Cluster Lights faded out
 

1995 Honda Accord 2.7L

so Im driving home last night and my Cluster lights faded out and then came back on. it happened a couple times. no issue with the headlights.

car has a brand new battery and brand new Denso Alternator.

any help appreciated!

bt

really need so help here. thanks!

When the cluster lights dimmed, you didn't have any other power issues like the radio stopped working, the fan blower didn't slow down, etc...? Did the engine run normally?

no other power issues, I was driving on the highway 70mph and the cluster faded out, a few seconds later it came back on, then it happened a second time. drove the car today no issues.

Did only the lights fade out on the cluster, or did the gauges stop working as well?

I believe just the lights but it was at night and I couldnt see the gauges. Ill see what happens tonight when im driving. if it goes out ill use my phone light to see if the gauges are working.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif Re: Cluster Lights faded out Help!Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic1
the rest of the dash lights also run off of the same dimmer circuit, so if the other lighting did not do this, then it has to be a connection to (or in) the cluster.


I just read this somewhere online. I just put in a remanufactured Denso Alternator. -

I just wanted to share my experience with Denso remanufactured alternator from Rockauto. To be fair this could be any reseller so Rockauto just happens to be the place where I purchased this alternator for 2008 Highlander. The main subject of this story is the quality of Denso remanufactured alternators. I normally buy either directly from Toyota or NGK or Denso parts for my cars. When it was time to change the alternator due to failing clutch pulley I didn't think twice about ordering a remanufactured unit from Rockauto. The replacement alternator worked great for almost two weeks until one day I heard whining noise at idle, dimming interior lights and the voltage on radar detector barely staying above 13v and at times going lower. Sure enough the alternator failed the test at Autozone. Great, 3 more hours of taking everything a part and re-installing the alternator. Went to Rockauto website, went through the process of filing an RMA and received the replacement alternator in 3 days. As soon as I opened and tried spinning the clutch I realized the replacement was bad as well. It took an effort to spin the clutch, it wouldn't spin freely at all. This wasn't the case with my old alternator that I already shipped back for core refund or with the one I installed on the car two weeks prior. Shipped the bad replacement back to Rockauto for refund and took the alternator that was on my car for two weeks to a local rebuild shop. They tested and replaced the voltage regulator which is what I thought was wrong based on the symptoms. Really disappointed with quality Denso remanufactured alternators. I should have just taken my original alternator to the local rebuild shop.

I am taking the car to the mechanic tomorrow to put in a final motor mount and Ill have him check the alternator. any other recommended brands aside from Denso (if Denso is an issue)? is it advisable to get a new alternator vs. a reman?

If only your instrument cluster lights dimmed, then most likely the dimmer switch was losing ground or a poor connection/solder in the instrument cluster. All lights would dim if the alternator was on its way out.

so I drove the car home tonight for 15 minutes and no issues. so thats good. still wondering if the alternator is the culprit. I bought a replace dimmer switch $25. so Ill have that. battery is brand new. Denso alternator.