Dash illumination questions

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Dash illumination questions

Post by motorgnome »

G'day guys.

Firstly, this is my first Citroen. I bought it 18 months ago & have only driven it once, briefly, before pulling it to bits, repairing/reconditioning all manner of things. One of the things pointed out when I bought this car, was the dash illumination wasn't working (and the heater blower doesn't work, but I am yet to look at that). Anyway, I am looking into why the dash lights (illumination) isn't working. 1st stop is the fuses (ok), 2nd stop was the dash rheostat. I stuck a test light into the connector, & neither terminal has power. So I then opened up the manual & waded into the new world of Citroen wiring diagrams.

Looking at the diagram, it appears the dash illumination is powered by the ignition...not the parking lights, in which case, the dash would be illuminated whenever the ignition is switched on... is that the case? Thinking about it now, I didn't check for power at the rheostat with the ignition on..just the parking lights on..If the dash lights are on with the ignition, maybe all the globes are blown..

So, to ask the question that I should have asked in the first place, without all this waffle, "Is the dash illuminated with the ignition key, or the parking lights??"

Oh, Its an 11/88 BX19 TRI

Thanks heaps.

Jason
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Re: Dash illumination questions

Post by Way2go »

Yes, the dash lights are illuminated when the ignition switch is on. This is sometimes a nuisance especially when you start off in a multi-storey car park at night and therefore are not immediately aware that you have forgotten to turn your lights on!

Its probable that all bulbs are blown. They are expensive as Citroen spares but dirt cheap if you buy them off ebay as fruit machine bulbs. :D

I seem to recall they are 286 incandescent type. Be aware if you choose LED types the rheostat may not work to dim them as the current will then be too small and you will have to devise an alternative dimmer for the panel.
1991 BX19GTi Auto
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Re: Dash illumination questions

Post by motorgnome »

Hey there..Yes! I worked that out when I came into work this morning (i'm in Australia, so I'm about 12 hours ahead of you). I turned the ignition on, probed the rheostat with a test lamp, It had power, so I went to the instrument cluster & tracked an illumination bulb, & sure enough, all are blown. Amazing.. at least to me..you drive a car, & watch the dash get dimmer & dimmer as each globe dies, yet you do nothing about it! This includes the heater controls (blown as well), even the cigarette lighter illumination bulb is gone! At least it is an easy fix. The globes are plentiful.

That green light in the dash is supposed to remind you that you have your parking lights/headlights on...It would make more sense to me to bring them on with the parking lights...It would serve as a reminder that you don't have your lights on.

Cheers! Have a great weekend.
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Re: Dash illumination questions

Post by Way2go »

Well done, at least that will be a cheap fix. Best to also to check your alternator charging output to see that the regulation is good and not the cause of failure.

There was a time I was going to modify/alter the illumination to be fed from the sidelight feed but got used to the difference by then and left it as standard. :)
1991 BX19GTi Auto