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dash light wont turn off

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dash ht
2K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  Red90 
#1 ·
Hi everyone, im having a new electrical problem with my 90, from 87.
it happens when i turn off the ignition, the dashboard light and exterior position light wont turn of. if i then disconnect the battery on my main switch, and turn it on again then its no longer on.
are they coupled to a relay or is it directly on the ignition switch, and where may the fault lie ?

thanks - jonas
 
#5 ·
Okay i also figured that would be the correct way for it to be controlled, then the previous owner have been tampering with the wiring, the lighting switch does nothing on the first step, but on the second it turns on the headlights..
from looking at the wiring diagram it looks like there should be a Panel illumination switch which controlles all the dashboard lights, but as this switch is not connected to anything i guess he must have routed them to a relay controlled by the ignition.
sorry for the stupid question - first time owner of a lr, trying to find his way :)
 
#6 ·
Sounds like they wired the running lights up as "Daytime Running Lights". Are they required where you live? There are various ways to accomplish that task, so, unfortunately, you will need to follow the wiring and see what is wrong.
 
#7 ·
The panel switch should be next to the steering wheel. It should turn on the interior light in one position and the dash lights in the other.

Looks like this.
 
#10 ·
Sounds like the wiring was changed to be compliant with daytime light regulations.
If this is controlled by a relay that is being back fed through the circuit, that would account for why the relay will only release when the battery is disconnected.
If this is the explanation, then you'll need a 1 way diode somewhere in the circuit to prevent the feedback.
 
#11 ·
You really need to see what is there as it is most likely some strange home made system.

Off the shelf DRL relays are quite low cost, foolproof and very easy to find. They require both the ignition to be on and the alternator to be charging for the lights to turn on. Normally they sense in ignition switched voltage and turn the lights on after a delay once they measure the voltage goes into a charging range and then switch off after another delay once the voltage is removed or drops to a non charging level.
 
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