Intermittent dash lights

Ignarius · 12-14-2007, 02:34 AM

Hey guys,
I've been tryin' to sort out all the little quirks on my new 2. The biggest mystery is the intermittent dash lights. I'll be driving around at night and the lights in the dashboard will suddenly cut out. Head lights are still good, it's onlt the dash lights and the light above the A/C and heater controls that goes out. The dimmer switch is completely useless (at all times, not just when the lights go out). A light smack to the top of the dash gets the lights to come back on...

Any ideas as to what may be the cause of this?

Mista 2 · 12-14-2007, 04:53 AM

pull the dash apart and have a look. its not that hard, if i can do it then you should be able to. the only thing i can say is make sure you can remove the speedo cable, thats where i had trouble (took me 15min). it could just be the clip that holds the wires onto the switch that turns the lights on.

E T Haggis · 12-14-2007, 11:03 AM

loose wire connections behind the speedo or tach check them wriggle them arounf a wee bit and see it it helps any

Ben · 12-14-2007, 11:45 AM

If the dimmer switch is useless, I would replace that and the start diagnosing things. The circuit for the lights has to go through the dimmer switch.

Ignarius · 12-14-2007, 06:42 PM

I'll get on trying to fix em when it stops snowing here... working in the garage when it's below freezing is pretty miserable, lol. But thanks, for the info, guys.

Pritch · 08-14-2008, 01:43 AM

hey.. now this may be silly..i just got the mr2 today, 1993 JDM turbo... been driving it tonight but the gauges are dim. Does my car have a dimmer switch? The owners manual didnt come with the car and I can't find a dimmer anywhere...

Ledfoot1986 · 08-19-2008, 11:11 PM

mine did that 2 ur headlight switch might be going bad mine started with just the dash lights and then later moved on to headlights i got a new headlight switch from toyota i dont remember how much it was

Pritch · 08-20-2008, 01:06 AM

cool..i put some LEDs in the cluster tonight, very nice, had to sand them flat though. So is there a dimmer switch then or no?

Ignarius · 08-27-2008, 06:06 PM

I got it nailed down, but fixing it proves to be difficult at best.

There is a connector pin going into the dimmer switch. The wires running out of the connector pin are the issue. If they move too far towards the passenger side, the dash lights go out. If you push them back towards the driver side mirror, the lights pop back into life!

Any ideas as to how to get the wires to stay put? Wire ties and electrical tape seem to have no effects...

Pritch · 08-27-2008, 06:11 PM

ok no seriously, where the heck is the dimmer switch. did the jdm cars not have it or somethign>? I had this car 2 weeks now and i cant find it..

mr3 · 08-27-2008, 11:25 PM

Is it inside the gauge area on the left hand side? I'm not sure about yours but its connected to the headlight switch. Just look inside the cluster area and see if you see it.

I had problems with all my running lights shorting out. It kept blowing fuses so I said screw it and I ran it to a toggle switch. At night I flipped the switches on and the gauge cluster lights up and the running lights come on.

Does anyone know which wire lights up the hvac controles? From what I got from wiring the lights its going to be the green with red dot. Is this correct?

Ignarius · 08-27-2008, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr3

Is it inside the gauge area on the left hand side? I'm not sure about yours but its connected to the headlight switch. Just look inside the cluster area and see if you see it.

I had problems with all my running lights shorting out. It kept blowing fuses so I said screw it and I ran it to a toggle switch. At night I flipped the switches on and the gauge cluster lights up and the running lights come on.

Does anyone know which wire lights up the hvac controles? From what I got from wiring the lights its going to be the green with red dot. Is this correct?

How did you wire it?

mr3 · 08-29-2008, 11:31 PM

I went to autozone and bought toggle switches. I ran 1 wire to the running lights and 1 to a hot off the fuse block. I used to grounds that were allready there so I only used 1 wire to the lights. I used a switch that lights up when lights are in use so for them to light up I just ran a ground to the screws that are holding the radio in place.

For the gauge cluster I was a bit confused. All the car wiring I do is the same way. Power from the fuse block to the switch out to the accessory and a ground. I had a back up cluster so I found which wire is for lights. That was green with orange I believe. It said Light Ilum or something like that so I just wired that into my switch. Now everytime I go out at night I flip on the headlight switch and 2 toggles. 1 for gauge and 1 for running lights.

Ignarius · 08-31-2008, 02:46 PM

I'll have to give that a try. Thanks for the info.

12-14-2007, 02:34 AM	#1 (permalink)
Ignarius Cataclysmic and Prolific Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 74 Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Intermittent dash lights Hey guys, I've been tryin' to sort out all the little quirks on my new 2. The biggest mystery is the intermittent dash lights. I'll be driving around at night and the lights in the dashboard will suddenly cut out. Head lights are still good, it's onlt the dash lights and the light above the A/C and heater controls that goes out. The dimmer switch is completely useless (at all times, not just when the lights go out). A light smack to the top of the dash gets the lights to come back on... Any ideas as to what may be the cause of this?

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12-14-2007, 04:53 AM	#2 (permalink)
Mista 2 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 461 Thanks: 16 Thanked 21 Times in 21 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	pull the dash apart and have a look. its not that hard, if i can do it then you should be able to. the only thing i can say is make sure you can remove the speedo cable, thats where i had trouble (took me 15min). it could just be the clip that holds the wires onto the switch that turns the lights on.

12-14-2007, 11:03 AM	#3 (permalink)
E T Haggis I Like Rusty Spoons Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Deland Posts: 585 Thanks: 61 Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	loose wire connections behind the speedo or tach check them wriggle them arounf a wee bit and see it it helps any

12-14-2007, 11:45 AM	#4 (permalink)
Ben Same In The End Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oceanside, CA / Reno, NV Posts: 3,925 Thanks: 18 Thanked 276 Times in 258 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (11/100% )	If the dimmer switch is useless, I would replace that and the start diagnosing things. The circuit for the lights has to go through the dimmer switch.

12-14-2007, 06:42 PM	#5 (permalink)
Ignarius Cataclysmic and Prolific Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 74 Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I'll get on trying to fix em when it stops snowing here... working in the garage when it's below freezing is pretty miserable, lol. But thanks, for the info, guys.

08-14-2008, 01:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
Pritch Cage Fighter Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Sudbury Ontario Posts: 128 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	hey.. now this may be silly..i just got the mr2 today, 1993 JDM turbo... been driving it tonight but the gauges are dim. Does my car have a dimmer switch? The owners manual didnt come with the car and I can't find a dimmer anywhere...

08-19-2008, 11:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
Ledfoot1986 Ledfoot1986 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: arizona Posts: 22 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	mine did that 2 ur headlight switch might be going bad mine started with just the dash lights and then later moved on to headlights i got a new headlight switch from toyota i dont remember how much it was

08-20-2008, 01:06 AM	#8 (permalink)
Pritch Cage Fighter Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Sudbury Ontario Posts: 128 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	cool..i put some LEDs in the cluster tonight, very nice, had to sand them flat though. So is there a dimmer switch then or no?

08-27-2008, 06:06 PM	#9 (permalink)
Ignarius Cataclysmic and Prolific Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 74 Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I got it nailed down, but fixing it proves to be difficult at best. There is a connector pin going into the dimmer switch. The wires running out of the connector pin are the issue. If they move too far towards the passenger side, the dash lights go out. If you push them back towards the driver side mirror, the lights pop back into life! Any ideas as to how to get the wires to stay put? Wire ties and electrical tape seem to have no effects...

08-27-2008, 06:11 PM	#10 (permalink)
Pritch Cage Fighter Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Sudbury Ontario Posts: 128 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	ok no seriously, where the heck is the dimmer switch. did the jdm cars not have it or somethign>? I had this car 2 weeks now and i cant find it..

08-27-2008, 11:25 PM	#11 (permalink)
mr3 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Plymouth Mtg, Pa Posts: 842 Thanks: 19 Thanked 26 Times in 25 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	Is it inside the gauge area on the left hand side? I'm not sure about yours but its connected to the headlight switch. Just look inside the cluster area and see if you see it. I had problems with all my running lights shorting out. It kept blowing fuses so I said screw it and I ran it to a toggle switch. At night I flipped the switches on and the gauge cluster lights up and the running lights come on. Does anyone know which wire lights up the hvac controles? From what I got from wiring the lights its going to be the green with red dot. Is this correct?

08-29-2008, 11:31 PM	#13 (permalink)
mr3 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Plymouth Mtg, Pa Posts: 842 Thanks: 19 Thanked 26 Times in 25 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	I went to autozone and bought toggle switches. I ran 1 wire to the running lights and 1 to a hot off the fuse block. I used to grounds that were allready there so I only used 1 wire to the lights. I used a switch that lights up when lights are in use so for them to light up I just ran a ground to the screws that are holding the radio in place. For the gauge cluster I was a bit confused. All the car wiring I do is the same way. Power from the fuse block to the switch out to the accessory and a ground. I had a back up cluster so I found which wire is for lights. That was green with orange I believe. It said Light Ilum or something like that so I just wired that into my switch. Now everytime I go out at night I flip on the headlight switch and 2 toggles. 1 for gauge and 1 for running lights.

08-31-2008, 02:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
Ignarius Cataclysmic and Prolific Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 74 Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I'll have to give that a try. Thanks for the info.