gas and temp gauge trouble - Honda Prelude Forum

cifer6425 · 07-12-2007, 02:03 AM

on my 94, sometimes when i start up my car, my gas and temp gauge does not light up like it should. it started out being just really dim, but the past few time they have not come on for a few seconds.

any suggestions? i would rather fix this now then wait till they go out.

chester · 07-12-2007, 08:46 AM

Do your tach/speedo light up normally?

slipknot95758 · 07-12-2007, 09:52 AM

lose conection?

if thats not the case and they are bad, i am changing mine soon because the bezel on mine broke some how. they work perfect ill send them to you all you have to pay is shipping and then you can swap your bezel onto it

Slatelude · 07-12-2007, 11:02 AM

just gas and temp or have your tach/speedo/clock flickery too? mine has all these syptoms, and I'm leaning towards the main relay....bump for more info

cifer6425 · 07-12-2007, 11:06 AM

yes everything else works fine.

i am a little worried that the unit itself is going bad.

chester · 07-12-2007, 12:01 PM

Probably just the unit. They're everywhere and not that expensive. I think I paid $10 for mine.

slipknot95758 · 07-13-2007, 01:50 PM

there is a diferance between el and non el

chester · 07-13-2007, 02:13 PM

I've never noticed a difference between mine.

slipknot95758 · 07-13-2007, 04:16 PM

it is how they are wired

chester · 07-13-2007, 04:42 PM

Ahh. Well, I've swapped both EL and non-EL into my 94 VTEC dash harness without a problem at all.

G_Loc · 07-13-2007, 07:19 PM

Mine do that too sometimes, usually when its humid

Aren't they lit up w/ a fluorescent bulb though? Maybe the bulb is on its way out

cifer6425 · 07-13-2007, 08:15 PM

while some will say hawaii is humid, or can be, it nothing like the deep south.

which is exactly where i am headed too in a couple of months. i'll take it apart and check on the bulb.

ludestarbai · 04-13-2008, 09:43 AM

forgive my ignorance, i'm still readign and learning a lot here, but whats the difference between el and non el?

and, where can i find a replacement one, I only found one listing on e-bay. my 92 si, all the lights work but the gas and temp are completely out

G_Loc · 04-13-2008, 03:38 PM

When people say EL and non-EL they are referring to the lighting for the tach and speedometer. 94+ models have EL (electroluminescent) lighting which makes them a bit brighter / nicer

cifer6425 · 11-18-2008, 07:27 PM

update...

so they gauge finally went out.

I was reading in my manual on how to replace it. Do you really have to peel up the bottom piece of the dash and then use double sided sticky tape to secure it down again? I am thinking there should be someway to remove the gauge without having to peel up that bottom piece.

I also do not know what year my gas/temp gauge is from. I am hoping that it does not matter. the car is a 94.

G_Loc · 11-18-2008, 07:52 PM

Eh, that piece is just a long plastic strip. The tape is usually still good after removing it. I've had my dash apart a few times and haven't replaced the tape.

AliKhan · 11-19-2008, 11:01 AM

Take off the long plastic cover for your dash... the one that covers your speedo/tach & gas/temp gauges.

On the very right side of your dash, you'll see a little black box that is mounted to a white plastic tray. Unsrew the black box, and where you see small slits/vents on it, smell it. Do you smell something burnt? If so, one of the transistors in that box have burned out (it's not to uncommon of a problem on the 4th gens). If you don't smell anything burnt, it wouldn't hurt to open it and see if there are any damaged components.

The part that usually goes out in these little black boxes is a square shaped piece with 3 terminals... kind of looks like 3 legs.

If that is the case, it would need to be replaced. Not a good idea to just change that component if it's burned... If it is burned, the tracks on the circuit board could also very likely be damaged.

Otherwise, it would most likely just be the gas/temp unit itself that is bad.