sandturtle

ok i seached all the threads and found nothing...i had a similar thread about this but i decided to make a new thread with all the problems..
im gonna number each issue and hopefully you can help

i have a 95 civic ex coupe(all of these issues just popped up)
1. my clock light doesnt light up i have to hold in the button next to the reset button for it to light up but i can still change the time and everything it just wont light up unless i push in that button

2. the taillight/instrument light fuse keeps blowing every time i try and replace it with a new 10a fuse.. so now my gauges and corner lights wont light up.. but my corner lights blink when i turn on my hazards or blinkers..

3. when i try to start my car it sounds like theres no power so it takes a while before my car starts but after it starats it runs ok

..my conclusion..

for number 1 i tried to dissasmeble the clock to see if anything looked burn or the connection was bad but i didnt notice anything..i came to the conclusion that my clock itself is bad but im still unsure if its linked to number 2 somehow

for number 2 i grabbed a multimeter and put it where the fuse is supposed to go and it read 12V isnt it supposed to be like 1.3... i took out my cluster and stuff to see if there was burnt wires but none after i put everything back together the lights gauges lit up but then popped after 10 minutes... from what ive been told its a power wire being grounded or its a exposed wire or possibly wires melted together..

for number 3 there was no CEL so im unsure of what it could be... i checked my battery and its fine and its reading 12 volts and when i have the car running its reading 13volts... checked the ecu fuse and its fine.. i turn my key and i can hear the fuel pump prime... could it be fuel pressure???

thanks in advance...


Modified by sandturtle at 9:40 PM 4/11/2008


Modified by sandturtle at 7:27 PM 4/12/2008

sandturtle

anyone????

sandturtle

so ya my car starts if i crank it enough times or if i try to kick start it.... so im out of clues

Former User

I believe Numbers 1 and 2 are related and due to a bad dash light brightness controller that is shorting out.

For number 3, check the Fast Idle Valve.

sandturtle

RonJ@HT very helpful thank you... so i drove my car tonight and it seems that my lighting might have to do with that dimmer switch because my clock actually does work but it is very faint but it gets bright when i push in that button to the right of the reset button.... wait actually it cant be the dimmer switch right? because if im getting 12v from where the fuse goes i think its number 15
so it has to be before the box i could be wrong since wires arent my best friend

and i checked that fast idle valve and there is air flow.. its like a vacume right?

well so i still have no clue about why my car starts up the way it does..


Modified by sandturtle at 5:14 AM 4/12/2008

Former User

I think the clock light is also controlled by the dimmer.

For the idle problem, is the CEL ON? If not, you should try cleaning the EACV (IACV) with carburetor cleaner.

fortymcpants

There is definately a short/grounding problem in that circuit and once you figure it out i think it will fix all of your problems. I would also start where ron said, replace that dimmer, its an easy fix and you should be able to find them at the junkyard. good luck.

instrument

its probably your dimmer.

also check whatever illumination wiring you have to your stereo, i ran a search a while ago cause the same fuse was popping, ended up being something in the stereo harness..

sandturtle

so today i took apart the dash harness to check but everything seemed fine and i also took apart the fuse box..but nothing seemed wrong.. well after putting everything back the clock and dash lights work so hopefully whatever i did worked...

but as for number 3...i still have no clue... theres no cel so im not sure...
could it be a bad distributor or maybe timing is off..

sandturtle

okk so you guys are gonna think im a big fool but i guess when i traded my car for this coupe they swapped the trans for an ek trans and didnt mount the trans ground so thats why the car was starting junk... but what i dont get is why the car just all of a sudden did that cause it was good for like 2 weeks....

but thanks for all the help now my car is good..
just gotta fix my a/c and clutch