BTW,

The odometer illumination, cruise button (push-in on dash), and clock illumination that I was having trouble with yesterday, was just because of bad bulbs. I went to the junk yard today to get a new A/C vent bezel, and grabbed a few handfuls of all the bulbs (and fuses) used on the gauge cluster, the clock, the cruise button, map lights, etc. And they gave me another whole clock, cruise button, and some other stuff for free.

The Bulbs on all those devices, even the clock and Hazard button are replaceable with a flat-head screw driver. I bet they even sell them at Radio Shack.

 

Everything connecting the stereo looks fine.

I'm going to try reconnecting the the red/blk to the high beams again and see what happens.

 

Ok, sounds like the person that hacked the wiring before was trying to get some lighting back after they messed something up. They possibly blew the Multiplex Control Unit (MCU) located in the driver's side fuse box. They did their own hack to restore some functionality.

Since it sounds like you reconnected the Red/Blk wire the way it should be, we'll go back to this same video I linked before.

Follow his instructions, if your lights come back on when you do this, the MCU is bad. Tell me what you find.

 

Thanks man!
I'm going to test it right now.

If it is as simple as replacing the drivers fuse box with one from the junk yard, that would make sense and it is a piece of cake and about $10.
Our local junk yard has about 50 accords. and I only noticed one with out the drivers fuse panel.

 

For your generation Accord, if it's the MCU, you don't need to replace the whole fuse box, just the MCU.

 

Wow! Good to know!

The jump test worked!
Full brightness in gauges!

So, I will just go back to the junk yard again tomorrow.
I just cracked the Clear lens on the gauge cluster, so I'll buy one of those, and they might just give me the MICU. (They have been doing that lately with small stuff they don't know what to call.) I can probably test it in the parking lot. its really an easy fix. All it takes is two screw drivers.

I'll be sure to post the outcome here.

How did you become such and expert on all this?

 

I am not an electronics expert; but, I do understand some electronics.

Let me know how it turns out after your next trip to the yard.

 

I will. I have to have this car ready to drive from New Orleans to Memphis by tomorrow night.


I hope that is all it needs.

I'll post my findings.

Great Thread!

Thank You!!!

 

You're welcome.

The hack job threw me off a bit, as it gave partial functionality of some of the interior lighting. That is why I had you test power at the combo light switch.

It was only when you corrected the Red/Blk wiring, that the results indicated it was probably the MCU. Normally, if it was just a bad MCU (without the hack job), you wouldn't get the interior lighting in certain combo light switch settings like you were experiencing.

 

Yeah, I knew it was going to be something crazy like that. Thats why I needed so much help.
It wasn't the normal wearing or breaking or malfunctioning, it was sabotage.

If replacing this part works, we might have solved the mystery. This is HUGE!!!
It has been plaguing this Accord and my friend for a couple of years now.

'Can't thank you enough for all the help.