Instrument lights

[scubadoc]

Thanks to this forum I was able to fix my dark instrument panel lights.  My 230sl probably hadn't been driven at night for about 20 years.  I had some work done and picked it up after dark, got in, started it up and had a dark instrument panel.  I drove home using the flashlight on my iPhone to illuminate the dash.  I am a total newbie to car repair, but decided to give it a try.

I researched the problem on this forum and determined it was either the fuse or the rheostat.  Confusing the issue, my right license plate light was out, but the taillight was working.  So I figured it must be the rheostat.   I turned the rheostat back and forth looking for any flicker, but no joy. Following the instruction here, I bypassed the rheostat, and voila!  The lights lit up! (Prettier than a Christmas tree on Christmas day!) My soldering skills suck, but practice will help.  Took about 2hrs, mainly because my soldering tip was dirty and not working well, but should have taken less than 45 minutes if you have any clue.

Thanks to all the contributors to this forum.

Matt

[Garry]

Good to hear you are working the Ttech Manual with the search engine and getting answers to enable you to maintain your car.  Just that alone would have saved you more than the annual cost of Pagoda Group Full Membership    If you are planning to do more like doing basic tune ups etc, then you will definately need access to the Linkage Tour that is only accessable to Full Members. 

Garry
Membership Administrator

[scubadoc]

True , it did save me $, will consider full membership.

[scubadoc]

Now I just have to figure out how to replace the license plate bulb I noticed out while troubleshooting.  Neverending...

[wwheeler]

To echo Garry's point, being a full member helps keep this valuable, easily accessable information on-line. I personally would have been lost without it.

[johnnymack]

I did the same thing, also grateful for all the expert info. More than worth the price of full membership !!!!!