On my 2005 Outback, the digital odometer periodically switches from the mileage reading to a display that shows "ill.5" which looks like "ills". Others have seen this in my car and I looked through the manual. I saw this a few thousand miles ago and now again with the current reading of around 32k. Any reasons this is happening and what I might need to do aout it?

Hi Bob K. I think that is the illumation level setting. I saw another post like this, and the person I think corrected it by rolling the adjuster forward and back a dozen or so times (to clean the potentiometer/rheostat). Maybe if it's right on the cusp of switching from say 4 to 5, then periodically it does so.

I thought it had to do with a bulb out, like a headlight?

i think it might have been me that you are referring to. I had this problem and even contacted the dealer who unless they saw the problem had no idea what i was talking about so i came to this great board where i have gotten some great help and the guys here told me it was that illuminator thing....if you adjust your dial it brightens/dims your display and you'll see ill.1 or ill.2 whatever it is in your display and it still appears from time to time on me and mostly only during the winter is when i notice it, usually 1st thing in the morning when i leave home, now i leave about 415 or so each morning and it's usually 30is or so degrees in the winter, don't notice it in the winter...so who knows

 

kinda sad when you can't get a straight answer from a dearler...i hate my local dealer here and avoid them at all cost! thank goodness my fiance is my mr goodwrench ..

 

hope this helps!

It is indeed related to the dash lighting level. When I adjust the dial, the odometer reads :Ill.1, or Ill.2 thru 6 depending on the light level. It reverts back to mileage after a few seconds.

 

I still don't know why the odometer suddenly switched the display to the "illumination level". Since I spun the dial one evening last week to confirm this, I haven't seen it switch itself back. I can only guess (as someone suggested) that the dial just happened to be near the piont of changing from one level to another and it was sending the new reading to the display. Certainly this happened in cold weather, but I think this also happened some months ago during summer.

 

Odd behavior but something I now assume I don't have to worry about.