citroen electrics.....its all gone dark!

weety · Post by **weety** » 29 Jan 2007, 01:22

Oh dear my girlfriends ZX has a new problem

the instrument lights (illumination), clock and cigarette lighter illumination has all failed

tremendous fun to drive around at night peering myopically at a unlit speedo........

so i have checked all the fuses and they are ok, i have checked the internal illumination dimmer switch and it seems to be ok

is there anywhere else it would be a good idea to check before i start attacking the electrics with my big reel of blue wire and electrical tape?

and any suggestions for where to run my 'new' live feed to.....i was thinking the clock illumination wire (easy to get to).... fear not i will fuse it as i go

SimonT · Post by **SimonT** » 29 Jan 2007, 09:13

Hiya.
Is there a +12v feed to the dimmer switch itself? I believe the supply goes there first, after the fuse, so it's a good place to start.

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 29 Jan 2007, 10:07

If you need to make alterations, please don't use ordinary electrical tape for insulation - it comes loose in time, and is the cause of many vehicle fires! Self-amalgamating tape or heatshrink sleeving are better options.

weety · Post by **weety** » 29 Jan 2007, 11:27

SimonT wrote:Hiya.
Is there a +12v feed to the dimmer switch itself? I believe the supply goes there first, after the fuse, so it's a good place to start.

that was my thought as well.....trouble is it seems to be a negative feed to and from the dimmer?.... it was midnight by this point though and i was just about to give up

weety · Post by **weety** » 29 Jan 2007, 11:30

dnsey wrote:If you need to make alterations, please don't use ordinary electrical tape for insulation - it comes loose in time, and is the cause of many vehicle fires! Self-amalgamating tape or heatshrink sleeving are better options.

have no fear i well be using proper connectors and adding fuses as i go......thinking about it if i took a live feed from the lighter socket to the lighter illumination (which has also stopped working) that might do it....

Post by **Peter.N.** » 29 Jan 2007, 11:39

You cant have a negative feed to the dimmer, unless you have the battery the wrong way round! Its more likely you have the leads the wrong way round, especially as you are trying to work on it in the dark! If you do have a 12v supply to the dimmer, its not beyond the realms of possibility that all the bulbs have gone, if its done a high mileage.

SimonT · Post by **SimonT** » 29 Jan 2007, 13:50

weety wrote:
SimonT wrote:Hiya.
Is there a +12v feed to the dimmer switch itself? I believe the supply goes there first, after the fuse, so it's a good place to start.
that was my thought as well.....trouble is it seems to be a negative feed to and from the dimmer?.... it was midnight by this point though and i was just about to give up

If there's only a negative to and from the dimmer then it looks like they've put the dimmer after the bulbs etc which doesn't help you find the fault so that's a bugger.
As the bulbs have all gone out together it's got to be the supply either near the fuse if the fuse is ok or at the very first connection.
I know this doesn't help where to look but hope it puts you on the right track.
Simon.

weety · Post by **weety** » 29 Jan 2007, 13:58

Peter.N. wrote:You cant have a negative feed to the dimmer, unless you have the battery the wrong way round! Its more likely you have the leads the wrong way round, especially as you are trying to work on it in the dark! If you do have a 12v supply to the dimmer, its not beyond the realms of possibility that all the bulbs have gone, if its done a high mileage.

yeah thats what i thought at the time (i was also thinking about going to bed)....definately no live feed at the dimmer switch....weird everything suggests a fuse but its definately not that

weety · Post by **weety** » 29 Jan 2007, 14:00

SimonT wrote:
weety wrote:
SimonT wrote:Hiya.
Is there a +12v feed to the dimmer switch itself? I believe the supply goes there first, after the fuse, so it's a good place to start.
that was my thought as well.....trouble is it seems to be a negative feed to and from the dimmer?.... it was midnight by this point though and i was just about to give up
If there's only a negative to and from the dimmer then it looks like they've put the dimmer after the bulbs etc which doesn't help you find the fault so that's a bugger.
As the bulbs have all gone out together it's got to be the supply either near the fuse if the fuse is ok or at the very first connection.
I know this doesn't help where to look but hope it puts you on the right track.
Simon.

dimmer could still be in front its just i have lost live feed from the fuse box.......if i introduce a live feed to either side of the dimmer i should get lights methinks (mehopes)

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 29 Jan 2007, 14:31

All the bulbs do fail more or less together - I know - it happened on ours.

Its logical when you think about it - they are the same, made at the same time form the same materials, and they've operated for the same length of time. Now if you were making them you'd expect them to all fail together or in fact closely - which is what happens.

SimonT · Post by **SimonT** » 29 Jan 2007, 17:07

Just another quick thought. Maybe a good idea to find an easy to access bulb like the clock one and see if there is a supply + and - there before going to mad with new feeds. Also you can test the bulb by sight and by multimeter at same time.

Post by **RichardW** » 29 Jan 2007, 19:13

According the wiring diagrams in Haynes

the dimmer is on the feed side of the bulbs. All illumination, and all the instruments and warning lights, are fed off Fuse 7 - so if you have instruments the feed is OK. There should be 12V to earth from the blue wire. The other wire should be orange. If you don't have 12V here, then jump a feed in to see if the lights will work. If you do have 12V then the fault lies with the earth or all the bulbs gone. Whilst the bulbs might go in quick succession, I doubt they will all go at exactly the same moment. It is Citroen electrics we are talking about though

weety · Post by **weety** » 29 Jan 2007, 20:04

RichardW wrote:According the wiring diagrams in Haynes the dimmer is on the feed side of the bulbs. All illumination, and all the instruments and warning lights, are fed off Fuse 7 - so if you have instruments the feed is OK. There should be 12V to earth from the blue wire. The other wire should be orange. If you don't have 12V here, then jump a feed in to see if the lights will work. If you do have 12V then the fault lies with the earth or all the bulbs gone. Whilst the bulbs might go in quick succession, I doubt they will all go at exactly the same moment. It is Citroen electrics we are talking about though

fortunately i have a day of work tomorrow to have another go at it, definately not a fuse and have warning lights so a power feed.... weird though

citroen car electrics.....the only thing that makes xmas tree lights look reliable!

could be worse my ex wife has a Avensis and it keeps blowing both headlight bulbs and thats only two years old (and japanese).....

weety · Post by **weety** » 30 Jan 2007, 11:58

all sorted it is a dead dimmer switch.....dont suppose anyone has an old zx dimmer switch i could buy of them?

Cheers for the help

Peter