instrument lighting help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[406karkrazy]

my instrument lights keep blowing fuses every time i switch headlights on everything else works fine and still does it with alternate power supply so i know it from fuse so its behind dase any idea please!!!! o and it doesen't do it all the time sometimes i might have to move a little before they blow

[mjb]

You need to determine if it's the instrument cluster lights or some other internal lighting system. Easy enough - just pop the cluster out, unplug it, and turn the lights on! If the other lights go on ok you've just got to inspect each of the cluster illumination lights to see if they're working or not (9v battery and a couple of bits of wire to the contacts on each holder - remove the holders from the cluster!). However if it still blows you've got the unfortunately arduous job of going round everything that illuminates looking for the short.

Basically you'll have to buy a fair few fuses (good job they ain't pricey) and just disconnect each thing in order until the fuse doesn't blow. You may be lucky enough to see if something doesn't light up for the split second everything else does, but for the bigger units like a/c unit you should disconnect them to make it much easier to prove/elliminate them from being the problem

Check:

A/C unit (about 10 bulbs or something daft on D8 digital unit)
trip computer/radio/temperature display (2 bulbs)
clock (1 bulb)
ashtray (lever the panel out from the gearstick gaiter to get at the bulb)
cigarette lighter (1 bulb, leave until last - hard to get to)

Do buttons such as hazard lights/heated rear window/electric windows/etc light up too? They'll need to be included in the checking if they do.

[mjb]

Hmm just to clarify... you you mean "headlights" or "sidelights"?

If sidelights come on ok it's much, much easier. Just pull out the instrument cluster, locate the bulb for your headlamp tell-tale, and replace it