my dash lights in my 88 CRX Si have stopped coming on. I'm guessing it is the dimmer switch, but when i remove it and connect the red and red/black wires together, I still don't get any illumination. It stopped working after one night when I turned the dimmer all the way off, then when i turned it back on...NOTHING! Anyone know a fix?

The switch connects to 3 wires - red, black, red/black

THanks for any help...

 

hey this happened on my civic you know how its in the black case the dimmer box well open it up and replace the little resistor *** that you turn to dim them its sodered on with 3 prongs i got mine at frys electronics but im sure another electronic store will have one hope this helps

 

you sure you didnt blow a fuse?

 

fuses are all good... do you think it would be the wire from the dimmer to the dash lights? is there anyway i could fry the wire?

 

I have his old car, and the car still has problems with the dash lights! They have been out for like 6 months. I have sort of gotten used to driving it at night with no lights, but now i want to fix it.

I have checked the grounds, the fuse, tried a known working dimmer switch. But still the dash lights won't come on. All of the dash lights are out, along with the heater/AC lights. The only lights that work are the warning lights, the turn signal lights, and the stereo lights.

Does anyone have any ideas what it could be?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bmg123 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The only lights that work are the warning lights, the turn signal lights, and the stereo lights.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well none of those lights have anything to do with the dash illumination so you are at square one no lights at all. As for where to go from there I wish i knew my friend had a KEG (K series EG) with an integra dash that had been working perfectly for a good long time then all the sudden no dash lights, we never did figure out what was wrong with it and the car is gone now.
Good luck

 

I think I figured out the problem. I checked those 3 wires that go to the dimmer switch and compared them on this silver 88 CRX with my other 88 CRX. The 3 wires on the this CRX were in a different order than the 3 wires in my other CRX. So I put the 3 wires in the same order as my other CRX, ( RED - BLACK - RED/BLACK). I then plugged in the dimmer switch from my other CRX into the this CRX, and the dash lights came on.

I tried the dimmer switch from this CRX in my other CRX, and it didn't work in there either. So, it looks like I definately need a new dimmer switch in this CRX. The previous owner put in a 90-91 CRX guage cluster in it, so I need to get the dimmer switch for a 90-91 CRX.

My question is, do those 3 wires go in a different order for the 90-91 CRXs than they do for the 88-89 CRXs? I know the order is RED - BLACK - RED/BLACK for the 88-89 CRXs.

 

Ok, I think I can see now why the 88-89 amd 90-91 dimmer switches are not interchangeable.

The 90-91 cars are actually more complicated. There is a Dashlight Brightness Control Unit where the RED, BLK, and RED/BLK wires connect to. Then the actual Dimmer Controller connects the the Dashlight Brightness Control Unit with RED/WHT, RED/BLU, and RED/GRN wires. Because the 90-91 cars are set up this way, even if the Dimmer Controller is removed, the dash lights will stay on with full brightness.

The 88-89 cars are more simple. There is just a Dimmer Controller that the RED, BLK, and RED/BLK wires connect to. Because it is so simple, when the Dimmer Controller is removed, the dash lights will turn off.

So I think I have two solutions. The cheapest and easiest solution would be to find a 88-89 Dimmer Controller in a junk yard, and plug it in. Then stuff it under the dash so that it is hidden from view. Then just push in the 90-91 Dimmer Controller into the Guage cluster cover and don't plug it into anything so that my dash looks aesthetically pleasing even if it is doesnt do anything.

The other option would be to find both a 90-91 Dashlight Brightness Controll Unit and a 90-91 Dimmer Controller from a junkyard, and figure out how to wire it into my 88-89 car.