[TheOneVader]

I just joined this forum recently after owning my 2004 Honda Accord EX-L V6 for about a year. I always thought the radio controls were very stupid that they weren't backlit to use at night. I'm as surprised as anyone else that I didn't immediately assume something must be broken, but I guess I've just brushed it off for a while.

That is until I saw a picture on here with someone's controls all lit up and I realized something must be broken. Searching only brings up people who have the radio backlight issue where they can't use the stereo, but that works fine. So does the gauge cluster, ceiling lights, and even the pinhole shifter light. Does anyone know what could be wrong with it? I thought maybe I just had the brightness down but couldn't find a knob to adjust the brightness anywhere.

Here's some crappy cell phone pictures to show you exactly what's lit up and what isn't.



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[av911]

Uh, replace the bulbs?

 

[Accordriver]

Wow, how did you even drive the thing at night? lol, is EVERYTHING dark? If so, I'm assuming you've adjusted the little knob on the gauge cluster?

 

[TheOneVader]

The gauge cluster knob just changes the brightness on the gauge cluster itself. If the bulbs need replacing, where are they and how do I go about doing that?

 

[Accordriver]

The gauge cluster knob just changes the brightness on the gauge cluster itself. If the bulbs need replacing, where are they and how do I go about doing that?

No, it changes the brightness of EVERYTHING.

 

[TheOneVader]

In that case the backlight is definitely not working at all. Anyone know how I go about replacing the bulb/fixing it?

 

[MikeCz]

You appear to have a problem with the control illumination circuit for the centre console. This is not a single bulb. There are a series of surface mount led’s behind the face plate mounted on the HVAC board.

The centre console (audio and HVAC unit) has to be removed and all plugs checked. The CD changer and Radio chassis’s plug into this main board so there may be a bad connection in a plug or a fault in either the radio that supplies the knob illumination led’s or a fault on the main board itself. You need the pin-outs and connections for these plugs from the service manual and the knowledge to measure the voltages to determine where the fault lies.