Re: '93 90 seat heater switch light (long)

[crossley family <crossley@northwest.com>]

Chris Newbold wrote:
> 
> crossley family wrote:
> >
> > Can anyone tell me the specs and a source for the seat heater switch
> > light for a '93 90q?  I have taken the expired bulb out of the switch thinking
> > it was a LED, but once out it looked more like a red mini incandescent
> > bulb what with its skinny round lead wires.  The voltage to the device
> > varies from 0 to 0.25 volts depending on the potentiometer setting for
> > the dash lights.
 
> Hmm. That wasn't what I found. I checked the voltage across the two
> leads
> of the lamp, and it was a fixed 12v. That made sense to me, since the
> seat-heater switch lamps are always on, and I don't remember them being
> dimmable...

You're right, Chris! Last night I went back and checked voltage at the
solder-in points and found that with the ignition off, the voltage was
as I had described earlier, but with the ignition on, the voltage went
to 12.  Dumb me!  Both switch bulbs were burned out when we got the car
and, even though my '91 200q is wired the same way, I incorrectly
assumed that they were on the dash light circuit as are the rest of the
switches in the panel. I don't know why I got that goofy reading with
the dimmer pot, but I did!  I did find some red 12 volt bulbs at a model
train store that would fit, but they were rated at 80mA and I felt that
I didn't need the extra light or, given the fact that these bulbs
located in a pocket, the extra heat. I ended up using the Radio Shack 60
mA units and coloring them with a red felt tip marker.  They are a
little brighter than the adjacent switch lights, but are not
distracting.  How long they will last is anybody's guess. If my coloring
job doesn't hold up, I will try some of those colored bulb condoms that
Chris Maresca spoke of. I have never seen these items before, but then
it has been a while since I last used the local service station men's
room.
Thanks for the input.

 Kent Crossley, Portland,Or.
'91 200q (mine)
'93 90CSq (hers)