Hello Darkness My Old Friend

[SaneMan 0]

My dash instrument lights work once a month, which is not fun at night driving with black dials.

 

I just took out the old stereo to replace it and on trying the side lights they worked every time.

Tried it over over and it works !

 

However, now the new stereo is fitted the same thing happens, no lights.

 

Any ideas ?

 

I love Pug electrics.

[j_turnell 137 3 Cars]

Check fuses and the dim switch under the steering wheel.

[SaneMan 0]

Check fuses and the dim switch under the steering wheel.

 

 

When the lights work I have set it to the brightest, so I know thats fine.

 

Have also just checked every fuse in the glovebox and they are all OK too.

[Ahl 4]

It sounds like an earthing issue. Try tracing the earths and cleaning them up/reattaching them.

[jeremy 71]

Has someone hasn't taken a wire from off the dash lights to connect to the light input on some car radios (this is so that when you turn the lights on for the car the radio illuminate so you can see/find it in the dark). As I'm not sure if I am about to talk rubbish, however if someone has don this wrongly either from the wiring loom or to the car radio its self I wonder if it could cause this to happen? If you find out please let me know as I was considering doing this myself.

 

Thanks

Jeremy

Edited January 22, 2007 by jeremy

[Edd-XS 0]

If your stereos been re-wired and its got an ORANGE cable wired up to something (orange cable coming FROM the headunit), it should be fairly safe to disconnect this and insualat it and see if this works (as jeremy has suggested!)

The orange cable on standard ISO blocks is for illumination, never used it myself!

Also try putting a new earth to the stereo, but you could say thats abit of a 'shot in the dark'

Edd

[SaneMan 0]

If your stereos been re-wired and its got an ORANGE cable wired up to something (orange cable coming FROM the headunit), it should be fairly safe to disconnect this and insualat it and see if this works (as jeremy has suggested!)

The orange cable on standard ISO blocks is for illumination, never used it myself!

Also try putting a new earth to the stereo, but you could say thats abit of a 'shot in the dark'

Edd

 

 

 

There isn't an orange one. Just that blue one on it's own for the amp.

I don't think it has been re-wired. All seems to be original. Or would it be a Pug connector if it was an original

and not an ISO ?

My CTI has the Pug plug and I saw in Halfords the convertor to ISO was 13.99 !

Edited January 23, 2007 by SaneMan

[welshpug 1,657]

pug 205 connectors arent ISO and are red, and IIRC the ones attached to the loom are female as the original units have leads with male plugs.

[SaneMan 0]

pug 205 connectors arent ISO and are red, and IIRC the ones attached to the loom are female as the original units have leads with male plugs.

 

Yes the one in my CTI is red.

So that means all 205's have been re-wired as ISO has only been the standard fittment

to new cars recently.

[Guest BrainFluid]

 

There isn't an orange one. Just that blue one on it's own for the amp.

I don't think it has been re-wired. All seems to be original.

 

Is there another multi plug, further down the way, after the black male multi plug?

[SaneMan 0]

Is there another multi plug, further down the way, after the black male multi plug?

 

I haven't checked the GTI yet but this what I found when stripping out my GT today.

 

[SaneMan 0]

Has someone hasn't taken a wire from off the dash lights to connect to the light input on some car radios (this is so that when you turn the lights on for the car the radio illuminate so you can see/find it in the dark). As I'm not sure if I am about to talk rubbish, however if someone has don this wrongly either from the wiring loom or to the car radio its self I wonder if it could cause this to happen? If you find out please let me know as I was considering doing this myself.

 

Thanks

Jeremy

 

 

You are right Jeremy it does have the orange wire connected. I pulled it out of the red connector and

nothing changed. Tried it 5 minutes later and it works. Dash lights are ON !

I will check again later to make sure it wasn't just luck.

 

Thanks to Edd-XS too.

[SaneMan 0]

 

You are right Jeremy it does have the orange wire connected. I pulled it out of the red connector and

nothing changed. Tried it 5 minutes later and it works. Dash lights are ON !

I will check again later to make sure it wasn't just luck.

 

Thanks to Edd-XS too.

 

 

 

Doesn't work.

[hman205 1]

i have a similar problem i belive its a loose connection behind the stereo \ heater controls as mine turns on when i kick the dash when the light go out