Hello, I know this has been rehashed many times but I have tried all the suggestions I could find and still no luck. Maybe someone can direct me?

I have a 1996 civic with the dash lights out. The climate control lights and the clock works. The dimmer switch even dims those lights. The cel, brake light, and other accessory lights work. The stock radio is installed. I have checked the following:

1. Bulbs
2. Fuse 30
3. Dimmer switch voltage, ground continuity, jumped the red to black wire
4. Voltage at cluster red and red and red/black wires

Any other thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Check whether battery voltage reaches the red/blk wire (from fuse 30) at pin C13 in cluster connector C.

 

Yes I have voltage at the red/blk wire on the 13 pin cluster connector.

 

With cluster connector C plugged in, does voltage reach the cluster bulb sockets? If so, check for continuity between the red wire terminal in unplugged cluster connector C and the red wire terminal in the unplugged dimmer switch connector.

 

I am not sure. How to I check that?

 

Check what?

 

Sorry, voltage to the bulbs. Do I pull a bulb and touch the multimeter to the circuit board?

 

1. Twist the bulb assembly out of socket hole in the printed circuit board.
2. Measure voltage to body ground at both copper strips on either side of socket hole.
3. Repeat for several different bulb sockets.

 

Yes, I have voltage at the bulbs and continuity between the red wire of cluster connector and the red wire of the dimmer switch.

 

Have you checked whether the cluster bulbs are blown?

If so...

1. Remove cluster.
2. Test for continuity between both copper strips on either side of socket hole and the copper strip in printed circuit board corresponding to pin C12 (red wire).
3. Repeat for multiple bulb socket holes.

 

Resolution:

So I tried everything that you suggested with no red flags or obvious culprits. After all this I was frustrated and decided to just plug everything back in and see what happens, and what do you know, it worked!

One thing I noticed that may have been the cause was that the flexible circuit board was slightly misshapen (where it wraps over the cluster plastic where the c connector plugs in), perhaps from hasty reassembly. Anyway, I reattached the c connector being sure the circuit board stayed flat. Maybe that was the solution?

As always thanks for your awesome help RonJ@HT! !

 

Glad you found the fix.