AC Panel lights suddenly stopped working

[JohnZ]

Hi there! Now tonight I was replacing my AC panel bulbs with brand new LEDs from DeloreanGo, as well as the two bulbs from the headlight and hazard switches. Everything was going fine, but suddenly everything started to go downhill!

I tested all the new LEDs after installation (before putting on the panel) and everything lit up perfectly! 4 leds from the center and the three lights down below, all bright and steady. I was so happy, than I begun to put on the panel, screwed everything back in and pressed the headlight switch to see the end result... and the Hazard switch light was gone flashers worked, but the switch's light was no more (the LED worked fine just 1 minute earlier). So I disassembled the panel once again, tried to twist the bulb and to jiggle it, but to no avail. So I decided "screw it, I'm going to come back another time", I put all the stuff back on, tested the light and... ALL THE LIGHTS FROM THE AC PANEL WERE GONE! I then checked the fuse, checked the connection to the rheostat... but nothing.

Little fact: when I double press the headlight switch nothing happens there (of course headlights come on), but when I press it a third time to ideally turn everything off all the new LEDs flash for a brief moment... so there is current there someway... and also it was there a minute earlier!

So I left in rage, ready to come back when I have the time...... any suggestions? Maybe the switch went bad? But I didn't do nothing special to that... also I've got the switch saver kit, so I guess nothing melted

Aaaah, Deloreans.....

[JohnZ]

I should add that the binnacle light stopped working as well.... The various red lights do work, but the general illumination of the cluster is gone (the one you dim with the rheostat)...

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[JohnZ]

Wait... I noticed that one side of the car was missing every exterior light, so I double checked fuse 8 and tadah!

Problem solved...

Still no light on the hazard switch though... But I see plenty of threads about this and I will look into it

Thank you for the potential help! This discussion may fade into oblivion!

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[mike123]

Did you clip the wires on the switch LED? If not, I think you will immediately blow your next fuse. Here are some images from Bill Robertson on Facebook that seem to explain the situation:

492094744_23953812104237381_4870824934319002972_n.jpg
492725487_23953813170903941_3729197764948915251_n.jpg
492157655_23953814404237151_6811077022693325377_n.jpg

[JohnZ]

Hi there Mike and thanks for your reply!

Actually the switch's LEDs from DeloreanGo are made like this:

led.jpg

So I guess it's basically a plug and play solution, and the instructions only say "Please note that LEDs only work one way around, if it doesn't work first time, then reverse the way round you install the bulb."

Besides, if the fuse was about to blow, wouldn't it blow immediately after I press the switch? I did a short 10 minutes trip in the night to see how the new lights would do while driving, and nothing blew, and the lights were great! (besides the hazard switch of course)

The fuse popping in the first place I guess was my fault: I mistakenly touched the internals of the cigar lighter with a pair of nail pliers, that was a clumsy move, as it made a little spark and then fuse #8 was gone... so my fault there!

[mike123]

I missed that part of your post about the LEDs being from DeLoreanGo but that's great - I think I have the same bulbs.

Sounds like bad luck with the nail pliers but glad you got it figured out and it won't happen again!

[82DMC12]

The wiring for the cigar lighter is ridiculous. I used to blow that fuse and the bulb most of the time when I removed the center console. Hard to see what you're doing in there when reinstalling the wiring so it's easy to short it out. I finally got sick of it (and smarter) and installed insulated 90 degree terminals on the wires. No more sparks.

[JohnZ]

Glad I'm not the only one that messed up with that thing! Which, by the way, is pretty useless.... I don't smoke and I don't care about the circle light around the lighter!

Moreover my car didn't even had the thing, I just retrofitted the actual lighter from my mother's old Lancia Ypsilon!

Now I'm bugged by the sudden disappearing of the hazard light on the switch... I'll deal with that someway!

[JohnZ]

I have a couple more questions on the subject... What would you suggest to eliminate the pesky light spillage on the sides and on the top of the face plate? With this newfound brightness the light goes over the AC panel, resulting in an ugly frame of light around the decal! Do you know of any way to insulate the thing?

And another curious thing: after I did this job my radio resets every time. It just loses the memories and the settings if I simply turn off the radio! So now if I want the FM setting I have to press the button every time I turn on the radio, as if I was disconnecting the battery every single time I simply turn the radio off... that's odd! Do you know if the Craig radio has an internal memory that after 40 years may be dead?

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[DMC-Ron]

I have a couple more questions on the subject... What would you suggest to eliminate the pesky light spillage on the sides and on the top of the face plate? With this newfound brightness the light goes over the AC panel, resulting in an ugly frame of light around the decal! Do you know of any way to insulate the thing?

And another curious thing: after I did this job my radio resets every time. It just loses the memories and the settings if I simply turn off the radio! So now if I want the FM setting I have to press the button every time I turn on the radio, as if I was disconnecting the battery every single time I simply turn the radio off... that's odd! Do you know if the Craig radio has an internal memory that after 40 years may be dead?

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No, the radio does not have a battery to retain the memory settings. Rather, it depends on a separate power circuit that remains powered even with the car and ignition key off. It is a purple wire and is fed from fuse 17. This circuit provides continuous power to the clock circuitry, radio memory, and cigarette lighter. Check your fuse 17.

Ron