Dashboard Instrument Panel ilumination Problem.....

[hixxy]

Good evening, I am hoping somebody can help me fault-find the instrument panel lights on my 1.2 Clio Sport Y reg please.
I noticed the panel no longer illuminated and that the buzzer no longer sounds when the head lights are left on when the door is opened.
I have searched various forums and have not yet found a common solution.

I have found a 10 Amp blade fuse in the cab fuse box blown, the corresponding symbol on the fuse box panel looks like a light bulb with a downward pointing arrow if you were looking at the panel as it fits on to the face of the fuse box.

I did not replace the fuse however I placed my Fluke 175 multi-meter in series with the fuse terminals and set it to read current thus providing a path for the current to flow and the meter was reading about 1 Amp but the instrument panel did not illuminate however the odometer LED display dimmed very low until I disconnected the multi-meter and returned to normal.

I tried various combination of the cars headlights i.e. full beam, normal and fog but did not yield any conclusion; the dimmer control did not have any voltage present on the spade terminals so I guess it is looking like a dashboard strip to gain access to the instrument panel?

This is my first car and although I work with electronics I am not very familiar with auto-electrical systems so any advice on the issue would be very welcome.

Best Regards

Rob.

 

[kerry-w]

Wait, so did you replace the fuse or not :S it sounds like you didnt which is likely to be the problem.

 

[hixxy]

The fuse replacement was simulated by using the multi-meter in current mode and the dimming issue was present on the odo meter so until I have diagnosed the root cause of the problem I am reluctant to replace the fuse.

Regards

Rob.

 

[kerry-w]

The fuse replacement was simulated by using the multi-meter in current mode and the dimming issue was present on the odo meter so until I have diagnosed the root cause of the problem I am reluctant to replace the fuse.

Regards

Rob.

A fuse is a coupleof pence, replace it, see if it works, if it doesnt, see if it blows the fuse.

Check some earthing points under the dash too there might be a loose one somewhere.

 

[hixxy]

A fuse is a coupleof pence, replace it, see if it works, if it doesnt, see if it blows the fuse.

Check some earthing points under the dash too there might be a loose one somewhere.

Yes I know the fuse is only a couple of pence however there is no point causing further damage to the car's systems? Maybe I did not make my post clear; placing a multi-meter in Current mode i.e. to measure DC Amps rather than volts creates a shunt through a 10 Amp fuse in the meter thus creating a path for the current to flow allowing me to look at the problem without popping fuses for the sake of it.

Anyway, thank you for your help kerry.

Next step I need to remove the Instrument panel to locate the fault that causes the fuse to blow, I do not have a great knowledge of automotive electronics however I will put money on it that there is a faulty voltage regulator or a short to ground somewhere.
I would be grateful if anyone could advise me on how to remove the instrument panel without a complete dash board removal please?

Best Regards

Rob.

 

[kerry-w]

Yes I know the fuse is only a couple of pence however there is no point causing further damage to the car's systems? Maybe I did not make my post clear; placing a multi-meter in Current mode i.e. to measure DC Amps rather than volts creates a shunt through a 10 Amp fuse in the meter thus creating a path for the current to flow allowing me to look at the problem without popping fuses for the sake of it.

Anyway, thank you for your help kerry.

Next step I need to remove the Instrument panel to locate the fault that causes the fuse to blow, I do not have a great knowledge of automotive electronics however I will put money on it that there is a faulty voltage regulator or a short to ground somewhere.
I would be grateful if anyone could advise me on how to remove the instrument panel without a complete dash board removal please?

Best Regards

Rob.

To get to the panel it is a full dash off job.

Dash top comes off with about 7 screws attaching it on, theres a guide in the guides section but you need to be a full paid member to view it.

You need to remove the steering wheel surround to get to some of the screws, pop the A pillars off, then remove the dash top.

Lower dash removal means removing steering wheel, stalks etc, first time removing it can be tricky but once you have done it a few times its a doddle.

EDIT: By instrument panel do you mean simply the speedo, or any other lights such as heater panel etc?

If its just the speedo then its only the dash top that needs to come off.

 

[hixxy]

To get to the panel it is a full dash off job.

Dash top comes off with about 7 screws attaching it on, theres a guide in the guides section but you need to be a full paid member to view it.

You need to remove the steering wheel surround to get to some of the screws, pop the A pillars off, then remove the dash top.

Lower dash removal means removing steering wheel, stalks etc, first time removing it can be tricky but once you have done it a few times its a doddle.

EDIT: By instrument panel do you mean simply the speedo, or any other lights such as heater panel etc?

If its just the speedo then its only the dash top that needs to come off.

Hi kerry thanks for the reply.
By instrument panel I mean the whole assembly that contains the speedo, rev counter and warning lights, if I can get in to that then I can conduct several tests to locate the faulty component.

Best Regards

Rob.

 

[kerry-w]

Hi kerry thanks for the reply.
By instrument panel I mean the whole assembly that contains the speedo, rev counter and warning lights, if I can get in to that then I can conduct several tests to locate the faulty component.

Best Regards

Rob.

Just the dash top and steering surround needs to be removed then, its fairly simple and theres a guide in the guides section for it too

 

[hixxy]

Just the dash top and steering surround needs to be removed then, its fairly simple and theres a guide in the guides section for it too

Kerry your a star!

I will take a look and update the thread once I have begun the fault-finding.

Many thanks

Rob.