Today's Lesson

[TominMO]

Today's lesson, boys and girls, is: never overlook the obvious.

Yesterday I removed my Aspire SE instrument cluster in order to paint the needles with luminous paint. I also removed the blue rubber covers on the light bulbs, for more brightness. Especially useful for the odometer and trip odo.

Upon reinstalling, first I checked the lights by plugging in the black plug on the rear of the cluster. Good lights. I then finished installing the cluster.

Yesterday evening I went to my mother's house for a good dinner. I drove there during daylight, so the lights weren't on. When I left, my cluster lights were super-dim, basically useless, and also HVAC and radio lights were not working.

I got home anyway, and this morning pulled the cluster and checked the individual bulbs and fuses; all good of course. Stared at the rear of the cluster for awhile, then went to the forum and did a search on the problem. This led me to the dimmer switch, but that seems way too coincidental that it would have gone out yesterday of all days.

I plugged the black plug in, turned on the parking lights, then turned the dimmer switch. Cluster lights! Also HVAC and radio. Apparently after checking that the lights were good during the initial install, I must have moved the dimmer switch to the off position with my arm, while wrestling the cluster back in.

I hope you all enjoyed today's lesson and had a good laugh with/at me.

[anomoly40]

At least your car ran after one of your Murphy encounters. If it would have been me, I'd have kinked and grounded a wire that blew all the important fuses.

[TominMO]

At least your car ran after one of your Murphy encounters. If it would have been me, I'd have kinked and grounded a wire that blew all the important fuses.

I have learned not to start hacking at wiring or take other drastic actions when something like this happens.

[anomoly40]

I ment I'd tightened a screw down on the wire of Velcor.

[devon527]

My ex girlfriend did the same thing with the dimmer switch. She had a 2000 celica and called me one night saying her dash lights went out, driving home with the light on her phone to see, I checked all the fuses and then felt stupid when I rubbed up against the dimmer and they turned on. haha

[TominMO]

My ex girlfriend did the same thing with the dimmer switch. She had a 2000 celica and called me one night saying her dash lights went out, driving home with the light on her phone to see, I checked all the fuses and then felt stupid when I rubbed up against the dimmer and they turned on. haha

Man, women are so dumb. Oh wait....

[devon527]

Well she made me believe that it wasnt the dimmer because they were off when she started the car. Hope that last reply wasnt a joke on me! hahaha

[drddan]

There's reason I put:


I'm just...a little slow... sometimes...in my signature! lol


I do that kinda stuff all the time

[TominMO]

Well she made me believe that it wasnt the dimmer because they were off when she started the car. Hope that last reply wasnt a joke on me! hahaha

That was on me actually.

[CharlieZ]

So Tom, how do the glow in the dark needles work out? Do you have UV illumination?

[KoD88]

I don't know if you knew this or not but I read a long time ago that painting your needles can throw their accuracy off due to the weight of the paint.

[Britstiva]

I'd like to see the repainted cluster!

[TominMO]

So Tom, how do the glow in the dark needles work out? Do you have UV illumination?

Since I also removed the little blue rubber covers from the cluster bulbs, the illuminated needles don't really have much effect becuase the cluster is so much brighter now. It's much easier to read the main odometer, and the trip odo is a bit better too.

I don't know if you knew this or not but I read a long time ago that painting your needles can throw their accuracy off due to the weight of the paint.

The temp gauge is going to the proper and normal place once the motor warms up, so I think this is a minimal or non-existent issue.

[KoD88]

The temp gauge is going to the proper and normal place once the motor warms up, so I think this is a minimal or non-existent issue.

Good to hear!

[Pu241]

TominMO, you know in the "good ol' days" a company called U.S. Radium made a paint that you could use and even if you had no cluster lights and you were driving in a cave, you could read your instrument cluster!
It did have a side effect.
If you licked the brush you were using (to keep a point) to paint the needle and numbers, it would kill you slowly and painfully.
Beside that it was a great product.