Seem to have lost front and rear side lamps

[niveketak]

Originally Posted by swedishandgerman

Am I allowed to help even though I'm not Ron?!?!

Sidelights and tail lights are simple: it's a circuit of white wires off of the light switch, connected to fuse no.3. If none of the bulbs are working, but the headlights are working, it's likely to be something there. Also not number plate lights I expect, right?

One thing - is the little bulb lighting the heater control panel working? If so, the light switch is fine. It's a weird thing that the heater control lighting is off of this circuit unlike all the other dash lights. You're absolutely sure fuse no.3 is OK? And all connectors are OK? Check too the connector on the back of the light switch for the white lead there. It's unlikely, though not impossible that it's anything further than the fuse box seeing as it's one wire for the front side lights and another wire for the rear tail lights.

Brown wires - we're talking originally here - were horn, reversing lights and brake lights. However, all of that was in the engine compartment and not under the dash. Dunno what your brown wires there might be!

Will try cleaning the fuse up tomorrow, never noticed a lamp illuminating the heater panel but I cannot remember the last time I drove at night in it.

[niveketak]

Originally Posted by old fart

I have had this on my 122s, headlamps fine but no side or panel lights, and it was the fuse box - a bad connection, can't remember if it was the fuse or a dirty/loose connection, but when it happened on my wife's estate it was the fuse box again.

Will try the fuse box tomorrow

[niveketak]

Originally Posted by Ron Kwas

of; ..."headlamps fine but no side or panel lights, and it was the fuse box"...that's because both fixed brightness, and variable Inst lighting is supplied by by Fuse 3, where Marker and Headlights are supplied directly from the Headlight Sw (so not fuse dependent).

Source: https://www.sw-em.com/Intermittent_V...t_Lighting.htm

nive; I just had another thought...if side marker lights were indeed added by some po along the way, if wired correctly, they should have been paralleled with the existing lighting at each corner (meaning short wiring to the corner, which could be simply verified by inspection), so if all of the marker lights at the corners are functioning as they should, but all side marker lights are not, I'd check for this wiring...is it present?...is it possible that the side marker lights are not lights at all, but only reflectors? Have you ever seen them lit?

Cheers

Thanks Ron

[swedishandgerman]

Originally Posted by Ron Kwas

Source: https://www.sw-em.com/Intermittent_V...t_Lighting.htm

ooh! That wiring is a bit different for the American cars then I see as follows:

• There's no 58a on the light switch, only 56b. What is marked as 58a on yours is just 58 here I see,
• White wire from 56b goes straight to the fuse box, fuse no.3,
• From fuse box, one white wire going to front side lights and another separate wire going to rear tail lights. Both from fuse no. 3

[niveketak]

Originally Posted by swedishandgerman

ooh! That wiring is a bit different for the American cars then I see as follows:

• There's no 58a on the light switch, only 56b. What is marked as 58a on yours is just 58 here I see,
• White wire from 56b goes straight to the fuse box, fuse no.3,
• From fuse box, one white wire going to front side lights and another separate wire going to rear tail lights. Both from fuse no. 3

Thank you

[simonvolvo]

Two problems here:

1. Different countries divided by a common language; and

2. Awful circuit diagrams in the Volvo handbooks.

The light switch should have the following numbered terminals: 30, 56, 58, 58a and 58b (no others).

@niveketak: my suggestion, assuming you have a multimeter: With the light switch in the "parking lights" position, check if 12v gets through to the fuse box (fuse 3 - spade connectors with white wires). That will at least narrow down the search to where the problem lies - before or after the fuse box. Like others, I too suspect that the problem somehow lies with the fuse. You say you have checked it, but maybe it doesn't make proper contact. If the 12v does get through, does it get through to both sides of the fuse?

[niveketak]

Originally Posted by simonvolvo

Two problems here:

1. Different countries divided by a common language; and

2. Awful circuit diagrams in the Volvo handbooks.

The light switch should have the following numbered terminals: 30, 56, 58, 58a and 58b (no others).

@niveketak: my suggestion, assuming you have a multimeter: With the light switch in the "parking lights" position, check if 12v gets through to the fuse box (fuse 3 - spade connectors with white wires). That will at least narrow down the search to where the problem lies - before or after the fuse box. Like others, I too suspect that the problem somehow lies with the fuse. You say you have checked it, but maybe it doesn't make proper contact. If the 12v does get through, does it get through to both sides of the fuse?

Should have checked today but has a bit of an emergency will look tomorrow

[niveketak]

Thanks for all the replies, it was the fuse box and it was corosion to the spring clips so a good clean up of all of them and everything now works fine. First time I had ever seen the heater control lights just because the garage was dark when I cleaned up the fuse box.