[urq] Intermittent Dash Lights

[urq]

I can't reply to the original message from here, but I did want to pass along my thoughts on the speedo with intermittent illumination post ...

Remember that all of the dash lights are in parallel, so if you have all of the bulbs but one working, chances are that the problem is somewhere near the bulb that is intermittent.  Since we're talking about '83 models it is pretty easy to pull the IC cover to get access to the bulbs.  IIRC the bulb is one of the old style clip in bulbs much like was used for flash cameras in the '60s or '70's  The base twists into the IC, and makes connection to the flex print wiring of the IC.  Over the years the flex print board has been subjected to the heat from the bulb, and thus the electrical connections are poor and the board may be brittle.  You can probably get the bulb to work more repeatably by removing the bulb and hitting the electrical contact surfaces with DeoxIT or R5 Power Boost, but you might want to pull the IC and evaluate the condition of the flex print wiring.  I remember on my BiL's car I had to add some discrete wiring to repair a similar issue ... but I think his
 was related to gauge function and the wiring to the voltage regulator for the gauges ... 

Steve B
San Jose, CA (USA)