dash lights, or not!

BX Tech talk
Post Reply
User avatar
Vanny
Merseyside resident
Posts: 3581
Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 11:48 pm
Location: BXProject
My Cars: BX 16v Ph2 - Jazz
BX 16v Ph2 - XPO
x 79
Contact:

dash lights, or not!

Post by Vanny »

have a wee small problem, i have no dash back lights!

Not a single back light on the dash, however the back light on the clock still works (and dims with the headlights on) and the lights on the heater panel still work as well!

I can only imagine that there is something up with the dimmer, but have fiddled and replaced all to no avail so i guess its a wiring issue? It started to happen after i pulled the alarm out (which is in no way connected to the back lights) and i suspect that i've just pulled something out some where?


Anybody any suggestions as to where to look? I assume the dash console has a common wire from the dimmer?


Got a lot of night time driving to do next weekend so need to be sorting out some of the bits i've been putting off for so long!
jeremy
Over 2k
Posts: 2112
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:58 am
Location: Hampshire UK

Post by jeremy »

I think the heater control lights are on the same dimmer - so I recon all your bulbs have burnt out. Makes some sense as no doubt they came from the same bucket and will have operated for the same time. It does happen like that - when I bought the ZX one light was out and the speedo was difficult to read on one side. Within about 2 months all the rest had gone!

The clock light is fed from the ignition. When it receives power from the sidelight the circuit dims it. It is not on the dimmer circuit and you will find that one of its cables is a sidelight feed!

It could be you have dislodged one of the plugs on the edge of the instrument panel or interfered with the earth for the lights.
User avatar
Oscar
1K Away
Posts: 1091
Joined: Wed May 18, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Driving a ZX

Post by Oscar »

The earth for the dash lights attaches to the steering column bracket, I'm pretty sure. Get the steering column housing off and check whether the plugs on the left hand side, bolted to the bracket, are still in place.

O
(Red BX 1.7TZD ("Well, it is a style icon" - Tom Sheppard)) "Was", Tom, "was"
User avatar
Mike E (uk)
1K Away
Posts: 1115
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:10 am
Location: High Wycombe, Bucks
x 1

Post by Mike E (uk) »

After you have replaced all the dash bulbs, remove the feed from the dimmer resistor, and connect the resistor to the side lights switch instead.

Now the dash lamps only come on when you have lights on, saving the bulbs, and reducing the chance of driving in towns at night with no lights on.

Mike
User avatar
Terry Brooks
BXpert
Posts: 402
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:53 pm
Location: No 1 at the end of the bar .....@Milton Arms,Rotherham

Post by Terry Brooks »

Mike E (uk) wrote: saving the bulbs, and reducing the chance of driving in towns at night with no lights on.

Mike
Or doing as I did once :oops: ......driving all the way [2miles] to work on a dark morning without remembering to switch the lights on :oops: ....which prompted one of my workmates to say ......."Hey,have you been eating too many carrots again" :oops:
Tel
"Why dont rabbits wear glasses" ......"Cos carrots are good for your eyes" ....."Yeah but rabbits dont wear glasses anyway" ......."Thats cos they eat loadsa carrots" :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
Dont let the 2CV fool you,I'm not a hippy,I like violence
User avatar
Vanny
Merseyside resident
Posts: 3581
Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 11:48 pm
Location: BXProject
My Cars: BX 16v Ph2 - Jazz
BX 16v Ph2 - XPO
x 79
Contact:

Post by Vanny »

Its not going to be a failing of the bulbs! If you read the original post the problem follows a fiddling with lots of wires in that area and i also dropped the steering column to get at the mess of wires under there. I think the earthing problem is the most likely and i'm gonna go have a poke around tomorrow morning!
Stewart (oily!)
1K Away
Posts: 1604
Joined: Wed May 18, 2005 6:23 pm
Location: North Wales

Post by Stewart (oily!) »

Probably caught something with your Machete on the backswing Vanny :D
Stewart
TZD 19 TD one of the few
Xantia Td estate, going soft
User avatar
Vanny
Merseyside resident
Posts: 3581
Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 11:48 pm
Location: BXProject
My Cars: BX 16v Ph2 - Jazz
BX 16v Ph2 - XPO
x 79
Contact:

Post by Vanny »

:lol: :lol:

you've seen me removing horrid cables before then?


hopefully it will all be solved tomorrow! though the battery is flat again!
User avatar
Vanny
Merseyside resident
Posts: 3581
Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 11:48 pm
Location: BXProject
My Cars: BX 16v Ph2 - Jazz
BX 16v Ph2 - XPO
x 79
Contact:

Post by Vanny »

ha ha! All sorted!


It was infact the supply that wasn't connected, i had pulled the ignition loom out when removing the abortion of a wiring job that was the alarm and on the loom side there is a 'floating' red male connector and an option of two females to go in it. One is for the dash lights, but i have NEVER figured out what the other one does? i thought it was a switched live but it isnt, and its on every BX i've looked for it! Any suggestions???
Stewart (oily!)
1K Away
Posts: 1604
Joined: Wed May 18, 2005 6:23 pm
Location: North Wales

Post by Stewart (oily!) »

Probably for the home market 12 volt snail shelling device :)
Stewart
I still have non working bits due to an old alarm too
TZD 19 TD one of the few
Xantia Td estate, going soft
Post Reply