Dashboard lighting niggle

poohbah · May 23, 2016, 10:58:56 AM

I have a minor niggle with the dashboard on my 156 Q-system auto. The window on the speedo that indicates what mode and gear you are in failed to illuminate last night and this morning, but it came on again after I gave the side of the binnacle a small whack.

So I am guessing it is probably a loose wire or connection, rather than dodgy bulb.

Anyone else had a similar issue, and how did you fix it? If it is a dashboard out job I will probably leave it for now, though I don't really want to have to keep clipping the binnacle around its ears.

Mick A · May 24, 2016, 12:04:27 AM

You'll need to replace the globe.

A total of 4x screws all up to remove the gauge. A very easy job shouldn't take more than 5 minutes with a stubby phillips head screwdriver.

cheers.

poohbah · May 24, 2016, 12:27:48 AM

Cheers Mick, I'll give it a whirl when I get a chance.

Follow up Q. Should I disconnect negative battery lead first? (I forgot to do that when I changed the stereo in my old 156 and shorted out half the dash, and the fusebox ...)

bazzbazz · May 24, 2016, 04:23:27 PM

Errrrrr, haven't you just answered your own question?

Its not a case of what your working on, but what could go wrong while I am digging around in the electrics here. Let me guess, you thought, changing the stereo, "What could go wrong?" You've obviously not watched too many episodes of "Top Gear", every time they said that phrase the F-Troop Bugle Cry of "Ta dada dat da da" would ring out in my head.

Baz

poohbah · May 24, 2016, 04:35:25 PM

Indeed Baz, it was a lesson learned the hard way - fixing the shorts and fusebox cost more than the bloody new stereo head unit!

But you know - this time around I was thinking, hey I'm just changing a globe ...

bazzbazz · May 24, 2016, 10:40:18 PM

"Ta dada dat da da"

I gotta be honest, when reading back through this I noticed "Before: 2001 156 V6 (sadly cremated)" and I just put two and two together and thought to myself, hmmmmm, I see a pattern forming here.

Baz

poohbah · May 25, 2016, 02:02:20 AM

Completely blameless on that front, I never touched the fuel rail. And first thing I did when I bought both my GTV and my latest 156 was buy a fire extinguisher!

(I should have noted, my first one went up in an engine fire due to a suspected leak in fuel rail - petrol and a hot exhaust manifold are not a happy mix...)