Malfunction Indicator Lamp - Description

DESCRIPTION





A Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is standard equipment on all instrument clusters. For domestic market vehicles, this indicator is located within the odometer Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) unit. For export market vehicles, this indicator is located on the left side of the cluster overlay, between the hubs of the needles for the minor gauge set.

The domestic MIL indicator consists of the International Control and Display Symbol icon for Engine in the VFD display. The odometer VFD unit is soldered onto the cluster electronic circuit board, and is visible through a window with a smoked clear lens located on the lower edge of the tachometer dial face of the cluster overlay. The dark lens over the VFD unit prevents the indicator from being clearly visible when it is not illuminated. The MIL icon appears in an amber color when it is illuminated by the cluster electronic circuit board, and the MIL as well as all of the odometer VFD information is illuminated at full (daytime) brightness and cannot be dimmed until the MIL is extinguished.

The export MIL indicator consists of a stencil-like cutout of the International Control and Display Symbol icon for Engine in the opaque layer of the instrument cluster overlay. The dark outer layer of the overlay prevents the indicator from being clearly visible when it is not illuminated. An amber Light Emitting Diode (LED) behind the cutout in the opaque layer of the overlay causes the indicator to appear in amber through the translucent outer layer of the overlay when it is illuminated from behind by the LED, which is soldered onto the instrument cluster electronic circuit board.

The MIL is serviced as a unit with the instrument cluster.