The Heater Panel Bulb always on.

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Robsey
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The Heater Panel Bulb always on.

Post by Robsey »

This isn't a how 2 as such, but an answer to a really simple question.

How Can I Stop my Heater Panel Bulb From Burning Out?.

There are two ways: -
1 - Convert to LEDs. Not overly difficult, but a bit of a faff.

2 - Rewire the bulb so that it only comes on with the lights, rather than being on all the time that the ignition is on.

I am going to concentrate on option 2.
Having the bulb illuminated only when the lights are on.

For this task, you will need: -
A soldering iron.
Heat shrink sleeving if you are OCD like me.
A couple of 6.3mm female spade connectors.
I use the silicon insulator boots as well.
A couple of lengths of wire - 0.75mm csa will be thick enough.
Optional - piggy back fuse holder.

It really is simple. - After you have got the panel out of your dash. And disconnected the blower motor main connector from the body loom.

Stripping Out.

The bulb connector is linked to the blower motor switch via two thin purple wires.

So simply un-plug the white connector from the blower motor switch.

Image

Then unplug the bulb holder.
In most cases the purple wires are soldered to the legs of the holder.

Image

Unthread the purple wire from the retainer hook in the panel.
This is what you will have removed.

Image

The best method to re-wire the bulb holder is to de-solder (or sweat off) the purple wires from the holder.

Try to leave as little solder behind on the legs of the holder.

The Re-Wire.

The easiest way is to get two 6.3mm female spade connectors and insulators.
I tend to get mine from Maplins.

Firstly crimp or preferably solder and sleeve connectors onto one end of two wires.

It helps if they are different colours but not essential.

If you are keeping the standard 1.2 watt 12 volt capless bulb, then it can be wired up either way (polarity).

Run one wire to either a grey/ black wire of your choice or connect to a piggy back fuse holder and insert into fuse box location Fuse 9.

The other wire should go to another brown wire or any good metal grounding point.

Connect your connectors to the bulb holder and test, by turning your lights on and off.

If all is well re-assemble.

Assembly.

Thread your two new wires into the underside of the heater panel near to the side of the blower motor switch location.
Thread the wire over the guide hook toward the bulb holder receiver.

Plug the bulb holder into the receiver hole.
And then connect up the wires to the bulb holder.

Now you have the fun of refitting the blower switch and then the heater panel to your dash.
Oh joy!!

If using LEDs for the illumination, the polarity of any wiring is important, as LEDs will not illuminate if wired up "backwards".

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Robsey
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Re: The Heater Panel Bulb always on.

Post by Robsey »

Just to keep the heater illumination in one place,
Here is my LED conversion.

The start of a stripped heater panel.

Image

This is a very old battered heater display hence all the scratches and the missing ledge across the top.
I don't recall cutting off the ledge myself, so presume it had been done as a "bought modified panel".

Image

LEDs loosely installed.

Image

Image

Soldered, sleeved and assembled.

Image

Image

Ah - now that looks better

Image

The finished article at dusk.

Image

As it happens, my heater panel is still illuminated via the blower switch, and so is always lit up when the ignition is on. I see a minor wiring tweak on the cards in the not too distant future.
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Re: The Heater Panel Bulb always on.

Post by 3cav3 »

Looks awesome. The blown bulbs have been irritating me since I bought the car, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get the panel off. Is there a guide on the forum that I'm missing please?
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Robsey
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Re: The Heater Panel Bulb always on.

Post by Robsey »

It is quite a tedious task if you have never done it before.

It requires as lot of dismantling around the instrument cluster and steering wheel cowling.

Here is the How 2 for that bit.

viewtopic.php?f=70&t=14748&p=151398#p151398

--------------------------------------------

The purpose of removing the speedo plastic surround is to give access to the two screws on the right hand edge of the heater panel.
(UK cars - read as left hand for Opel Vectra-A).

You will need to remove the trim from your clock / dual info display / fuel computer.

Then unclip the clock etc..... from the heater panel.

Then disconnect the loom connector at the back of the clock etc....

You will now see two more flange headed philips self-tapping screws holding the left side of the heater panel in the car.

Unscrew these and draw the heater panel as far out of the dash as you can.
The bowden cables, and loom for the switches will limit how far the panel will come out.

The idea is that you then reach in behind the panel, pull out the bulb holder, replace the blown bulb and put it all back together.

Some people say it is easier to remove the glove box and reach in from the side to replace the bulb and holder.

Here is Dave's How 2 remove the glove box thread.

viewtopic.php?f=70&t=15742

If you wish to completely remove the heater panel, then...
If you remove the glove box, you will see the bowden cables for the two lower sliders.
Disconnecting these from the heater blower casing would allow you to pull the heater panel out further.
Disconnecting the switch wiring connectors and the other bowden cable from it's connector in the right hand footwell aswell (UK driver's side), would allow the panel to be removed completely from the car.

You would need to do something like this to do the LED conversion.
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ilovedmymantas
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Re: The Heater Panel Bulb always on.

Post by ilovedmymantas »

Nice. That's a big improvement over the standard panel.
Am I right in thinking your cav is fitted with an led controller (because of the digi-dash) and your added leds are therefore dimmable?
I fitted leds to my dash that uses the standard rheostat dial switch. The choices I have are dull or dim, I just guess everything on the light summer nights :lol:
" It's not rust. It's age-related patina " ;)

1980 vauxhall cavalier MK1 1.6L, 1982 opel manta berlinetta 1.8s, 1985 opel manta 2.0 gte, 1990 cavalier 2.0 gl ,1994 cavalier sri x20xev

-1995 cdx x20xev

---------------
Matt
3cav3
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Re: The Heater Panel Bulb always on.

Post by 3cav3 »

Robsey wrote:It is quite a tedious task if you have never done it before.

It requires as lot of dismantling around the instrument cluster and steering wheel cowling.

Here is the How 2 for that bit.

viewtopic.php?f=70&t=14748&p=151398#p151398

--------------------------------------------

The purpose of removing the speedo plastic surround is to give access to the two screws on the right hand edge of the heater panel.
(UK cars - read as left hand for Opel Vectra-A).

You will need to remove the trim from your clock / dual info display / fuel computer.

Then unclip the clock etc..... from the heater panel.

Then disconnect the loom connector at the back of the clock etc....

You will now see two more flange headed philips self-tapping screws holding the left side of the heater panel in the car.

Unscrew these and draw the heater panel as far out of the dash as you can.
The bowden cables, and loom for the switches will limit how far the panel will come out.

The idea is that you then reach in behind the panel, pull out the bulb holder, replace the blown bulb and put it all back together.

Some people say it is easier to remove the glove box and reach in from the side to replace the bulb and holder.

Here is Dave's How 2 remove the glove box thread.

viewtopic.php?f=70&t=15742

If you wish to completely remove the heater panel, then...
If you remove the glove box, you will see the bowden cables for the two lower sliders.
Disconnecting these from the heater blower casing would allow you to pull the heater panel out further.
Disconnecting the switch wiring connectors and the other bowden cable from it's connector in the right hand footwell aswell (UK driver's side), would allow the panel to be removed completely from the car.

You would need to do something like this to do the LED conversion.
Thanks for the info. A lot of work for something that only shows up in the dark.
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Robsey
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Re: The Heater Panel Bulb always on.

Post by Robsey »

It barely does that with a standard bulb.

Yes a lot of faff for very little gain.

It is worth doing a lot of other jobs at the same time if you are taking the heater panel out or shifting it about.

Such as any radio changes, oil pressure / volt gauge installation or even digging out your heated seat plugs.
Or if doing an LED conversion.
ilovedmymantas wrote:Nice. That's a big improvement over the standard panel.
Am I right in thinking your cav is fitted with an led controller (because of the digi-dash) and your added leds are therefore dimmable?
I fitted leds to my dash that uses the standard rheostat dial switch. The choices I have are dull or dim, I just guess everything on the light summer nights :lol:
Thanks fella - I have LED dimming for my CAN controlled infotainment system (radio and colour display), but the digi dash is two Osram 10 watt tungsten filament bulbs.
The colour is painted on the gauge panels behind the liquid crystal displays themselves.
The filter on the LCD displays is fitted so that the voltage needs to be applied to allow the light to pass through the display panels.
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