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Author Topic: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!  (Read 3969 times)

pilotlars

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First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« on: May 27, 2018, 02:36:10 AM »

I've got a 1993 NA that I purchased 3 years ago and I'm finally repairing it! It seems that the instrument cluster and dashboard lights don't work. The exterior lights work as do the footwell lights and highbeam and left/right turn signal indicators in the gauge cluster work. I can't find a wiring diagram anywhere so i'm going to have to check if there's current going from the lightswitch to the cluster lights... are they on a seperate fuse maybe? Thanks in advance!
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Gaz

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2018, 12:08:00 PM »

I'm having the same issue. Do your horn and cruise work? If not, you're probably looking at replacing a resistor pack/load controller of some kind that sits behind the instrument cluster. It looks to me like it is integral with some harness back there, so it probably is not a plug and play affair, and some grafting may be involved. I have been unable to locate it new, and I don't see anything like it on Russ' Capri parts page.
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pilotlars

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2018, 02:37:08 PM »

The car has no seats, hence no driving, hence no way to check the cruise control lol. I hadn't honked the horn as there are few dangerous obstacles in my driveway. Oh and there's no steering wheel right now because the ignition cylinder totally broke so i'm going to bypass the entire ignition key and make the car REALLY easy to steal lol.
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Rocketman

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2018, 04:49:14 PM »

I'm having the same issue. Do your horn and cruise work? If not, you're probably looking at replacing a resistor pack/load controller of some kind that sits behind the instrument cluster. It looks to me like it is integral with some harness back there, so it probably is not a plug and play affair, and some grafting may be involved. I have been unable to locate it new, and I don't see anything like it on Russ' Capri parts page.

It is a module, it is not integrated to the harness. I believe it is a brown plastic case with some air cooling cut outs, it should be under the dash somewhere on the left side, above the fusebox, in that region

There are wiring diagrams on TechCapri: https://www.techcapri.com/Wiring.html
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1.8L Turbo All Wheel Drive Capri... the "GTXR2"


pilotlars

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2018, 06:26:56 PM »

I saw those diagrams a few days ago but they don't even show the rheostat for the dashboard lights.
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pilotlars

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2018, 09:22:56 PM »

Ok that first LARGE diagram is brilliant and shows everything! If only I could print it out on a 3x4' page!
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Rocketman

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2018, 10:50:36 PM »

Ok that first LARGE diagram is brilliant and shows everything! If only I could print it out on a 3x4' page!

See if there is a print shop locally that will do that - we have a shop near me that does large format printing pretty cheap
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Gaz

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2018, 10:38:38 AM »

I'm having the same issue. Do your horn and cruise work? If not, you're probably looking at replacing a resistor pack/load controller of some kind that sits behind the instrument cluster. It looks to me like it is integral with some harness back there, so it probably is not a plug and play affair, and some grafting may be involved. I have been unable to locate it new, and I don't see anything like it on Russ' Capri parts page.

It is a module, it is not integrated to the harness. I believe it is a brown plastic case with some air cooling cut outs, it should be under the dash somewhere on the left side, above the fusebox, in that region

There are wiring diagrams on TechCapri: https://www.techcapri.com/Wiring.html

I assume this is not the electronic load control module, then. Panel lamp control module at F-46?
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pilotlars

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2018, 01:32:55 PM »

It is a module, it is not integrated to the harness. I believe it is a brown plastic case with some air cooling cut outs, it should be under the dash somewhere on the left side, above the fusebox, in that region

There are wiring diagrams on TechCapri: https://www.techcapri.com/Wiring.html
[/quote]

I assume this is not the electronic load control module, then. Panel lamp control module at F-46?
[/quote]

According to the diagram the rheostat (panel lamp dimmer control) plugs into this 'solid state' control module... i'll look for it when I have a day off.
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pilotlars

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2018, 08:27:02 PM »

OK i found the module, it's a tiny black box mounted forward of the instrument cluster. it's attached to the dashboard via 2 phillips head screws. It's got a pigtail that connects to the panel light dimmer (rheostat) and somewhere else. The wires go into the box w/o a plug so I can't unplug it. What does this thing do?? Why can't I just bypass it?? I'm going to try that later and report on what happens.
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Rocketman

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2018, 10:18:42 PM »

Hmm, I was pretty sure there was a plug on the end of those wires somewhere. I guess it's been a while since I played that far under the dash.

I believe the rheostat is really a potentiometer, and the black box has the control circuitry in it. (a couple larger heat-sinked transistors I think)
It's there so the full power isn't flowing thru the potentiometer (they don't handle much current)

There's no power at it? Have you checked the headlight switch?
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1.8L Turbo All Wheel Drive Capri... the "GTXR2"


pilotlars

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Re: First post! My instrument lighs don't work!
« Reply #11 on: June 03, 2018, 01:16:31 PM »

There is a plug for the pigtail that comes off the module: it's attached to the dashboard just left of the steering column. I yanked it out and unplugged it. The module does seem to contain a transistor and some electronics... clipped the pigtail and used the wire carrying current and ran it straight into red/green wires to electrify all the lights. So they're ON now with no ability to dim them. Which is something I've only needed to do like twice in my life on any car. So no problem.
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