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Old 12-20-2004, 05:26 PM
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The Warden The Warden is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Pacifica (SF Bay Area), CA
Posts: 2,946
Angry Instrument lights still dead; rheostat bypassed

Hello again...

I apologize if I sound mad or anytihing like that; I'm very frustrated at the moment.

This is on my '85 300D...as I've mentioned in one or two other threads, my instrument lights are dead. This isn't just the lights on the instrument panel; the ACC lights, the window switch lights, the hazard switch backlighting, and the "upper switch panel" (with the antenna, rear window, sunroof, and rear defogger switches) lights...basically every interior light that's supposed to come on with the headlights, except for the gear indicator light, is dead.

I've tried bypassing the rheostat to no avail. From the rheostat terminals, I've got 12 volts AND 0 ohms to ground, implying that the circuit's complete. But, no lights, and I don't have power at the light sockets at the ACC panel or at the window switches.

The fuse checks out okay, and everything else on that fuse works properly.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm getting desperate here...

This started when I jury-rigged the center-console window switches in order to raise one window when its switch failed. I've since re-wired the switches the way they're supposed to be (with a replacement passenger's side window switch assembly; thanks again mattdave!), thinking that I had messed the lights up somehow and cut a daisy-chain ground when I did the jury-rigging, but re-wiring things so they were "right" didn't do any good (at least all my window switches work now )

Thank you for any thoughts on the matter...I'm starting to wonder where my matchbook is...
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2001 VW Jetta TDI, 5 speed, daily driver
1991 Ford F-350, work in progress
1984 Ford F-250 4x4, 6.9l turbo diesel, 5 speed manual
Previous oilburners: 1980 IH Scout, 1984 E-350, 1985 M-B 300D, 1979 M-B 300SD, 1983 M-B 300D
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