PANEL LIGHT

[Ncrover725]

After pulling apart my panel to track down another light issue I found that my panel light bulbs were not in anyway conncected to a switch. I am sure this is why they never worked! There is a ground and red cloth covered wire off the harness tied to the switch. I looked in my manual and cannot figure this out. Do the bulbs go to the switch or does the wire that was attached. If the bulbs do not go to the switch then how do they tie into the system?

[canyonero]

I had a similar puzzle when I couldn't get my gauge lights to turn on. It turned out the PO had installed two cabin lights that ran off of a single throw switch, but never bothered to re-attach the two red wires that go to both gauges. It took a while before I realized I just needed a new switch to hook up to, and now there are no loose ends behind the dash. Call it a benefit of vintage vehicle ownership.

[rrc.swb]

After pulling apart my panel to track down another light issue I found that my panel light bulbs were not in anyway conncected to a switch. I am sure this is why they never worked! There is a ground and red cloth covered wire off the harness tied to the switch. I looked in my manual and cannot figure this out. Do the bulbs go to the switch or does the wire that was attached. If the bulbs do not go to the switch then how do they tie into the system?

From the wiring diagram I have (Page 10-N), it shows them daisy-chain from the 12V source to the main Lamp Switch then to the Panel Light Switch.

I removed the Panel Light Switch and wired them directly to the Lamp Switch. So the panel light turn on when you turn on the marker lamps/head lamps.

[Firemanshort]

Pedro - that is a neat point. The Land Rover dash light switch is an on-off. There is no dimming feature (other than normal Lucas performance). I can not figure out why anyone would want to turn off the dash lights -so why didn't Land Rover just wire them directly to the headlights in the first place?

[ca_surveyor]

I had the same problems with my old switch. Bought a new one that didn't work much better.

Bypassed the switch with a self made jumper, so that at a later date, my wiring harness was still correct. Works like a charm now.

[siiirhd88]

I replaced the panel lamp toggle with a Lucas dimmer switch from an MGB, so I now have the fancy dimmable lamps that I run full lit anyway....

Just wire the panel lamps to the parking light switch location or attach the red with white tracer panel lamp wire to the red parking lamp wires. That way you have the panel lamp switch to use for something else.

Bob

[LR Max]

Pedro - that is a neat point. The Land Rover dash light switch is an on-off. There is no dimming feature (other than normal Lucas performance). I can not figure out why anyone would want to turn off the dash lights -so why didn't Land Rover just wire them directly to the headlights in the first place?

Notice everyone having this problem has an Ex-MOD truck. The panel lights are on a toggle switch so you can fully black out the truck at night! You wouldn't want to be in The Danger Zone and have some guy with a scope looking at your gas gauge.

While this makes sense if we were all running around in fatigues, it is odd now that the trucks are in a civilian setting.

I made a jumper and wired the panel lights to come on whenever I turn the headlights on. I used the old switch to toggle the installed-by-me interior lights.

ncrover, have your purchased a MOD owners manual yet? If not, pay the $$$ and procure. RN has them in reprint which is great because when you destroy it, it isn't the end of the world. But the MOD owners manual has the MOD wiring diagram in it and all sorts of other goodies relevant to MOD vehicles.

Also shows you how to disable the truck with a shovel

[Ncrover725]

LR Max,
I hope to pick up that manual in a week or so. My wife is kinda concerned about the addiction right now so I need some time. I brought home a D1 last night that I really do not need.