VT Heater Control lights

[Anthonysinga]

Hi everyone,

I replaced the headunit in my VT with a double din pioneer unit, after connecting everything my heater control lights have stopped working, the green ones when you turn the headlights on. They will come on faintly if I tap the dashboard.

I did not disconect the heater controls or remove any switches from it so I have no idea why they have stopped working. All other dash lights work including demister, A/C, hazards, mode.

I am guessing I need to replace the globes, but cant find any how to's. I have noticed alot of people recomend going for led globes or strips instead of the genuine holden ones.
Once I have the heater control out is it a simple remove the old globes and replace with something like a T5 wedge led globe? Also would using a white globe still give me the green ilumination or do I need green leds?

Thanks for everybodys help

 

[RiffRaffMama]

If the lights not working was that sudden, and they’ve both gone at the same time, coupled with the fact you were poking around right next to them, I would say the problem is a wiring one and nothing to do with the globes. The display has two globes in it and it is highly unusual for them to both die at the exact same time. Usually one side goes out first.
You may have inadvertently knocked the wiring up there and something has come loose or broken. We’re talking about 20 year old wires that repeatedly heat up and cool down every time you turn the controls on, they can break if you look at them wrong. Check the wiring first. Yes, is a pain in the ass to pull all that dash off, what I do in situations like that is use an endoscope - a little camera about 12mm diameter that has an integrated adjustable light and is on a long, semi rigid cable with a USB plug at the other end. You plug it into your laptop, open your laptop’s camera app and guide the cable in behind the dash and have a look around for dodgy connections. An endoscope is about $15 online. I bought a real cheapie years ago online, I think it was about $8-10 and it has served me well and is still going.
As for the light colour thing, the green colour is the globe. The display itself is pretty much clear, so if you get red globes or purple globes, you will have a red or purple display. I wouldn’t bother making more work for myself running additional led lights and stuff, change the globes if you want a new colour, but I don’t think they’re your problem.

 

[Anthonysinga]

If the lights not working was that sudden, and they’ve both gone at the same time, coupled with the fact you were poking around right next to them, I would say the problem is a wiring one and nothing to do with the globes. The display has two globes in it and it is highly unusual for them to both die at the exact same time. Usually one side goes out first.
You may have inadvertently knocked the wiring up there and something has come loose or broken. We’re talking about 20 year old wires that repeatedly heat up and cool down every time you turn the controls on, they can break if you look at them wrong. Check the wiring first. Yes, is a pain in the ass to pull all that dash off, what I do in situations like that is use an endoscope - a little camera about 12mm diameter that has an integrated adjustable light and is on a long, semi rigid cable with a USB plug at the other end. You plug it into your laptop, open your laptop’s camera app and guide the cable in behind the dash and have a look around for dodgy connections. An endoscope is about $15 online. I bought a real cheapie years ago online, I think it was about $8-10 and it has served me well and is still going.
As for the light colour thing, the green colour is the globe. The display itself is pretty much clear, so if you get red globes or purple globes, you will have a red or purple display. I wouldn’t bother making more work for myself running additional led lights and stuff, change the globes if you want a new colour, but I don’t think they’re your problem.

Thanks for the reply mate, I agree with you so mabey ill take the heatercontrol out and make sure all the connections are solid. Are there any other connections to check whilst i have the dash suround out they mabey linked to this problem? Also whats your opinion that the heater control lights work faintly if I tap the dashboard or tap the heater control buttons?

 

[trel]

If you're tapping and they come on faintly, it's obvious there's a loose connection somewhere, and your tapping the dash makes light contact with something. Take it apart again and check everything you touched, and then more.

 

[RiffRaffMama]

Almost certainly the wiring then. Open it back up and check everything is plugged in as far as they’ll go and that there aren’t broken strands in the wires at the connections and that they go through the wiring connectors properly and haven’t been pulled out. If you pulled on the panel a bit enthusiastically when you unscrewed it, or you strained the wires while the panel was hanging out of the dash, then the wires could easily have partially disconnected somewhere. I say partially because you can get a little bit of life in the display when you tap at it, suggesting the wires at the root of the problem are close enough to where they’re meant to be that they briefly form the necessary connection. Also means fixing the problem should be quite simple.

 

[Bay 13]

Sounds like you wired your unit wrong, remove the illumination wire and see if they work. I suppose you have worked it out and never followed up your fix.

 

[Sam_100]

In addition to what Trel wrote, I would also check the lights/festoons are seated correctly. One of the lights in my VXII climate control would swtich between flickering, staying on, staying off and fixed it by reseating the globe.