Hey guys,

I just did a 90 Civic Si dash swap in my 88 STD. I used an 89 si cluster, kept all my 88 wiring, but I decided to go with the 90 Si style cover... as many of you know, the dimmer switch and defroster units are different between 88-89 and 90-91. I rewired the defroster with the 90 Si unit, but the dimmer switch plugged right in.

Oddly enough, the guage cluster was very dim and as I was driving I could smell something smoldering... sure enough, the dimmer switch was warm and it smelled. I plugged in an 88-89 dimmer unit and it worked 110 percent. WTF? How are these 2 units different... is it possible to make the 90 unit work so that I can use the nicer, newer guage cluster cover?

 

i left the 90 style switch on for show , and put the 88-89 one down in the empty spots by the sunroof switch

 

Go to the site below and scroll down about 60-70%.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/DrOhm/SiRcluster.html

 

Alright, thanks for the help guys.

 

i never used my dimmer (it was always at full brightness). so i just unplugged the dimmer switch and now my dash stays at full brightness. you'd think it would not complete the circuit but it does