OK - so I sorted the issue out with the dashboard warning lights (thanks for the replacement part @davidoft) but I now have a very different problem! I carefully photographer the wiring on the back of the dashboard and labelled elements so that I could it back together - which I did yesterday. However, the main beam light is now on all the time (not just when main beam is) - and more worryingly the brake lights have stopped working! I'm not aware of any connection between the brake lights and the dashboard... anyone got any ideas of where to start? I now have some serious time pressure as we're supposed to be heading off to the Cropredy festival in it later this week! As ever - all advice gratefully received...
Re brake lights: • Have you checked all the fuses ? • Pull the wires off the back of the brake switch (on the master cylinder) and short them together. If the brake lights come on you have a duff switch - quite common and an easy fix. If they don’t at least you have ruled that out. Stirlingmoz
Re main beam warning light: Go back and look very carefully at your photographs. You must have confused the colour of two of the wires. I once confused a dirty green and a grey wire in a photo and there was a big bang in the old electronic equipment I was fixing. A clue is also if you pull the wires off look where they try to go if disconnected. After years the plastic has hardened and the wires will have a memory of where they were going originally. As for the brakes lights, thats either the fuse, the switch on the brake light cylinder or loose bulbs. You will need at least a test light or a multimeter and a download of a coloured wiring schematic (www.thesamba.com techical archive) for your year of bus. Then you can check for the top of the brake light circuit fuse going to 12 volts when you turn on ignition, the other connection having 12 volts (wiggle the fuse those bullet fuses are rubbish especially the plastic modern ones which soften and shorten as current flows) Then check for 12 volts on the brake light switch on the master cylinder under the bus, then if there is 12 volts there connect the two female spade connectors together and see what happens at the back. There look for loose wires. Wiggle the bulbs. Sand down dull metal on the bulbs and the springs that touch the back of the bulbs. If you have Brazilian bulb holders remember to put the bulbs in the right way. There seems to be about four ways to get bulbs to fit in there. One only is correct.. And next time do all this faffing at least two or three weeks before you are desperate for the bus, to give time for a leisurely analysis...
Well the brakes are now working (it was a fuse) but I'm still having problems with the rest - one to sort out over the winter whilst it's in the garage! Thanks for the advice though...
Turned out to be a fuse - but thanks for the advice ... still trying to sort out the main beam issue!
The main beam is switched on/off by a grounded wire from the column's stalk, it sounds like this could be missing or disconnected.
