zx interior lights

[froggy]

Hi, my 1995 zx, the lights on the dashboard have failed.
What bulbs are they ? How do I acess them ?
any help or advice will br greatly appreciated.
cheers Froggy .

[spider]

Have they all failed ?

I'm simply asking as the usual cause of this is catching the dimmer control if you have one. Not sure of location on a ZX, some are on the bottom of the steering column, have a look for a thumbwheel type control.

[the_weaver]

I've got a 1993 ZX. On mine the dashboard bulbs are "286" type bulbs.

They're 12V, 1.2 Watt, capless.

You can get them from most car places (e.g Halfords), but they will be expensive (2 pounds each?), and you'll need quite a few. I would buy them from somewhere cheaper like gsfcarparts.com

I think this is the bulb you want, from gsf's website:-

959AA6000 "BULB 12V 1,2W 5MM WEDGE" DASHBOARD BULB 12V 1.2W CAPLESS (286) 0.60

You might want to look on ebay to see if you can get them cheaper.

They're a glass wedge type bulb, in plastic holders, which unscrew half a turn from the back of the binnacle, in the dashboard. The cheapest way to replace them is to just buy the glass bulbs and replace the bulb in the plastic holder. They do tend to stick in the holders sometimes. You might break the glass on the old bulbs when removing them, so take care when doing this. I would wear gloves/goggles to be safe. There is a method I use which involves pushing a rubber or plastic tube over the glass bulb, and using this to pull the bulb out from the holder. As you pull the rubber tube(from the opposite end to the bulb), the tube stretches and contracts, gripping the glass bulb, until eventually the bulb comes out. This method ensures that the minimum force is used to grip the bulb, and the soft grip of the rubber tube on the glass means that the glass is unlikely to break. Alternatively, you might be able to buy the bulbs and holders, but I would think it's going to be more expensive.

There are a lot of bulbs in the dashboard binnacle, but most of them are warning bulbs etc. I would say that there are about twenty bulbs in total. However only about six of the bulbs are probably illumination bulbs.

To get to the bulbs you have to take the binnacle out from the dashboard. This is the bit above the steering wheel with the speedo, rev counter, clock etc. It's an awkward job. It will probably take a bit more time than you expect. Expect some cuts and grazes on your hands. I would do the job on a weekend, rather than an hour before needing the car for work. Just in case.

To get the binnacle out, you will probably have to remove the two plastic covers around the top of the steering column. Then you can remove the plastic cover in front of the binnacle. You might have to remove the steering wheel (I would mark it's position). It might be possible to get the binnacle out without removing the steering wheel. Put the adjustable steering column on it's lowest setting, and then try to get the binnacle out. It might come out with a bit of squeezing but there is a risk of cracking the plastic if you squeeze it too much.

To get the binnacle out, you have to get your hand behind the binnacle to release the speedo cable from the back of the speedo. I'm assuming you've got a mechanical speedo, not electronic. The best way to get to the back of the speedo is to remove the radio and the air vent above the radio and put your hand in that way. Feel around for the point at which the speedo cable touches the back of the binnacle. Then you need to squeeze the two tangs inwards on the speedo cable, whilst pulling the binnacle forward. The speedo cable should release with a click, and the binnacle should move forward as it becomes free.


Paul

[PendulumZX]

I have a related problem on my 95 ZX. Two of the lights on the dashboard (the bulb that illuminates the fuel gauge and 0-30 area on the speedo, and the bulb that illuminates the right hand side of the rev counter and the coolant temp reading) do not work most of the time, but 10% of the time, they will actually work fine!

I also have intermittently working illumination lights on the cigarette lighter, heater temperature and fan speed controls on the center console.

I'm thinking therefore, that its unlikely to be the bulbs but rather a bad connection somewhere (I seem to get a lot of those with this car!). Does anyone know where I should look or how to fix this?

TIA

[the_weaver]

PendulumZX

As you've only got a few bulbs causing problems, and they work sometimes, then it sounds like a bad connection somewhere. I think you'll probably have to remove the binnacle to have a look at it.

Once you've got the binnacle out, the easiest thing to do is to remove the bulbs and holders and refit them again. The contacts between the bulb holders and the flexi-PCB probably have a wiping action. So if you remove the bulb holders, by turning them half a turn, and then refit them, the contacts will wipe a clean line through any oxide that's built up on the surface of the PCB. Turn the bulbs back and forth a few times and you might see a clean line appearing on the PCB. You could also try removing the bulbs from plastic bulb holders and refitting them again to clear any oxide.

If turning the bulbs doesn't fix the problem, then there are other things to try. The flexi-PCB has about four multi-way edge-connectors to connect it to the wiring loom. You could try removing and re-seating these a few times. These connectors probably have a wiping action, so you will clean a path through any oxide by doing this.

You can inspect any connectors to make sure that they haven't lost their springiness. Sometimes you can bend them a bit to help put the spring force back. Sometimes connectors do break, so check for this.

If you see any bad oxidation (e.g. green lumps on copper) them you might be able to clean it off. Try something like Isopropyl Alcohol, that hopefully won't dissolve the plastic.

I expect you're just got bad connection in the bulb holders. However if the above doesn't work, then you can try inspecting the flexi-PCB for cracks. Use a magnifying glass and a light. Any cracks in the PCB tracks are likely to be hairline cracks. I think the flexi-PCB in the ZX is wrapped around the plastic binnacle at a right-angle. That could be the point at which any cracks appear. If the flexi-PCB isn't tucked in properly, into the slots on the binnacle, then it can short out on the metalwork of the car. This could cause intermittent operation.

Paul

[PendulumZX]

Thanks the_weaver. Last weekend was spent giving the car new oil and filters and stopping the back window from falling down and letting rainwater in, but this weekend I will give what you said a try.