1983 240d. Instrument cluster (actually none of the interior lights) do not light up. I guess its my potentiometer (the white little box on the back of the cluster) gone bad. I've been trying to buy a new one but no luck. Any ideas?

Thanks everyone

Igor

__________________
1984 MB 300D Turbo Diesel W123 Sedan 132K
1987 MB 300D Turbo W124 Sedan 295K
1983 Porsche 944 104K
1989 Audi 80 Quattro 180K
2002 Audi A6 3.0 Quattro Avant 49K (Wife's car with warranty )

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If you can get any numbers off of it... even without a name... try googleing it.. I have had great luck doing that with strange parts...

1. You can jump (solder) a wire across the potentiometer and the lights will be at full all the time. Which is not a problem in the W123. or
2. buy it at fastlane.

http://catalog.eautopartscatalog.com/mercedesshop/sophio/wizard.jsp?partner=mercedesshop&clientid=mercedesshop&baseurl=http://catalog.peachparts.com/&cookieid=1H2193U0Z1H410VP5I&year=1983&make=MB&model=240-D-002&category=P&part=Dash+Light+Rheostat

My daughters car I jumped a wire across the unit. stays at bright all the time which is not really bright enough.

One other thought. You say that none of the interior lights illuminate?? the center consol lights do not go through the dash reostat. they are illuminated by
1. A bulb in the center that uses fiber optics to transfer the lightto the switches.
2. The AC dial has its own bulb.
3. the Ac rotating knobs have individual bulbs in them, pull on the knob, straight out, to remove it and check the bulbs. I would recommend using Mercedes bulbs only, in the AC controls. I used aftermarket and they got very hot. The Mercedes bulbs work very well.

Considering the above info, it may be time to check the fuse and related wires.

Dave

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1970 220D, owned 1980-1990
1980 240D, owned 1990-1992
1982 300TD, owned 1992-1993
1986 300SDL, owned 1993-2004
1999 E300, owned 1999-2003
1982 300TD, 213,880mi, owned since Nov 18, 1991- Aug 4, 2010 SOLD
1988 560SL, 100,000mi, owned since 1995
1965 Mustang Fastback Mileage Unknown(My sons)
1983 240D, 176,000mi (My daughers) owned since 2004
2007 Honda Accord EX-L I4 auto, the new daily driver
1985 300D 264,000mi Son's new daily driver.(sold)
2008 Hyundai Tiberon. Daughters new car

Email me, I have a few good ones I've pulled from stripped clusters.

__________________
1984 300D Turbo - 4-speed manual conversion, mid-level resto

1983 300D - parts car

1979 300TD Auto - Parts car.

1985 300D Auto - Wrecked/Parts.


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"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there". Lewis Carrol

My electrical troubleshooting manual (page 116/240D) indicates that the console lights, fiber optic light source and all console switch lights do indeed go through the rheostat. I'd check it before proceeding to other sources of trouble.

Wes

Solder a wire across the back of the potentiometer for now, at least so you can test and make sure that is the failed component.

__________________
Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

Thanks for the great ideas everyone. Can I burn anything else by soldering the wire across the potentiometer? I guess its different than bridging the fuse, right?

__________________
1984 MB 300D Turbo Diesel W123 Sedan 132K
1987 MB 300D Turbo W124 Sedan 295K
1983 Porsche 944 104K
1989 Audi 80 Quattro 180K
2002 Audi A6 3.0 Quattro Avant 49K (Wife's car with warranty )

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when i jumped awire across the potntiometer my center console lights started working 1979 240D

You can always go to radioshack and find another one for a few dollars.

A potentiometer is just a variable resistor...
so it was in there for was to be able to Reduce the light output... wire around it and you just have the max power available at one end of it to the load.