Hey everyone, new to the forum and recently the new owner of a 2007 accord vp sedan, 2.4L auto. First night out I noticed the radio display was completely dark. Quick search mentioned common issues with a fuse popping that controls the lighting. Watched a few videos and my board looks different than the ones in the video. Layout is different and I dont see an obvious fuse to replace. I know there's several radio options for these and surely plenty more like mine. Hvac lights are sometimes out and also noticed the shifter lights out as well. Sometimes they are on and dim, other times fine. Also noticed radio sound randomly cuts out. Quick whack and it comes back. Not always, seems to do what it wants. So my question is this, has anyone repaired the board that looks like this? Possible this radio was already repaired and old board replaced with this one and now the new board is failing?

Ideally I'd like to replace the whole assembly with aftermarket but not wanting the headache of the Chinese android units. Many have run them, some say they're fine but most report bugs and glitches among other problems. The Pac kit looks alright but pricey at $365 before even buying a radio. Other option is the oem Honda cubby kit and I'd out a single din down there. But still want the lighting working up top in the oem unit. It's somewhat okay when the hvac lights work, but when those are the radio are out its total darkness. Might look for a replacement at the pick n pull yard I plan to hit on Wednesday. But worked another oem unit will suffer the same issue. Any guidance to a fix or aftermarket option greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

I'd lean towards repairing the original unit as you would have less headaches installing. Depending on your skills with a volt meter, you can start at the backlight bulb(s) and check the bulbs aren't burnt out. Then figure out the power and ground side to the bulb and trace through the board to find the capacitor/fuse that powers the bulbs. You can probably send the unit to a place that does electronics/microelectronics repairs. I'd get an estimate to determine if repairing from a shop is prohibitively expensive.

 

I've been told it's not a bulb issue as they either all have been working or all are off. Currently the lights have been working today, just not the radio backlight. Would end up costing most of what an aftermarket setup costs sending the oem unit out for repair. Ive also had someone mention that mine may have already been repaired and why the board doesn't match up to all the videos I've watched. Used to be a recall and dealers supplied new boards. I may bring the unit to the local dealer to see what they can tell me about it. But based on that I'd really worry about trying to repair a second time if its already been messed with before. Only wanting the backlighting of the display functional so I can do the oem lower cubby kit and single din to control sound. So far noones recognized the board I have so unsure how to repair compared to the commonly seen board in repair videos and forum posts.

 

Sounds like the repair cost is prohibitive, so your best bet is to find a used unit based on your responses. There is a risk the new unit could have or eventually run into similar problems.

Just to cover repairing (even if this isn't a good option for you), HVAC bulbs that work intermittently can't be due to a blown fuse or bad bulbs. It is most likely a bad/cracked solder joint or a flaky connection. I also looked a bit closer at your board and noticed a missing bolt that I circled in red. I can't tell if the lower one circled is missing, but circled it anyways. I'm not sure if these were removed to disassble the case or if they are just missing. It is worth a shot to install new bolts to have good grounds.

I'm guessing the stereo backlight is on a different board. That being permantently out could be from a blown fuse or multiple causes. Usually components on the board fail and can be replaced if they weren't hacked the first time. I looked at some of the videos on the repairs where people jump a fuse with a wire. I don't like doing that as the fuse protects downstream components.

 

On the other boards both the radio backlight and button lights are tied into the same fuse so id like to believe it's similar on this board. But if this board is in fact a revised part to replace the original then its hard to say what does what. I did see the same with people using a wire or simply running a bead of solder to make the connection. Bad idea when something caused it to pop in the first place and just asking for a fire. So id certainly replace the bad fuse with new.

I will see if I can find a cheap replacement while at the pick n pull yard this week. Doubt I'll be able to further investigate this issue as im not a fan of electrical work. At least with a replacement I can open it up before buying to see if the boards look like all the ones I've seen in videos and if it develops an issue I'll know where the fuse is to repair. As much as I'd love to swap the whole thing for aftermarket, the nicer options are pricey and I can get the oem cubby kit and a single din for shorter money and be content. I can't bring myself to try one of the generic android units due to all the poor reviews. But im fairly simple and don't need a touch screen. I can add an amp/sub off a decent single din. Door speakers are easy. Just hoped i could salvage this current radio but may be best for parts. Possibly keep the face/buttons to swap onto whatever replaces it if that one happens to have more wear and tear as mine is fairly clean.

 

Figured id post another update. Out of nowhere the other day the display backlight was working as well as all hvac button lights. Prior the button lights would be intermitten but display light was always out. Today the display light it out again and button lights come and go. I had mentioned that my board didn't match the ones shown in the various repair videos and posts. I've now come across a few older threads of others with the same issue and those also had very little response. Looks like this board I have which is a single disc radio differs from the common board that has the 6 disc or better and that one has the ribbon connection where mine doesn't. Seems like it's very uncommon to fix this board compared to the other. I'll take it apart again this evening but nothing looked out of place the first time I checked. And zero clue what would need fixing on this board compared to the much more common board.

For now I've acquired two double din pioneer radios for low money. One of which came out of a 7th gen accord already fitted into the metra dash kit and wiring. The other came from another car but can remove that kit and wiring and redo it for mine. So ill be able to divert radio functions to the double din in the cubby space. Would still like to have the hvac button lights working properly, not worried about the radio display. Can I swap another radio in that's also single climate like mine but a 6 disc changer? I wouldn't think there would be any differences in plugs. Figure that's my next step after fitting the double din.