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96 850 dome light switch, shift indicator lamp, visor

Just purchased a low mileage 1996 850 GLT. Pretty good condition with a few items needing attention:

  1. Dome light rocker switch (middle switch) missing. Dome lights do not come on, but lamps are good. Tried depressing the left and right switches on and off. Lamps don't come on when any doors are open. Nada. The footwell lamps and the warning lamps along the open door edge come on as expected when door is open. I tried to jumper the dome light rocker contacts that are actuated by the rocker switch, and blew the fuse. I pulled a rocker switch at my local pick-n-pull and installed, and blew the fuse (after I had replaced it with a new one). Is the short/broken circuit likely in the dome light assembly (in the complex switch buried on the back side of the dome lights fixture), or more likely along the wires leading from source to the dome light assembly? Is this a common problem with a common inexpensive do-it-yourself fix?

  1. Shift indicator bulb is dead, and/or not receiving juice from source when night lights are on. Haynes manual describes steps to reach the lamp OK, and refers to the bulb module that has to be replaced as an assembly. I.e., can't replace just the bulb alone. Is access to the bulb module assembly as simple as haynes describes? Is the bulb module assembly a dealer only part?

  2. Driver's sun visor sags (rotates down on the plastic shaft that fastens the visor to ceiling, so visor hangs down all the time instead of horizontal flush with the ceiling). Since the shaft that the visor rotates on is also the wiring conduit leading to the makeup vanity lamps, replacing the visor will involve disconnecting or cutting the wiring, then reconnecting or splicing the wiring with the new visor. Is there a convenient disconnect point, or is cutting then splicing the only way to go? Or, is there a reliable way to firm up the plastic shaft that holds the visor frame firm?

I've done most of my own maint on a few 240s, 122 and 1800E. However, the more modern 850 intimidates me a little just yet, and I'll never understand electricity, so I'm nervous about wiring, switches, shorts, and circuit breaks. I worked on d-jet with fingers crossed inside rubber gloves :).

Thanks for any help,

Pat

Reply to
Pat Quadlander
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  1. The problem is most likely in the dome light itself. I'd bet that's why it's busted.
  2. The "bulb module" is simply the bulb attached to a 10 cent bulb holder. For that the dealer charges 10 bucks, but they are available through some of the internet parts places.
  3. The wiring from the visor runs all the way down the "A" pillar before there's a connector. So you have to disconnect it under the dashboard, so most folks just cut and splice up in the roof.
Reply to
Mike F

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