Dashboard lights

[gmeatr]

Hi there! Is there a fuse for the dashboard lights? My dashboard lights stopped working and I was trying to look in the owner's manual for the location of the fuse but it doesn't show anything on it. I appreciate any help/suggestion you guys/gals can give in getting my issue resolved b/c it's really annoying to drive at night without it [:(!]

Best regards!

[gmeatr]

btw, I have a 1979 dhc [:D]

[john 215]

Hi,
A likely cause of your dash lights inop is the dash light rehostat,very common fault can be replaced or some bridge out. What year is your '7'.
Cheers John.


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!
1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC Soon to be a 4.6 fire breather!!
Read My Blog http://www.waringstowntr7s.co.uk/blogs/ ... hp/John215

[gmeatr]

Thanks John, where do I start since obviously I am new to the 7 and not electrically inclined [:I]

[stevie_a]

<font color="green"><b>Just take out the rheostat and connect the wires you never use it any way just leave the switch in.</b> </font id="green">






<font size="4"><font color="green"><i>If it's not broke don't fix it.</i></font id="green"></font id="size4">

[gmeatr]

Oh, so that's the rheostat. I was wondering what that knob was for [:0]

Thanks [;)]

[bmcecosse]

Perhaps that's why the lights have 'stopped working'! They are dim at the best of times - so if you turned them down at all - you may not see them!

[Bill]

Yeah, mine was turned down for the first couple years I owned my car, never realizing what that knob was for [V].....Until I started to figure out why I didn't have dash lights. Too many other issues were occupying my time.

Anyhow, once I figured out how to brighten my dash lights, they are still pretty dimm, is there a higher wattage bulb that can be installed?

Bill
1980 Persian Aqua DHC

[Odd]

Yes it is
- but it's been the experience of old that it tends to melt the plastic sockets and filter lenses...
So I wouldn't recommend it.

[jclay (RIP 2018)]

Someone said something about LEDs for the lights a couple of weeks ago. Don't remember who, but it sounds interesting!

[stevie_a]

<font color="green"><b>That sounds interesting I might give that a go with an old dash I have in the garage

A visit to Maplin I think…[;)]</b></font id="green">



<font size="4"><font color="green"><i>If it's not broke don't fix it.</i></font id="green"></font id="size4">

[rsamis]

I was able to brighten my dash lights up quite a bit by removing the instrument panel and cleaning the contacts for the bulbs, sockets, and on the panel itself. I used a pencil eraser for most of the cleaning, and blew the crumbs and dust away with compressed air. That contact cleaner spray would probably work well too.

Royal
76 FHC, 4-spd, dual Strombergs

[FI Spyder]

I did the same thing when I had my dash apart to take out the heater/A/C unit to replace foam. I cleaned every contact of bulb and holder with metal cleaner, flushed with contact cleaner aerosol, blew out with compressed air and put on some dielectric grease before reattaching. Did the same thing with the copper contacts of the plastic sheet and used the aerosol contact cleaner spray on the rheostat switch (no dielectric grease). This minimizes the resistance of the circuits which maximizes the brightness of the bulbs. While not as bright as a turbo diesel volkswagon it is bright enough for me.

TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[Rich in Vancouver]

Is it possible to fit the dash connectors wrong way round?
My car has some very strange dash electrical gremlins. When the dash lights are turned up the lights don't come on (the console lights do) but the turn signal warning lights come on, and the high beam indicator lights up. The electrical connector would be a nice simple fix, but somehow I think it isn't that simple but a crossed wire somewhere. I have a complete replacement harness but that will have to wait till the summer when the weather is nice enough to work in my carport and can ride my bike to work while the TR is out of action.

Cheers,
Richard

1975 TR7 ACL764U

[bottomtop]

Richard, I have once had my console apart in order to replace some bulbs. It has a very flimsy circuit of what looks like thin copper laid on paper thin plastic. I would not be surprised if that has been shorted out in your car, as it seemed to me to be very very fragile. I have also been told that dash layout changed during production, so perhaps the wrong circuit for your dash layout has been installed?