Bulb failure indicator on
 

Hello.

Car is a 1991 560SEL. Recently the bulb failure indicator light on my cluster came on. I went and checked around for any failed bulbs. The only failed ones I could find were when I turned the headlight switch to the left side, nothing was on from the headlights. What is supposed to happen when you turn the switch to the left? Is that for high beam?

Help!

Zodiax, the Standing Lamps illuminate when you turn the exterior lamp switch to the left ... left one stop for the right lamp and left two stops for the left lamp. Look closely at the dashboard panel behind the switch and you'll see the designations. These lamps are used when you're parked on the side of the road so other motorists can see your car better and avoid hitting it.

I had the same situation on my 99 C280, I found
 

two problems, the right fog/running light connection was loose and the right rear taillight bulb, the smaller one on my car, was also loose/ Fred's advice is correct, those standing lights only work with the key out. I use them at night, when parked on a street, owners manual said it help to make your car more visible at night. they will go off automatically if the battery drain gets too low as it the REST for the Hvac SYSTEM.

Just as a side-bar - when that warning illuminates and it doesn't appear that there are any lights out - be sure to check the lights that illuminate the license plate. I looked for months and finally found a thread here that mentioned that. Sure enough, that was the problem.

Ahhhhhhh. Never even thought of that!!:cool:


BUT This light comes on for me every change of weather and it disappears after a few days. No bulbs out. Bizarre.

Mine was intermitent. It would come on for a while and then go out - usually in hot and humid weather. Most of the time the warning light would go out before I could pull over and investigate. Could be a filament that is broken but still making contact.

Lamp Indicator
 

Mine (420SEL) is on every time I turn on the lights, until I hit the first bump. Loose rear taillight bulb.

my bulb out warning indicator bulb is out... hehe

But either way it would be on because I have done lots of changes to the car's lighting.

Alon

Okay..

I checked all the bulbs I could think of, NONE of them are dead.

Why is the indicator still on?

I checked:

Headlights
Headlights w/ fog lights
Standing lamps
Turn signal lights
High Beam
Interior lights - on bottom of door panels, upper dome light by sunroof switch, rear map lights (All 3)
Brake lights
Turn signals in tail lights
Reverse lights
Trunk lid light
License plate lights

What am I missing here?
The indicator comes on right when I release the parking brake. It doesn't go away.

Any ideas?

Do you have a rear fog light?? Can you pull the headlight switch out 2 stops? Have you tried cleaning all the bulb connections? Have you modified the lights in any way which may have reduced the resistance? BTW the bulb indicator only works for the exterior lights.

Cheers

Are ALL the bulbs of the correct wattage ?

I saw no mention of the thrid brake light in your list. Some models have two bulbs in there.

Also, watch the warning lamp closely when turning on the lights. Does it come on at the 1st position? If so start checking all the side markers, taillights and front ambers as well as license plate lamps. Come on at the 2nd, well now you know it is probably the headlights. If the lamp illuminates when you tap the brake pedal, guess where to look. If all bulbs are lit then you have to do as mentioned previously, clean the contacts. While doing that I always give the bulb a gentle flick of the finger, broken or nearly burned filaments usually separate under the force of the flick. Also make sure you have the proper wattage bulbs as well as the silver colored bases.

It was my third brake light.

Thanks for the help guys.

Third brake light
 

My bulb failure light is on in my 1991 300D and the third brake light does not work. Looks like the bulb has failed.

How do I open the plastic cover of the 3rd brake light without breaking it?

There are two tabs but they seem very stiff and I am afraid they will break if I try too hard. Please send a photo of the cover when it is removed.

Thanks for your help.

I have a 1991 300D
How do I open the plastic cover of the 3rd brake light without breaking it?

There are two tabs but they seem very stiff and I am afraid they will break if I try too hard. Please send a photo of the cover when it is removed.

Thanks for your help.