2hondafreaks

I've got a 94 EX coupe w/ B16a swap.

i don't seem to have dashboard illumination power for the heater controls or my radio. My guage cluster is fine though.

So basically at night I can see my guages, etc. but the center console has no dash illumination (it's just dark).

I've done a bunch of searching and haven't nailed down a post that points me in the right direction.

Please help! Thanks guys!

king29

have you checked fuses? or tried replacing the dimmer switch?

jstwhln

I'm running through the same difficulty right now. From what I gather from the factory service manual and doing my own testing, the fuse that runs the illumination, runs it all; that is, if you have "dim-able" illumination in your instrument console, the fuse and dimmer are good. But that means bulbs in your HVAC control are probably burned out.

The only trouble is that to get the bulbs and check them requires removing the HVAC controller, which means you've got to remove some other stuff. If you're patient (I wasn't at first) and how to use some basic hand tools, it's not too difficult.

However, you can verify that the voltage for the illumination is getting to where it needs to go without major removal of parts. By removing the lower console cover that comes down from the radio/hvac control area you can get access to the connectors that tie the chassis wiring harness to the hvac control.

There are two connectors. The connector you need is the one with a red and red/black wire next to each other. If you put your test leads on the red and red/black wires, the positive lead on the red/black wire; the negative on the red, you should see about 12 VDC with your headlights on and the dimmer at it's highest setting.

For what it's worth: The hot lead, red/black, always stays at battery voltage (12 VDC nominal) in reference to frame ground when the running and/or headlights are on; the resistance to ground from the red wire varies depending upon the position of the dimmer control.

If you've got good voltage at the connector, you've probably got burned out bulbs. Which means you've gotta pull the controller...

Note: The bulbs are #E74 NOT #74 - The base on the #74 is wider and will not fit properly (E74 is a T-1 1/2 or T-1.5 bulb; 74 is a T-1 3/4 or T-1.75 bulb). You can avoid this hassle by buying them from Honda (at almost $7 each!).

2hondafreaks

jstwhln - Thanks for the huge write up. Here's where I'm at...

I don't have illumination on my deck.

I went through the Haynes manual and it show'd a Fuse #19 at the point where the illumination leads go to the hvac controls. I thought Fuse #19 was a label on the fuse panel, but it's not. I did pull several fuses and they look good.

The only weird thing I noticed was in the fuse panel in the engine compartment. All the small fuses were good (plastic fuse cover doesn't have labels for fuse locations . But I am missing a large fuse in the middle. I can't tell what it goes to, but my suspicion was that it could be for the cruise control (it was torn out by previous owner). So that lead me to think that maybe that fuse that is missing could be part of what I need to get this illumination fixed.

This is very frustrating for me. Only the guage cluster lights up at night, so the center of the car is dark. I feel like I'm reading brail to change the radio station (not lit up at all) or to adjust interior temperature.

TSPADE

the lights in my center console were burnt out as well....at first i thought it was a fuse but the bulbs tend to burn out.

just pull your center console and look on the climate control back panels. You will see small cicular plastic ring where as mine had a flathead indentation on. Unscrew those and it removes the whole buld and plastic piece. I just installed a diff set of little bulbs to replace them...i can take some pics when i get home for comparison

now if its your whole Center console thats out idk what to tell you. does your radio have power just no illumination?

2hondafreaks

Tspade-Looks like I need to tear it apart. Do I remove that entire black plastic dash console (that goes from the instrument cluster all the way across the the HVAC controls) to gain access above the hvac or does the gray plastic console piece that the HVAC controls are mounted in come off?

thumper64

You have to remove your radio and there are 3 screws. Unless you have small hands, a long screwdriver you can get in with at just the right angle or some sort of awesome idea to loosen them, you may have to remove the dash.

When you do, use LEDs to replace the bulbs.

jstwhln

Take the lower center console out (two screws), below the stereo. There should be two connectors. Check the red/black wire to ground. If you do not have +12VDC when the headlight switch is on, then none of your illumination will work properly. The wire has a dual purpose: Letting the radio know when to turn on illumination and the HVAC controller when to dim the switch lights and 2. The +12 VDC reference for the dimming illumination in the HVAC controller. As you saw before, fuse #19 controls this section of the harness. A test light is real helpful when trying to troubleshoot spade fuses because they have little metal tip in the top of 'em so you can test 'em in place.

jstwhln

Fuse block:

jstwhln

Radio Terminal pinouts

jstwhln

Illumination dimming control

Integra4lyfe069

your problem is your light bulbs. their blown., buy new ones at honda and put them in.

posting this is like walking into your bedroom switching on ur light and not getting any light, u mean to tell me ur gonna go threw wiring before u change the bulb?

lol.....

jstwhln

right, but you missed the part where he said that his radio illumination didn't work at night when the head lights are on IN ADDITION TO his HVAC control lighting not working...

Last time I checked, it's easier to check a fuse and a wire than to get the HVAC console out and replace the bulbs.

2hondafreaks

I dont' get emails to tell me anyone is posting in response to me. So when I checked this morning I was shocked at all the work you've graciously done here. Thank you so much for all of your help!

You guys are gold! and I cannot thank you enough!

Jstwhln - I'll probably dig into this either today 11/23 or tomorrow. I'll let you all know what I find.

2hondafreaks

Ok so I checked the no. 19 fuse and it tested fine. As it turns out, if that fuse was bad I wouldn't have tail lights either.

So does anyone know what the C918 [option (no. 19 fuse)] is from the picture above showing the fuse block?

I'm wondering how to trace from the fuse block over to the center console wire harness. Or do I go from the center console harness (i'm speaking about the wire harness I can easily see that connects the light to the little compartment light in the center console beside the cigarrette lighter).