| Author |
Message |
michaelthuber (Mikehuber)
New member
Username: Mikehuber
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, March 06, 2003 - 12:38 pm: | |
My dash lights don't work at all on my 85 Mondail QV Cab. I have the whole instrument cluster, including the "card" with the "rehostat" on it apart. I have checked every fuse in the box and all are ok. In any normal circuit you have a "hot" wire and a ground wire, BUT, when I check continuity between the yellow wire on the ring around the base of the Speedo light and the black wire around the ring of the Speedo light I get continuity. I found two wires going into the rheostat card that have power, but I cannot get any power when testing any of the soldered lugs of the rheostat to ground. I think this card also does something with the speedo. I can get a difference in resistance between two of the rheostat poles by turning the stem on the rheostat. That tells me the rheostat is working. I am reluctant to jumper 12v onto the yellow wire because I am afraid of a dead short. I know that the bulbs are good because I tested them out of their sockets with a 12v source and they lit. I am totally baffled. Does anyone have any idea what's going on here? |
Kurt Kjelgaard (Kurtk328)
Junior Member
Username: Kurtk328
Post Number: 156
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 6:45 am: | |
It seems that everybody is assuming that the regulator is a rheostat in the old fashioned sense. Maybe because the wiring diagram shows the signature for a rheostat.
Actually on my '86 US 328 the rheostat is not a rheostat. It is an electronic solid state voltage regulator. Its own interior lighting is done by a yellow LED.
So if your regulator is of the solid state variety, you might be able to take it apart and have it fixed with new components.
I suspect that other F's around this point in time and later could have similar regulators.
If you take it out of the panel (two tabs on top and bottom will need to be squeezed before you can push it out) you can pry off the front of the dimmer and take a look inside. If solid state it will be obvious. |
Peter Connolly (Mondial_32_aus)
Junior Member
Username: Mondial_32_aus
Post Number: 100
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 4:25 am: | |
I have a curious problem with my Mondial 3.2 dash lights rheostat. When I first go the car a few years back it worked fine, im bright, the whole shhoting match. The I was wondering why one of my ciggy lighter sockets was not working an I found it was not connected, so, as you do, I plugged in the unplugged wires. Next think I know there is smoke rising from the are of the socket! The damn thing was short circuit! No woner it was disconnected! Now the rheostat does not work, dash lights stay bright an if I turn the fog lights on I blow the fog lights/instrument lights!
Nasty, huh? I have got a copy of the wiring diagram on my website http://fly.to/mondial but I am too rusty to figure it out. Perhaps some wires have fuse together somewhere?
PC |
magoo (Magoo)
Advanced Member
Username: Magoo
Post Number: 3476
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Monday, November 11, 2002 - 3:18 pm: | |
There has been a lot of discussion on making the dash lights brighter. The best way is to bypass the rheostat and they will brighten somewhat better but not as much as one would like. |
BretM (Bretm)
Advanced Member
Username: Bretm
Post Number: 2876
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Monday, November 11, 2002 - 2:54 pm: | |
My rheostat on the 308 bit the bullet like a year and a half ago, they wanted like 80 bucks for a new one and I would have had to have trimmed the leather back a little to get it out. It dawned on me that not once in my life in any car have I turned the dashlights down from max, especially the Fcar with dim lights to start off with. I made like a 3" male male (maybe it was female female) wire and bypassed the switch. It's actually a touch brighter than max was which is a welcomed addition. |
Philip Airey (Pma1010)
New member
Username: Pma1010
Post Number: 42
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 11:14 pm: | |
Coachi
On the 308 you can bypass with a male to make spade jumper about 2 inches long with 14 gauge (I think) wire (as original). I'd guess Boxer was same. Rheostat packing up would put it all in darkness!
Philip |
JRV (Jrvall)
New member
Username: Jrvall
Post Number: 42
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 11:49 am: | |
How about using a test light to check for power to the hot side of the rheostat (they can be used to check ground also by reversing the clip ie:clip to a + connection, touch pointer to ground)? Those old reostats can get dusty, minor corrosion, gremlins? and sometimes turning them back and forth a number of times will re-establish proper contact . |
Dr. I. M. Ibrahim (Coachi)
Junior Member
Username: Coachi
Post Number: 112
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 11:41 am: | |
for some reason, my dash lights on my 1983 boxer have quit working. Total darkness. The fuses seem ok..and i suspect that dumb rheostat they have to dim the lights. Just bypass it, and the dash lights should work...any suggestions? |