Gauge and instrumental panel lights are dim... - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Stealth · 06-27-2003, 03:05 AM

This is odd, when I first turn my lights on the guages and instrument panel are very dim. After a varying ammount of time they brighten up to normal light levels. Anyone know why this is happening? I recently connected the dimmer negative wire from my Toyota wiring harness to my deck's illumination wire (it said on Crutchfield to do that and it works fine for the deck's dimmer options).

Nick · 06-27-2003, 03:14 AM

check your battery's voltage before you start your car, it might be in the process of dying

the alternator tries real hard to recharge it at every start

or you have a parasite

[SMAN] · 06-27-2003, 09:51 AM

Make sure that the dimmer knob is turned up really high. Cause it sounds like your eyes are jsut getting used to the low light.

Stealth · 06-27-2003, 10:52 AM

No no, the knob is up all the way as it always has been. It's weird, all of a sudden it all just lights up, it's certainly not gradual like eyes adjusting.

Stealth · 06-28-2003, 01:44 PM

Oldman might just be right. I disconnected the illumination/dimmer wire on the deck and it's all still dim. While driving the stuff often brightens up to normal light levels (it's either dim or bright, nothing in between). Also when it's dim, spinning the dimmer knob does nothing. So I'll try charging the battery by running the car without the stereo for a while and see how that goes. It's too bad I have no money for an optima yellow top or a new alt.