Centre Dash Bulbs?

[Lazy-Ferret]

Does the T2 have any form of illumination in the Centre dash switches?

On my older car, I have the Heated rear Window, and the Hazard switch on either side of the cup holder, under the radio, neither of which seem to have any form of illumination. I must admit I thought that the Hazard switch was actually supposed to be light up.

On Suz's newer car, she has the AC, Recirculation, heated rear window, and maybe another one I can't remember off the top of my head, in the centre of the heater controls, and again, none of these switches are illuminated on her car.

Should they be??

 

[jims-terrano]

Mines the older style with single din radio. There is the pull out cupholder above the radio with a hazard switch and heated rear screen switch one at either side of cupholder and both illuminate when I turn the lights on. The bulbs failed in my old truck back in 2002 and I carefully opened the switches up and replaced bulbs with 3mm leds and resistors. Nissan told me at the time that the switches dont come apart and you can't replace the bulbs so I took it as a challenge.

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Mines the older style with single din radio. There is the pull out cupholder above the radio with a hazard switch and heated rear screen switch one at either side of cupholder and both illuminate when I turn the lights on. The bulbs failed in my old truck back in 2002 and I carefully opened the switches up and replaced bulbs with 3mm leds and resistors. Nissan told me at the time that the switches dont come apart and you can't replace the bulbs so I took it as a challenge.

Result, that sorts mine out.

I like a challenge as well, I did the window switches on Suz's car, so this should be fun...

 

[jims-terrano]

If I remember right, one of the two switches I couldn't get both the resistor and led inside the switch so had to lead the resistor back to the wiring loom and tap into the lighting feed that way but as you can tell it's several years ago and as the truck is across the other side of the country I can't even rescue the switches.

 

[perelaar]

Jim, do you have a link to the leds you used?
I have the same style dashboard as your T2, and the hazard and rear window heater switch don't light up anymore.

 

[jims-terrano]

Just 3mm White LEDs, think mine came from Maplin Electronics but that was 14 years ago. Can't remember the value of resistor off hand but still have some in the garage so can look tomorrow.

Jim

Just had a quick look on Maplins website and found these.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/3mm-white-led-n21fn

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Hazard Switch repair

Well, I did the two switches on my 99 T2,

First the Hazard Switch.

It comes apart fairly easily, just make sure it is in the off position, and then a small flat bladed "Jewellers" type screw driver to ease the sides and allow the wedge type clips to pop out and the "circuit" side of the switch will come away. The remainder part of the Switch will try to pop apart, and I found it was easier to then, keeping it flat, push it so it is in the on position.

If it does come apart, do not worry, as putting it back together is not hard, it's just a case of getting the small pin on the under side to line up with the White "flip flop" catch, might take a couple of attempts, but fairly obvious once you work out what is what.

The "Circuit part of the switch.

Bulb removed, it just slides on and off.

At this point, you could just order "12v Grain of Wheat" bulbs, unwrap the wires of the blown bulb,and then rewrap the replacement bulbs back into place.

Or....

You can change the bulbs for LED's

In order to fit a LED, you need to add a current limiting resistor in series with the LED, so looking at the switch, I decided that cutting the track, and bridging the gap with the Resistor would be easiest.

I used a 2mm drill to break the track, and then a scalpel to make sure the gap was big enough, but on the second switch, I found it easier to use a Dremel with a cone shaped grinding bit, and in hindsight, it would have worked better on here as well.

Tinned the ends...

and then fitted a 470Ohm resistor that I needed for my 2mm Red LED.

Fitting the LED is a bit harder, as these small ones are very susceptible to failing due to the heat of the soldering iron. I must admit I did kill the first one. I am using a RED LED as this is the Hazard Switch.

Again, scrape and tin the bit where the LED will go, the lower pad is the Anode/Positive.

 

[jims-terrano]

Well done

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Heated Rear Window Switch

Now the Heated Rear Window Switch.

Taking the switch apart is the same as for the Hazard Light switch, but this one is a bit easier, as there is no "latching" mechanism to worry about.

This switch has two bulbs, one for the Night Light, the other to indicate if the Heater is on or off.

The bulbs just slide on and off of the terminals.

As before, you could just replace the bulbs with a new "Grain of Wheat" bulb, or go for LED.

With LED, first we cut the tracks, in order to install the two current limiting resistors, on this switch I used a Dremel with a cone grinder to cut the tracks.

Install the Resistors... For this switch, I used a Green LED for the night light, and an Orange/Yellow for the On/Off indicator LED. I had to change these resistors after the picture was taken, as being those colours, they require a higher current than the Red LED whose resistors I had stupidly fitted.. :doh.

I had these LED's in the "Electronics scraps" drawer, so decided to use them.

Again, like the Hazard Switch, the Anode/Positive terminal is the bottom one.

 

[zippy656]

On the resisters what's the colour bands..

All I can remember is orange was 3k

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

0 = Black
1 = Brown
2 = Red
3 = Orange
4 = Yellow
5 = Green
6 = Blue
7 = Violet
8 = Grey
9 = White

First band is the tens, second band the units, and third, the multiplier..

so a 470 Ohm is Yellow for 4, Violet for 7, and brown for the number of zero's

where as a 4.7K Ohm is Yellow, Violet, Red.

 

[zippy656]

0 = Black
1 = Brown
2 = Red
3 = Orange
4 = Yellow
5 = Green
6 = Blue
7 = Violet
8 = Grey
9 = White

First band is the tens, second band the units, and third, the multiplier..

so a 470 Ohm is Yellow for 4, Violet for 7, and brown for the number of zero's

where as a 4.7K Ohm is Yellow, Violet, Red.

I was kind of right then, 3 = orange. Was 40 years ago I was doing electronics....

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

I was kind of right then, 3 = orange. Was 40 years ago I was doing electronics....

My dad taught me a mnemonic to remember the colours, and even when I went to collage and they tried to teach me others, his one stuck in my mind, it's one of those great memories I still have of him. There was a rude one, but he told me he would tell me one day when I was older, and he never got around to it...

The one I have nailed into my mind is
Betty Brown Ran Out Yelling, Gawd Blimey Vi, Get Weaving,

but the more common one is
Black Birds Run Over Your Grass, Blue Violets Grow Wild