...And Let There Be Light

After driving my new-to-me van I thought it was odd that Honda didn't make the clock light backlit. I started searching a Odyssey forum for some information and was surprised to find that it indeed should light up and that this is a common issue in the dash. Some were even delivered brand new with a non-working light for the clock.  80% of the people on the forum had luck by just smacking the dash around the clock.  Apparently it is a poor design and a few good wacks can set it back in place.  

I tried the wack-the-dash method and got one bright flash and then...nothing.  I pulled it all apart to find out I had wacked it right out if its socket and it was lost in the dash somewhere.  I put it all back togther and ordered a new bulb.  Michael and I tackled it last night.

We started by removing the climate control panel on the right

 

We then removed the panel on the left side of the steering wheel

We had to remove those panels to get to the 8 screws that held the top panel in place. 

All to replace this itty bitty bulb...I give you my partner in crime, Michael:

We started at 7:34 and ended at 8:05. 

 $3 and a half hour of our time resulted in a nicely backlit clock.

Before:

After...YAY!

During the process we located 4 more bulbs that should light up. 

Now I have to order more bulbs. :)