took out ignition/lights sw and now exterior lights dont work?

[dickster]

well, i finally had time to do some work towards getting my car back on the road.

the car had already had the ignition and ext. light sw disconnected by the workshop, and i had the task of putting it back together with new locks.

i got the ignition and door locks done ok. so far so good.

i then put the exterior light sw back in place. (both door panels and windows sw still removed though).

fired up the engine and then tried the lights.

pulled sw part way out. got rear lights and rear no. plate lights only. no front side lights (may be different in usa?). at this point green warning light in instrument cluster is on.

next pulled sw all way out. headlights and sides come on, green warning light goes out.

tried second time, and this time no rear lights on first position on sw - in addition to front sides.

why dont front sides work independently?

the wires havent been removed from the sw - whats going on?

the bentley manual doesnt seem to cover euro cars with side lights?

the steering wheel and ground for stalks was also disconnected throughout.

i hate car electrics - any ideas?

thanks.

[CamB]

Yep. Check the fuses. However, I think you have had all the lights working at some stage (I can't quite figure it out from the wording), so the fuses are unlikely to be the problem.

What exactly do you mean by "side lights" - do you mean the white lights at the front which we call "park lights" in NZ?

[dickster]

"side" lights are the tiny bulbs within the headlamp assembly......they may be in euro spec cars only?

what lights do you guys get coming on when you pull the lights sw out to the first position?

[CamB]

I'll try again (where is a Haynes for conversion to British speak - actually, I thought we used Britspeak).

Do you mean running lights??? If so, they should come on when the switch is in position one (along with the tail lights). I think!

OK, I had a quick look at the SC wiring diagram and it appears to say that it works like my '69 - ie that the "low" tail lights and the park lights should be on at the same time. If they work at the back and not the front, that narrows it down a bit. Something funky in your first post - it worked at the back the first time but not the second...

[dickster]

camb

LOL

yeah, i think we're on the same wavelength now! must be running lights.

i know, its a pain that they worked at the back first time.....

thanks for input.

[CamB]

Since they are supposed to be on the same circuit (in some way), this suggests either a fuse has broken or maybe a plug has come, er, unplugged.

Do the tail lights come on when in the 2nd position (with the headlights on)?

Does either of the running lights (and a matching tail light) come on when the indicator is left "on" when the car is turned off (on Euro cars usually the park and tail light stay on in this circumstance to show the corner of the car in narrow streets)?

[dickster]

camb

sorry, i was busy last night and didnt pick up your post.

yes, and yes - they work in those circumstances.

why does the green dash warning light go out in 2nd position? is that normal?

cheers.

[dickster]

*bump*

guess i'm gonna have to bite the bullet and sort it myself - i hate f'in electrics

no quick fixes.........

[CamB]

I dunno what the green warning lamp does.

So basically the lights work (you get some action from them at some time or another). This i good because it means it isn't a fuse and it isn't a bulb.

I reckon there are two possibilities:

- something is wired up incorrectly; or
- the light switch is not doing its job

[Glasgow 911SC]

why does the green dash warning light go out in 2nd position? is that normal?

Thats normal on mine anyway. Only on when side lights are on.

I hate electrics too. These are the sort of problems that can drive a classic car owner mad!

[dickster]

chris

thats good to know. i had assumed that was a fault.

looks like it could be a bad connection or something.

i didnt actually disconnect anything so shouldnt be that hard - even for me.....

[cstreit]

THe green dash light is a "Fog Light" and or "Running Lights only" indicator.

[dickster]

thanks for the help.

had another look this weekend and it seems that there are left and right circuits for the side lights( parking lights). both of these are dead in position 1 but live in pos. 2 so i think the switch is faulty. ordered another............

anyone had light sw go bad?

[Glasgow 911SC]

I think light switches can burn out due to the current going through them.
You should fit a relay kit to save your new one.

[dickster]

is that what others are doin?

i can't be arsed, i hate electrics.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Yep, fraid so.
Here's a few pahes I've bookmarked. I've still to do this

1
2
3
4

[dickster]

thanks for the info chris, appreciated.

[dickster]

new switch cured the problem.