Heater control bulbs - Citroën ZX

janneman63 · Post by **janneman63** » 20 Nov 2005, 09:59

The lights on my heater control and the one for the cigarette lighter weren't working. So I took it all apart and changed the bulbs. The cigarette lighter works fine now, but the bulbs for the heater controls are still not working!

I have checked the fuses, nothing wrong there. So is there somewhere else I could check? Or some alternative to light up these controls?

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 20 Nov 2005, 11:43

I had problems with the bulbs not fitting in the holders very well and found by re-arranging the wire contacts I could get them to work!

Lighter is on sidelight circuit I think not ignition so its unlikely to be switch or supply.

janneman63 · Post by **janneman63** » 20 Nov 2005, 16:38

jeremy wrote:I had problems with the bulbs not fitting in the holders very well and found by re-arranging the wire contacts I could get them to work!

Lighter is on sidelight circuit I think not ignition so its unlikely to be switch or supply.

*heavy sigh*...I'm not very keen to start tampering with all these wires at the back of the controls...and especially not take apart the central console once more. Not a difficult job I thought, but time consuming...

eskimoigloo · Post by **eskimoigloo** » 20 Nov 2005, 16:42

are all of the bulbs out?

janneman63 · Post by **janneman63** » 20 Nov 2005, 16:48

eskimoigloo wrote:are all of the bulbs out?

I could only locate two and they are both out. However, there are some empty sockets as well but they seem to just "empty voids".

eskimoigloo · Post by **eskimoigloo** » 20 Nov 2005, 16:52

From a switching point of view, al dash, heater, clock lights etc are all switched at the same time, so if you can't find a fault, just take a feed from something else instead on that circuit like the cig lighter or clock, just find which wire gives a voltage when side lights are turned on, and not at any other time...... usually the quickest way, and you won't melt anything as they're only low wattage.

janneman63 · Post by **janneman63** » 20 Nov 2005, 16:57

eskimoigloo wrote:From a switching point of view, al dash, heater, clock lights etc are all switched at the same time, so if you can't find a fault, just take a feed from something else instead on that circuit like the cig lighter or clock, just find which wire gives a voltage when side lights are turned on, and not at any other time...... usually the quickest way, and you won't melt anything as they're only low wattage.

Good advice...the "only" problem then is to locate the wire that feeds these bulbs with electricity

eskimoigloo · Post by **eskimoigloo** » 20 Nov 2005, 16:59

Just get your volt meter attached to a good earth, then try the other end on the wires behind the cig lighter (easiest to get behind) whilst switching lights on and off, and see which one gives a reading in time with your switching!

Chris.

janneman63 · Post by **janneman63** » 20 Nov 2005, 17:06

eskimoigloo wrote:Just get your volt meter attached to a good earth, then try the other end on the wires behind the cig lighter (easiest to get behind) whilst switching lights on and off, and see which one gives a reading in time with your switching!

Chris.

Thanks for all good advice

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 20 Nov 2005, 22:28

if you have to take it all apart again, why not just replace the bulbs with LED's the old man did this on his old ZX, he used white (i'd have used green) it made the emblems like a minty green colour but he never replaced a bulb again - he even did the speedo.
Mine *touch wood* are all still working or I'd have swapped mine too.

Infact he might sell the controls if your interested, he wrote the car off months ago.

janneman63 · Post by **janneman63** » 21 Nov 2005, 08:39

rossnunn wrote:if you have to take it all apart again, why not just replace the bulbs with LED's the old man did this on his old ZX, he used white (i'd have used green) it made the emblems like a minty green colour but he never replaced a bulb again - he even did the speedo.
Mine *touch wood* are all still working or I'd have swapped mine too.
Infact he might sell the controls if your interested, he wrote the car off months ago.

I would do this myself, but being somewhat of an "electrical moron" I am not quite sure how this is done ;D
So either please give me some basic "how-to-do"-instructions (the space behind the controls seems rather small to fit anything else that what is already there!) or tell me how much he would like for his LED-solution (including p&p).

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 21 Nov 2005, 12:00

ok I'll get you a price, it may be a few days tho cos he's in Portugal in the nice warm sun - lucky bugger