My car is a '94 Accord EX Station Wagon, 6 cylinder (meant 4 cylinder.) I just got it out of the body shop where they replaced the tailgate as some moron shot a hole through it. I thought it was odd that the illumination control switch had been pushed and was out and adjusted to the lowest setting so no light. I changed it back, pushed it back in, drove away and about 30 minutes later my dash lights went out.

The body shop is claiming it is just a coincidence even though the old tailgate's wiring harness had been messed up badly by the bullet. The harness was replaced when the tailgate was replaced. (This body shop had also claimed the dome light in the middle car could not have been affected but prior to initiating the repair with them, a friend proved the light was affected when he stuck his finger in the bullet hole, wiggled the wiring & got the light to come on so obviously the wiring affected other parts of the car besides just the tailgate!) So needless to say I don't trust their judgement one bit! And on top of all this they actually threw away a trim piece that went to my center brake light on the tailgate and are not seeming to want to find me a new one!! Guess I'll be screaming to their corporate office and my insurance company on that one!!

 

If you 94 Accord is a station wagon, it would be a 4 cylinder.

First, check the No. 32 (15A) fuse located in the underhood fuse box to see if it was blown.

 

If under-hood fuse no. 32 is okay, then:

1. Check that the connector for the dash light brightness/dimmer control is securely connected.
2. Does other interior lights such as moonroof switch, heater control panel, and glove box light work when the headlight switch is turned ON?

 

Before we get any further, the dash light and taillights get their power via Red/Blk wiring coming from Fuse No. 32. Imho, the body shop should look more into this, as the dash lights going out is after their work.

 

I totally agree with you! They said they would need to bring in a mobile mechanic who would charge me $100 diagnosis if the problem wasn't caused by them.

I think it is very odd the lights went out and odder yet that the push button of the dimmer control was out and turned all the way off when I first started the car. I turned the dash lights back up and pushed the button back in and wondered why they had been fooling with it to begin with . They claimed the tech had wiped down the interior of the car and probably hit it. Odd they would wipe down the front dash which they didn't even work on, yet leave the newly installed used tailgate window greasy and dirty with a blob of paint on it!!

I will check that fuse in the morning and thank you for the suggestions to get me started.

 

WOW! I was never so lucky as the day I found this forum! Redbull-1, you ROCK!!

I checked the fuse you suggested, although I wasn't sure which one was #32 as my owner's manual shows different names & numbers on the fuse listing as well as on the top of the fuse box....but thanks to you I picked the 15A that was labeled "Small Light" and sure enough it was blown. When I replaced it, not only did my instrument panel light up again but the bell reminder sound that my lights were left on come back as well! Man, I really need that reminder bell since I drive with my headlights on during daylight hours and run the risk of leaving them on occasionally.

So my next question is..... does the fact that the fuse blew within about 30 minutes of leaving the body shop mean that there is something going wrong with my electrical system now? Or could it be just a one time thing maybe brought on my the change out of the tailgate and the wiring harness within it? As always thanks for any assistance!

 

Yes, the fuse numbering for the Honda service manual and owner's manual is numbered differently for your generation Accord. I should have posted a diagram for you.

If the fuse blew, there is a chance it can blow again if there is a short. A short is an accidental connection of a wire to ground or to another wire. It could have happened when you hit a bump or dip in the road because some wiring insulation was chafed/exposed or connector issue. If it happens again, we'll have to try to isolate where it may be. It may be at the taillight area, the dash dimmer area, or somewhere else.

Hopefully, the replacement of the fuse was a one time thing.

 

rebull-1, I'm sure gonna pray it is a one time thing!

This is definitely one reason I hate to have the car worked on the way it was. Body shop repair of a major component like a tailgate along with the wiring harness within it is more than I like to have to deal with as so much can get screwed up.

And this shop has been such a disappointment as it appears to do sloppy work all the way around, e.g. the paint on the tailgate edge has already split because the tech didn't straighten out a bend in it BEFORE he painted it AND they lost a rubber trim piece off the rear center brake light and don't appear to be concerned at all about it ~ like I am suppose to just accept the loss!! I made it clear I expect them to locate another piece but..... they haven't called yet to let me know they have. I hope their corporate office is more concerned when I give them a call and if not my insurance company will be hearing from me since this is one of their "approved" shops!! (This is a national chain too so hope that is a plus for any needs that come up due to the lousy work of this shop!!)