I can't seem to get my dash lights to come on.

I'm hoping it's because the dimmer switch is unplugged; I broke mine while taking my dashboard in and out out like 25 times yesterday.

Can anyone confirm if this will cause the dash lights to not come on at all?

Everything is hooked up and grounded.

 

dimmer switch controls the voltage to the bulbs...

 

Dash lights will not work when the dimmer is unplugged. The circuit is incomplete when it is unplugged.

 

Dash lights will not work when the dimmer is unplugged. The circuit is incomplete when it is unplugged.

Also, your turn signals will fail to work if you disconnect the hazard button.

 

Dash lights will not work when the dimmer is unplugged. The circuit is incomplete when it is unplugged.

Also, your turn signals will fail to work if you disconnect the hazard button.

 

Thanks man. You were exactly right. Came home and stuck in my dimmer switch and it all worked.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jonathan_ED3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks man. You were exactly right. Came home and stuck in my dimmer switch and it all worked. </TD></TR></TABLE>

my girlfriends hatch must have teh same problem... the lights in her guage cluster do not work, and i took it all apart, changed the bulbs, tested it, and it worked, then went to put it back together, and it wont work again... i think the wires from the dimmer are toO short. im gonna extend them and see what happens

 

I may sound like a snotty old bastard, but it may help others to know what goes on with the "dimmer".

The lights on the dash get 12 volts when the lights are turned on. The 12 volts does not vary.

The other side of the lights do NOT go to ground as would be first thought of. They are hooked up to the dimmer switch and it varies the ground reference. It's a variable ground.

This is worth knowing if you are wiring in aftermarket gauges and can't figure out why the lights don't "dim". You would also have a hard time getting a stereo's lights to dim with the dash lights.

Wes (damn old) Vann

 

so basically your advice is then to wire aftermarket stuff to the stock dimmer switch, then make sure you wire it to the GROUND terminal, not the powered 12V terminal.

you snotty old bastard.

 

What I'm saying is that most aftermarket gauges have the light grounded to the body of the gauge. You would normally just hook up the single wire to the light, to the same voltage line that powers the other lights. If you do this on a Honda, the lights will work, however they will not "dim".

The gauge unit it's self, normally requires that the body of the gauge be grounded. It's a common ground that is used for both the light and the gauge unit it's self.

In order to have them dim, you have to hook up what would normally be thought of as "ground" to the line that comes from the dimmer switch.

If the gauge unit uses the same ground, then you would be throwing off the reading of the gauge.

If you get gauges that have two wires coming out from them, then you have no problem.

Wes

 

Who uses the dimmer anyways?

Even on the highest setting, the gauges are barely bright enough.

 

ive seen a lot of shift lights that could use a dimmer switch.