dashboard lights

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martin68
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dashboard lights

Post by martin68 »

Can any one help please.how is the best way to remove the dash bulbs +is there a fuse for these?have no instrument panel lights.very new to the t25 scene. Martin.
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MidLifeCrisis
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

You can get to the bulbs by removing the cover on the gauge cluster.
Grab the cover from the back (there are two finger holes back there to help with this) and pull towards you and the cover should pop off (sometimes takes some force).
The bulbs should then be visible (there are three of them on the top of the gauges) - they twist out of their sockets.

But if you have no working lights at all then its unlikely that they have all failed and more likely that there is no power or ground getting to them!!

FYI - you have rotated the little dial under the headlight switch that controls the brightness of these bulbs? - its sometimes set very low so that they look failed - twiddle the dial and they should/might get brighter!! Worth a try!!

If that doesn't work then can you confirm that you have no lights on either the speedo or rev counter/clock gauge, the warning lights inbetween, or the heater controls?
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martin68
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by martin68 »

Thanks for the reply.I have no lights to the fuel + Speedo gauge.no main beam light there as well.indicator,glow plug lights there.also the bulbs seem not to twist!! :(
1988 T25 transporter 1.6TD

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CJH
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by CJH »

MidLifeCrisis wrote: But if you have no working lights at all then its unlikely that they have all failed ...

I agree that it's unlikely they'll all fail at once, but one by one, over the years, I'd say it's entirely possible for them all to have failed eventually.

I've also found that the bulbs don't always make a good contact with the traces on the printed circuit, so I was able to resurrect some apparently dead bulbs just by wiggling them a bit. One thing I found that cured these dodgy contacts in my case was to put a couple of slivers of gaffer tape on the bulb housing, under the printed circuit. It gives the bulb something with a bit of 'spring' in it to press against.

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CJH
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by CJH »

martin68 wrote:also the bulbs seem not to twist!! :(

They can be very stiff. You might need a pair of pliers to twist them - take care though, the white bulb holder can be brittle.
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martin68
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by martin68 »

Cheers guys.will try tomorrow now & keep you posted.☺
1988 T25 transporter 1.6TD

MidLifeCrisis
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

martin68 wrote:Thanks for the reply.I have no lights to the fuel + Speedo gauge.no main beam light there as well.indicator,glow plug lights there.also the bulbs seem not to twist!! :(
If your main beam indicator light doesn't work ..... does your coolant temp warning light work (assuming you are water-cooled)??
If main beam and coolant light don't work it's possible that the ground connection to the gauges is not working which would disable the main beam, coolant warning and gauge illumination lights....
..... let us know how your investigations go??
(also put your van type, engine type etc into your signature (in 'User Control Panel') so folks can see what you have!) :ok
1987 Westfalia Van, Petrol 2.0 AGG

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marlinowner
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by marlinowner »

If you lose the ground to the instruments, the dash lights will still work (a bit dimmer), they route to ground via the main beam warning light and the main beam filament in the headlight bulb. If ground is missing, instrument lights will go out when main beam is switched on.
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by Ralf85 »

Back to the beginning. Has somebody moved the dashboard dimmer switch dial under the headlight switch? It could be as simple as that. Move it round when it's dark outside and see if that works before taking everything apart.

martin68
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by martin68 »

Have tried the dial but to no avail.i do take its the little black holders that have to be twisted as they are very stiff.
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MidLifeCrisis
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

martin68 wrote:Have tried the dial but to no avail.i do take its the little black holders that have to be twisted as they are very stiff.
Yep - they can be quite stiff - usually easier to 'gently' grab them with a pair of pliers and twist as they are hard to get a decent grip on with fingers alone.
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martin68
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by martin68 »

Ok thanks ill give that a try.☺
1988 T25 transporter 1.6TD

Coltess
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by Coltess »

Can any one help where can I get the bulb holders for the small lights on top of a dash instruments the white boxes

MIN663CS
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Re: dashboard lights

Post by MIN663CS »

Coltess wrote: 08 Aug 2020, 16:43 Can any one help where can I get the bulb holders for the small lights on top of a dash instruments the white boxes

Hi do you mean these  ?


https://www.brickwerks.co.uk/t3-parts/e ... ation.html
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