2002 Model Year.

Drive with Lights On day and night. Instrument Panel adjusts automatically to dim (low light level) when lights are on. I have to manually adjust to high or I just don't bother. Would love to read the guages, and not have to do this manually.

Could not find any help in the Honda Service Manual.

Suggestions?

 

During the day, push and hold the + side of the instrument light adjuster and the instrument lights will full bright for bright light viewing. Hope that this helps.

 

sorry, I wasn't clear. that's what I meant by doing it manually. I'm lazy and forgetful. I want this to happen automagically. but I don't want the bright setting during the dark. for some reason I believe Canadian cars are set up the way I'm hoping for. Thx--ml

 

In Canada they have DRL (Daytime Running Lights) which wires both high beam lights in series whenever the car is running. The lamp elements are running on half-voltage so they are not as bright as normal, plus the headlights are not really ON, so the dash lights do not dim.

Here in the States we don't have DRL, so the only way to get your lights ON is to turn them ON, which makes the dash lights dim.

I don't know of a way around it, without pulling the instrument panel and doing some wire-whacking to stop them from dimming. The dash lights dim when they get voltage from the tail light circuit (red/blue wire from the fuse box), but there's about 20 different circuits that tie into that wire so you have to disconnect it right at the instrument panel. Then you have to have a way for it to be connected again when you want them to dim, which is a little tricky - how can the car know what you want?

It's probably easier to re-wire the high beams so they act like Canadian cars, not like that's real easy either. None of the wiring is in our cars, and it's TOTALLY different for DRL. In the Electrical Troubleshooting manual the headlight wiring for US cars fits on one page, for DRL cars it takes 3 pages. That should be a hint.

 

maybe i should get some after market lights to place in the front spoiler area? any suggestions?--ml

 

I would sugg. the fog lights Rick added. I believe they are the Odyssey lights.

 

I ride with the lights on all the time, yoo. After I read the owners manual (when I first got the car), it stated that there are SEPERATE brightness settings for the instrument panel. One is set to "remember" your night time preference, and the other keeps your daytime preference - mine is maxed out.

This manual adjustment should not be required each time. Dust off that manual and check it out.

I do have a MY00, so yours may vary if it is another year.

If that is still not bright enough, I do't know what to tell ya.



By the way, people still "ignore" me and my silverstone, even with the darn lights on.
What are ya gonna do - right?

Hockey

 

I would love to have the lights Rick put into the fake vents in the front bumper, but it looks like a pain in the A$$ to mount them/glue them in.

If Rick could come up with a mounting system for these lights with a wiring harness that would make installing them easier, I think they would be an awesome mod