Help a 3G! Lights out on dash
 

CAR: 2005 Acura TL

Ok, been looking for awhile now...love this forum but never signed up for an account. Well I have one now and reaching out to the community for help. I've thought I checked most threads I can find and the TSBs for TL and not seeing much.

I've been having problems with the TL:

• Dash Lights around stereo do not light up; this includes the leds around the volume control knobs, all climate control etc
• Lights on steering wheel do not light up
• Cigarette lighter under the stereo does not get power

I've thought I checked fuse 9 (only one I've seen recommended..its OK)

Has anyone seen anything on the forum or could help me figure this out. I am mechanically inclined but this one has me confused.

Thanks guys and appreciate all the help!

Dom

i would go through all of your fuses. i would think it is another fuse based on what you are describing, especially if you arent getting power to the power jack. start there...

I think the bulbs(or are they LEDS?) are out.

i cant remember the fuse for the cig lighter

Did this all happen at once, or did they progressively go out? that would make a big difference in diagnosing the problem...

if the fuses for the lights arent blown, then they might just be burnt out. you can buy replacements at the dealer for $5 each, or you can buy the grain of wheat bulbs online and replace the bad ones in the neo wedge base with those. This will involve removing your radio screen, the trim around your guage cluster, and your airbag to get to the steering wheel lights. its not a difficult thing to do, but be willing to spend some time on it. ive done it.

As far as the cigarrette lighter i think its a fuse.

I have a similar issue in my TL, where the left side climate control lights went out only. The red and blue arrows to control the temp. How can this be fixed? If anybody can chime in on this, it would be appreciated and OP might also have some questions answered. Thanks in advance!

I have same issue with my TL. Lights on climate control are out so as on the steering wheel. You can go to any car shop where they work with electronics and they would have to re-solder and re-wire everything.

Note: Each little bulb is like 8-10$

Are you trying to say he has to have stuff rewired and re-soldered in order to change light bulbs? If so...well...that's not true...

CjTL is right. As I mentioned in my last post you don't need to solder them. It's a neo-wedge bulb. A quarter turn will get them out/in. I have replaced them, it's just a matter of getting to them. You can even get LED replacements. You guys should check out section g-100 in the garage.

The only lights on the car u would need to solder is the homelink buttons. I did mine with LEDS.

Thanks!
 

Thanks guys i did check all the fuses and everything was good. Oddly enough I plugged in a cell phone charger to the front power socket and its working. Maybe a fuse not in all the way??

Also, to explain more:
1) lights on my steering wheel do not light up
2) all the lights for climate control are out around the radio display
3) Stereo lights do light up, but!, they are very dim and the lights around the volume control and the sound control knobs to not illuminate (blue?)

Hoping these are just all bulb issues based off of what everyone is saying..

Also, are the bulbs for the stereo also wedged type bulbs? I have seen other posts on these forums saying they needed to be soldered .. is this correct?

Thanks again guys for all the responses, loving the community feeling here.

Thanks,
Dom

This may not be the solution, but i always try pulling all the fuses and putting them back in, then disconnecting the battery long enough for the car to reset. Sometimes it works. Make sure you have all your radio codes first though.

As far as the steering wheel lights - definetely just neo wedge bulbs, but you have to remove your air bag to get to those. there are DIY on here, but ive put this off on my own car because its kind of a pain in the ass, plus im a little nervous about the air bag.

Im not sure why your lights would be dim around the radio unit itself, seems odd. did you check the dimmer switch?

The lights on the radio portion itself probably do need to be soldered. the AC controls do not, and as far as the blue illumination around the knobs, im not sure what type of bulbs or lights they are. they look either like LEDS or some sort of cathode?? you would probably have to dig around on here in the lighting section to find out how others have replaced them. i know ive seen it at some point.

I hope this helps, if all else fails call up one of the recommended dealerships, like acura of peoria, and they should fill you in on what parts it could be.

let me know what you find out, could be good info to have!:thumbsup:

Hello

I have a 05 tl and all the climate control buttons n the heated seat buttons don't light up at night or anytime they all work fine beside lighting up...if I Click defrost the orange circle light comes out

I have checked every fuse all is good there
I bought the bulbs in replaced two and nothing change still didn't come on even when turning lights on ...it weird it's only them buttons for climate control era I think 8 buttons

What am I missing ..thanks

^Turn the bulbs around and try them again.

The display on my dashboard for time and A/C etc kept flickering on mine and going out. Pulled off the dash and it ended up just being lose wiring. I don't know if you can get behind those lights, but maybe something to consider!

I tried two different bulbs..I can try changing then different ways...but I'm thinking it has to do with something else bc all them bulbs n the same area are out...it would make more sense if one or two bulbs still worked n others didn't...maybe it could be bad wiring..I bought the car like this with that area of bulbs not working including the heated seat buttons

These bulbs are known to be problematic. If your fuses are good, it is usually the bulbs themselves.

Thanks I'll try again

I think I'm at a lose because I went over every fuse again and even took dash off and retired the bulbs and still no luck buttons won't light up..I'm still it's so fu thinking se because all lights are out including flasher button and heated seats

I'm uploading picture if it works thanks

i have tested all the fused with the multimeter tester and everything checked out perfect...still the buttons dont have light .. is there something else

Get a wiring diagram and trace where the power for that section comes from. That is what I would do.

I have the same problem. I have a wiring diagram. And the illumination wire (red/blk) is energizing on the NAVI screen itself. But not sure about the little modules on the left and right. All bulbs are out , around the navi display, after trying to install LED's. But he display works. Just the background lights are out. The dual green light works and the recycle works. All bulbs are OK because I checked them with a continuity meter.

its not the fuses either. I did find one bad fuse but I replaced it and checked all the others twice with a continuity meter as well as visual inspection.. I checked at foot, and underhood. PITA!!!

LEDs are directional. Even if they check out with a meter, they still have to be installed correctly.

You likely already know this and have tried re-positioning them in the sockets. I would think if you replaced them all, at least one would work. But I guess it is possible to have them all installed off-polarity. Check again.

You could also try swapping in a known-good bulb to see what happens (or meter the socket itself to make sure it has power).

Its out all the way around the display and i only swapped the left side. So the other 2 sides still have bulb types installed. And i also removed the leds after this trouble and re-installed the regular bulbs in the left side too.. but still all bulbs out. I dont really know about thee radio because it is not installed right now.

Anyway, its crazy. Like there is another fuse on the navi display itself that couldd be bad. I cchecked the power feed with the light switch on the steering wheel. The diagram says the red and black wire supplies illumination to the display, it is not acc or constant high. So i powered it up and then hit the switch and the black and red wire went from 0 to 12v properly. I measured this on the back of the display but not where the button module plugs into the display. That is another connector. I have not found that connector yet in my helms book. It was late last night and i had to get up early for work of course. Still tired now. Haha. heck, I'm even weary about buying a new button module or even a new screen because it may or may not fix the problem.

I just got the button modules to light up with a 9v battery. Both the left and right work fine. The bottom board I just checked the bulbs for continuity and all is ok. I connected my radio just for grins, and the radio/cd player lights up fine. Everything lights up like it is suppose to except the buttons around the navi display. And actually, the recycle light works and the dual climate light works too. It's just the filament bulbs that are not coming on. I'm beginning to think the Big Display board is hosed even though all the buttons work fine, meaning they control the a/c and the fan and all that stuff works fine. It's only the illumination. So, i'm still trying to figure out what is going on.

I'm tempted to buy an TL-S display. as long as it will fit.

The members on here have simply replaced bulbs and they work again. We also do it all the time at the dealer for Used car inspections. The TL's get almost all their dash bulbs replaced.

you would waste your time and money if you replaced these bulbs. Plus I tested the modules with a 9v battery and the bulbs are fine. plus, I put the factory bulbs back into the module on the left side and still not working. Those bulbs were not installed when I had the flick then off issue. I had the LEDs in the left side when that happened. So I put the factory ones back in. Plus I checked the bulbs for conituity around all 3 sides, and all light up and all have continuity. Plus the radio lights work and the radio gets its power feed from the same source AND the on/off switch for both radio and the display bulbs use the same switch and the same path as they are tied together. So what is the difference? I'll tell you. The current for the bulbs in the navi display goes through the main board. Something on that board is messed up. Because the 12v input to the main board toggles from 0 to 12 as it should with the operation of the switch. But that does not appear to be reaching the bulbs on the navi display. All other bulbs in the car works. The radio lights, the seat wamers, the cluster, the doors, all lights work. Even the navi screen itself works. Even the dual climate led works and so does the recirculate led work. It's only the illumination circuit for the navi 1/2 of the circuit. I say navi half because the radio is in parrallel according to the helms book. and both the radio and the navi uses the same power supply and the on/off switch is the same with even the same access to the switch as they are tied together. So all signs point to something is hosed on the display board.

But I think I have a work around. I think I can make a small jumper that connects from the input illumination pin on the main board to the button module or modules. But only the + side. The negative side is where the switch is connected. So, what happens is the multifunction switch makes a ground to many devices and they all then have a path to ground for current to flow. So then the bulbs illuminate across the dash. The + side just goes str8 to the source with no other devices in the way. I have all the schmatics. The only portion not shown in the schematic is the blue print of the navi display board

Were you able to figure this out and get it fixed? I have the same problem as you. All the bulbs and fuse are fine. They just won't light up with the switch on. I do have a schematic of the navi wiring I got from a website that I had to pay for. However I am not at all technically inclined when it comes to electrical issues. I can send you this if this is all you would need to fix this issue and hopefully you can do a step by step instructions for this fix.

I was able to get them back on using my own creative method. And yes it was a severe pain. I never did figure out what the root problem was, however, I still have the lights out on right side of steering wheel. I do not know "when" the steering wheel lights went out. So, I do not know if it related to the navi illumination or not. I didn't notice it for a while. So, that is the only thing I did not check, but I still doubt it will fix the problem. If all of your steering wheel lights come on, then that is definitely not the problem with the navi. Nevertheless, I would check that first before proceeding.


few questions:
Were you trying to install LED's?
Do all your steering wheel buttons light up?
Is only the navigation main display not lighting up, or is it the CD player too?
Test your hazard lights with the car off and interior lights off. Then open you glove box and tell me if the glove box light is flashing too.. If it is flashing, then check your little blue lights in the overhead console to see if they are flashing too.


lmk. I can go further but too much to say in 1 post

Thanks for replying.

Answers to your questions:

No, I wasn't trying to install LEDs.
This actually occurred right after I installed my USB aux unit (GROM). What was very strange was that it was not working at first so I took it to the dealer. When they tested it, it was working; I was puzzled. So I took the car back and when I got home it didn't work. Now it hasn't been working since. I thought it was a bulb issue. So I replaced the bulbs and they still don't work.

Yes, all my steering wheel buttons light up.

Yes, only the buttons around the navigation display aren't lighting up. CD player/radio buttons all light up.

I checked the hazard light with the car off and the interior lights off. The glove box light does not flash. As for the little blue lights by the overhead console, I don't know what you meant by that. I'm assuming you meant the little lights next to the map lights (I have a Type-S so they are red). If that's what you meant, they don't flash either.

yes the red map lights. That is what I was referring to. Mine are blue.


Does the navigation screen itself turn on?

The solution I have is only for the red buttons around the navi screen.
Basically, you have to pull the + and gnd pins from the connectors and then tie them altogether and then run a new power feed to the underdash fuse panel using an "add a circuit". And you need resistors in series with the new power connection to tune the brightness to the proper level.
I connected that to a simple relay, and then connected the "Illumination" wire (I think) to one of the other legs on the relay. It's a real mess.

The nav screen works. It's just the buttons that don't light up.

Your basic work around is like a foreign language to me. I apologize in advance. I always had a hard time grasping electrical concepts. Can you provide a simple diagram and if possible pictures of your set up? Was it worth fixing it? How much was the fix?

If you are going to sell you car anytime soon, no I would not fix it. It's too much of a headache. The price depends on if you have your own wire and tools and whatever a few resistors cost, and a "add a circuit" from Autozone. I used a soldier gun. But I already had all this stuff except for the "add a circuit" gizmo. So cost was not an issue.
I also have wire strippers and wire cutters. So, all these are just tools that can help the job go smoother.


pm me your email address and I will send a few pics from my tablet. I have pictures of the wiring mess on the back.. It does not include the relay

Steering Wheel
 

I have the same problem, and after spending numerous hours searching through diagrams, it seems that the clock spring cable reel in the steering wheel. It is where the electricity goes through to get to leds.

I have the same lights out on my 05 A-Spec and on the wheel cruse control. Need to know how to replace them

I didn't notice it for along time but I too have the lights out on thecruise control side. I got the navi lights back on through an "external workaround" but I never did try replacing the cruise control bulbs first, because I didn't realize they were out. It may be possible to get them to all come back on if you replace the fuse at the underdash area, and replace all bulbs in both locations. Or they may all pop or burn out a 2nd time. no way to know for sure.

Were you doing any modifications that caused them to go out, or did they just go out all by itself? I was doing a mod on mine and I caused them to go out. I touched something and they all went out..

Weird thing is, the flasher will make the glove box light flash as well as the blue reading lights when the main headlight switch is off. You should check that too.. But when my headlight switch is On, then nothing flashes weird.. probably because they are already on.

No mods, the car is new to me. Just noticed the cruse lights and the left side climate control-temp up and down buttons arn't lit. Everything else is. I've seen that bulbs are available. I need to know the proper procedure to get to these so I don't mess up the interior components. Fuses are ok. due to the small number that are out, I assume the bulbs went into that good night. It's an 05 aspec w/navi. Any help appreciated.

you will probably have to remove the airbag. Its not hard to do that. Just disconnect the battery and start unscrewing it from the back. There is a plastic plate on the bottom side of the steering wheel that covers the airbag connector. And there are a few hex or star screws on one or 2 sides of the steering wheel. You can see the screws by turning the steering wheel and observing. Its a discovery type job. Learn as you go. Just go for it. No harm.

Wheel and dash lights
 

Thanks for the info. Do you know how to access the climate control lights? I don't suppose the buttons just pop out for access. Couldn't be so lucky.

The whole navigation and cd player has to come out to replace the bulbs. They mount from the rear

Anybody know what fuse to check