Question to those with aftermarket radios in ek.. Is there a certain place to hook up the illumination and dimmer light wires to get dash lights to come on with headlights...my dash lights are still not coming on. I do know my constant wire is probably fried, so I hooked a wire directly to the battery..PLEASE HELP!!!

 

Is 7.5A dash fuse 30 blown?

 

Fuses are good...I got a harness that connects to the factory harnss so I could wire the stereo up and there is a illumination wire and dimmer wire but they don't plug into anything...hense no dash lights

 

Do the cluster lights work?

 

No none of dash..although I touched those two wires to the constant off the battery so I know the lights work...just a matter of where to hook the illum and dimmer wires to... Is there a relay I can tap into from the headlight switch

 

Pry the dimmer switch out of the dash and unplug it. Then use a jumper wire to short the red wire to the black wire in the wire harness plug. Do the lights now work?

 

[QUOTE=RonJ@HT;43038995]Pry the dimmer switch out of the dash and unplug it. Then use a jumper wire to short the red wire to the black wire in the wire harness plug. Do the lights now work?


Tried didn't work

 

[quote=sleEKcpe;43039124]Did you turn the light switch on? If so, check whether the red wire terminal has battery voltage to body ground and whether the black wire has continuity to body ground.

 

yea lights on nada...checked voltage...nada... im wondering if the illumination wire and dimmer wire from the radio harness need to be plugged in to power them...thats what im trying to figure out...and if so where do they need to be plugged

 

Check installed dash fuse 30 for voltage to body ground at both top test tabs with the light switch on. Click Test Fuses in my signature. There should be voltage at both tabs.

Do the taillights work?

 

No, the cluster lights should still work even if the radio dimmer wire is disconnected.

 

even the dash illumination wire???its not a radio illumination...its the red and black for the dash.. it should still work??? also just to make sure fuse 30 is to what exactly

 

 

i didnt cut any wires...my car had a cut radio harness when i got it, so i bought an oem harness. then i bought a mid harness to connect to the oem to my stereo harness. both harnesses i bought have wires that connect to the dash illumination(red/black) and dimmer(red). but there is no where to plug the wires into my stereo(aftermarket). so thats where i am...trying to figure out where to run the wires off the harness to get the lights on??? thanks for all ur help by the way...2 minds think better than 1

 

https://honda-tech.com/forums/audio-security-video-27/need-help-dimmer-illumination-wire-hook-up-2175312/

this is the same problem i have but i added radio harnesses...also my white/blue wire(supposed to be 12v constant does not work...not a hot wire) i added a wire off the battery much like for an amp and i use that as constant...but still need dash lights thats y im wondering what wires i can maybe tap into to add power to at minimum the dash lights could care less if i can adjust the brightness

 

What year Civic?

The Red wire and Red/Blk wire must have battery voltage with the light switch on. If not, you won't have cluster or dash lights. You need a multimeter to sort out this problem. Do these tests with the light switch on (Parking lights is fine):

1) Check for battery voltage to body ground at both top test tabs of installed fuse 30. Both tabs should have voltage.

2) The two power wires at the dimmer switch plug run to connector C507. Is it connected?

3) The Red/Blk wire at C507 runs to connector C501 that plugs into the dash fuse box. Is it plugged in?

4) The Red wire at C507 runs to connector C411. Is it connected?

5) The Red wire at C411 runs to connector C440 and then to connector C723. Are they both plugged in? Is the heater control panel connector plugged in?

6) At C440 and C723, the Red wire changes into the Red/Blk wire, which runs to connector C419 that plugs into the dash fuse box. Is it connected?

This is where to start. The next step is to test the Red wire and Red/Blk wire for voltage at each of the connectors above.

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Thanks for the quick tutorial, RonJ. It saved me a bunch of time in research, and helped me solve my problem on my new daily driver.