OK too.
I am thinking about the few possibilities :
- Bad relay fuse
- Bad head light switch , itself.
- Bad dimmer switch
- Bad ground wires / connections
Anyone can provide some suggestions as to how to check/ test for these possible faults and then replace or fix it.
Would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you very much.

MAD_MIKE

Functionality;
Verify all other lights are functional first.
That includes, tails, license plate, courtesy, indicator, the four parking lights in the front(two in the corners, two in the bumper), Hazards, etc etc.

History;
When did this first occur?
Was there any recent work done on the car prior to the lights faulting?

greatbatman111

Thanks for the reply.
I had all my rotors and tires changed last year but this problem first occurred about 6 months ago and then about 3 months ago all the lights came back ( on its own, without doing anything ) then again high beams and dashboard lights disappeared again about couple of months ago. I am going to double check all the other lights and let you know in few days
Thanks again and really appreciate it

greatbatman111

Updates.
Left rear bumper " marker / fog " light bulb was burned out so I changed it - works fine.
Also I made a mistake - all head lights are working plus all the other external as well as internal lights and indicators working EXCEPT for the dashboard " background " light ( speedometer etc), when I turn on the headlights - no dashboard lights.
Do I need to take dashboard apart and replace all those small bulbs or is there any easier fix for that .
Would greatly appreciate your kind response and any other advice .

Thanks again .

angrysmileyface

Likely to be a faulty dimmer switch or bad ground for the instrument cluster. There are 5 or 6 194 bulbs + a handful of the smaller PC94 or whatever bulbs in the dash lighting so some of those maybe burned out. I know when I first got my 94 wagon, the dash lights didnt work for squat and I went to the recycle yard, purchased a handful of dimmers and I wanted to say only 2 out of 6 actually were usable.

greatbatman111

thanks for the good advice.
I will check those things if not then just replace all those dashboard bulbs.

thanks again

greatbatman111

Update:
I finally had a chance to check all the lights again.
So here is the issue-- No Dash lights + No tail lights. ALL other lights working. I also tried to short the dimmer switch with paper clip ( as mentioned in some posts) but still no dashboard cluster lights . Other lights on the dashboard ( such as indicator, warning , gear position lights all working fine ).
Any idea how to tackle this issue ? I have checked the fuses both with visual inspection as well as fuse tester - but none seems burned out or damaged.
Also any helpful tips / diagrams OR youtube links for checking ground wiring on 94 honda accord coupe ?

Would really greatly appreciate any response

thanks again

tech8

1. Check/re-check the number 32 fuse (15A) in the under-hood fuse box. If the fuse is blown, then there is probably a short in the circuit. If the fuse is okay, then it may be an open in the circuit; an open is an interruption in the flow of current in the circuit.

2. Do you have a voltmeter? Check that there is power on both sides of the No. 32 fuse.

3.Power from the No. 32 fuse goes through a Red/Grn wire to connect to a 20-P Blue connector (C413) and the Combination Light Switch, and then to a Red/Blk wire that has various splices along the harness to provide power to the dash lights, taillights, and other small lights.

The blue 20-P connector (C413) is located above the left kick panel. This is a common area where the problem may be at.



Testing where the problem may be:
Backprobing:
If you have a voltmeter, you can test a few wires at the various wire connectors to narrow down the area of issue(s). You will want to backprobe a few wires. Backprobing is either using a backprobe set or using a thin needle or something and making contact with the metal terminal of the connector without piercing the wire in the back of the still connected connector. Care must be taken to ensure that the wiring does not get damaged. You can use something like a T pin, available at Walmart, etc., and backprobe. These pictures are just to give a picture of the concept of backprobing without piercing any wires.

https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...%5D-t-pins-jpg

https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...back-probe-jpg

At Connector 413 – a 20P Blue Connector located under the driver’s side dash (with connector connected), with the voltmeter’s black lead touching chassis/body metal ground, use the voltmeter’s red lead to backprobe the Red/Blk wire at Connector 413. There should be ~ 12 volts at the Red/Blk wire with the combination light switch turned on (i.e., parking lights or headlights on). (Red/Blk wire should be a wire with red color insulation and a blk stripe.)

If there is power (+) there, then we can do further testing after you post your results.

greatbatman111

Thanks very much Tech 8. Greatly appreciate your very detailed & kind response.
Sorry for the late response; I was really busy with some house renovations. But I will definitely check all the things you have mentioned in next couple of weeks and let you know the results. Yes I do have voltmeter and other electrical instruments.

Thanks again.

greatbatman111

My 94 honda lights are fixed now !!!!

Thanks for all the great advice with pictures tech 8. and thanks to mad mike and angrysmileyface too

thanks a bunch again !