I need help with backlighting - Please - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Jatkins77 · 11-13-2004, 08:49 PM

Last weekend my brother gave me an older model JVC CD player. I took it home, bought the necessary wiring harness, removed the factory installed casette player and installed the CD player. The CD player seems to work fine. The problem is now I don't have any dashboard illumination. I can't see the spedometer or the gas guage or anything else for that matter when it's dark. The other lights on the dashboard work (the emergency brake light, the no seatbelt light, the cruise control light, etc.), it's just the backlighting that doesn't work. Everything else in the car seems to be working fine. If anyone has any advice to offer, I would greatly appreciate it. I know it might just be a fuse, but I don't know which fuse would affect the backlighting, and all the fuses I checked seem to be in order. This is my last hope before taking the car to a mechanic and probably paying a lot for something that could be minor. Thank you oh so much.

CraigW · 11-14-2004, 08:07 AM

Most likely it is due to the recent work done. I would pull the unit out and check the connections that were just made. Some units have different options for the connections to dash lamp circuit.

Those lamps are all through the dimmer control it is possible there is damage to that unit and also make sure it is not turned to dim position.

JDAN · 11-15-2004, 02:26 AM

This may sound dumb, but you have tried the dimmer control dial and made sure its not just turned off right? Is it all the backlighting in the car (meaning the speedometer but the climate controls as well)?

Jatkins77 · 11-15-2004, 04:28 AM

Thanks for the advice so far, but it isn't the dimmer control (unless it has somehow been damaged.) And it is all of the backlighting (dash, climate control, gear shift, etc.) Thanks.

vseth · 05-24-2005, 10:13 AM

So did you find out what it was. I've got the same problem.

Jatkins77 · 05-26-2005, 04:43 AM

Well, I finally got it professionally fixed after I ran out of ideas. They said it was a fuse, but I had tested all the fuses under the hood and they were all good. Then, a few weeks ago, I found another set of fuses to the left of the steering wheel behind the little storage compartment. I'm assuming it was one of those fuses that was blown. I would try testing those fuses before taking it anywhere. A fuse tester costs a couple dollars, but a garage would probably charge $80 for labor.