cmross13

so i bought a used '03 a couple months ago and for some reason, ever since i bought it my cluster lights are on whenever the ignition is on. the HVAC lights and other lights are not affected, just the cluster lights. it never bothered me until i installed a boost gauge the other day and realized i don't have a good source for illumination lol.

the cars electrical system should be stock, with a few exceptions:

A: aftermarket head unit/amp wiring
B: Blitz FATT
C: K9 alarm
D: what i'm told is the "parking lamp warning light" is usually on, but sometimes goes off temporarily. its highlighted by the red arrow in the attached image



now item D on the list gives me a good segue into my other electrical problem: my drivers side parking light(furthest outside bulb, top corner) doesn't work. im hoping i can get away with maybe replacing the harness on that headlight? is there a way to test the socket that stays with the car when you remove the lamp?

if i cant use a test light at the socket, can anybody think of a better way to troubleshooting this problem, as well as a possible solution to my cluster illumination problem?

any help would be greatly appreciated

fastyouth1313

iTrader: (32)

Have you tried changing the bulb in that headlight?

marcusE

iTrader: (20)

IS THIS THE SHOW AND SHINE SECTION!?>!

This doesn't belong here. clean it up.

cmross13

Why, yes, it is in fact the show and shine section. A place for topics that are non performance oriented. I wanted to post in "General", but that was clearly marked "Do not post tech threads in here".

And yes, I replaced all my bulbs at the same time since it was somewhat labor intensive. I did use some Chinese LEDs for the markers, lol, I just want to be prepared with an alternative option when I replace the bulb again.

cmross13

anybody?

AndyCT9W

The cluster lights are supposed to be on all the time.

The parking light warning lamp you've highlighted is the light that indicates when your lights are turned on (park/low/high).

Did you replace the bulb in the headlight that isn't working?

cmross13

i replace the bulb that isn't working, unfortunately i did so with a Chinese LED, so there a significant chance that the new bulb is also faulty.

as for the cluster lights, why should they always be on? what are others tapping for an illumination source for guages?

AndyCT9W

I believe mitsubishi made the cluster lights stay on to ensure the cluster was clearly visible in a lot of different lighting situations. I have a boost gauge wired up to light up when the headlights are turned on, check the pic below to see the source.

The wire is the one in my hand, red is source, black is ground. The fuse box is the one to the lower right of the steering wheel (RHD JDM dawg!). The red intercepts a green-white which comes from an 8 block (there's only one 8 block) on the fuse box. The green white goes into the following source in the 8 block:

OXOO
OOOO



Let me know if this was helpful.

cmross13

you have no idea how helpful that was. i feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders, now knowing the cluster lights are supposed to be on as long as the ignition is on lol.

also, i have saved the image, and intend to switch around my illumination light in the next couple days. however, could you be more specific by what you mean when you say "8 block"?

AndyCT9W

At the bottom there's a block 8 ports to that wires go into, there's a 6 then the 8 and another 6 across the bottom of the box. (I have no idea if I'm using the right terms, my electrical knowledge is near absent apart from common sense). Here's someone else's picture without the ports covered up:



Note: I have a JDM 05 IX, your factory set up may differ from mine.

cmross13

Ahh, it's clear now what you were referring to.

Thanks again