Hey guys, Just a few Q's. Firstly, a few weeks back my Calais Cluster gauges stopped lighting up when the lights are switched on (87 Berlina Wagon), i have tried disconnecting everything ive hooked up prior to it stopping (car i bought had stuff missing), checked every fuse, triple checked plugs/wires into cluster, nothing. I have noticed that the little globes clipped into the back of the cluster are glowing, and there is a small bit of light against the back of the knob at the base of the tacho/speedo needles, but the lettering/needles arent lighting up This is really doing my head in now Secondly, i cant figure out my high-beam, is it the little flip up/down slider just to the right of the steering column? that does nothing, and is plugged in. I can get high beam to come on if i yank on the column selector thing. Another question - someone has appeared to play with the ignition wiring as i can get the headlights to work with the ignition off, and the light on the display at the top of the cluster that represents the headlights is on, but if i turn the ignition on that little light turns off. Seems like i have a bit of a wiring nightmare but i dont know where i am best to check for this stuff If anyone could help me that would be great, Thanks. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

the slider is your interior light and cluster intensity light your high beams you pull it back to the second click to turn them on... and the same to turn them off the wiring hasnt been touched the orange light is a warning light telling you that your headlights are still on so you can turn them off so you dont flatten your battery

The sliding mechanism you're referring to a is a rheostat, or dimmer adjuster for the lighting in the dash. Up brighter down dimmer, up to the very top (it'll "click") turns your interior light on. High beams are activated by pulling the indicator stalk towards you, then letting go. This is only when your low beams are on. Headlights are supposed to operate with the car off from factory. It's a 23 year old car, they didn't consider that people would leave their headlights on and drain their battery. I would suggest checking the circuit board of the instrument cluster, to ensure that none of the solder welds are broken. From memory, fuse 4 (?) controls the interior lighting, and if you short out the cigarette lighter, most of the interior lights, ciggy lighter and radio stop working. Check if these are working at the moment. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Cheers guys, yeah i figured out what the slider does last night, Cluster works fine I dont have the left headlight hooked up (wires have been cut, got the HL from another car) so maybe that could effect the high beam? when i pull on the stalk with low beam on it doesnt stay on. Also i think my low beam globe is dead, there is a small light down the bottom of the light which glows but its not bright. Thanks. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

The small globe inside the headlight is the park light. I would try hooking up the LHS headlight and seeing if that makes adifference. If not, try another indicator stalk.

I don't think anything is actually wrong with this car? The park lights are working, the high beam comes on when you flick the stalk, the headlight on warning light is working, the dimmer switch works...

I was still figuring all this out. Problem still though, is i dont seem to have Low Beam, if i twist the stalk to Low Beam the Park Lights are on, but nothing else, if i pull the stalk all the way back and release the outter globes light up and stay on, which im assuming are the High Beams. The inner lights only work when i pull the stalk to the first "click" but dont stay on. So effectively i dont have a Low Beam at all, high beam seems fine. FWIW, i have got the left headlight hooked up now. Another quick one, on the steering column, closest to the steering wheel there is a grey wire, and 2 pins, in the car i pulled the steering from i think it was on the lower one, what is the wire for? and where should it be? Thanks.

Sounds to me as though low beam is working fine but high beam only works when the stalk is pulled to "pass" (Inner lights are high beam). Could be a blown fuse on the high beam circuit (as the 'pass' circuit bypasses the fuse) or a faulty 'Headlamp Relay'. If you swap this relay, make sure you replace it with an identical unit......it's a changeover relay, so if you swap it with a normal relay your low beams won't work.

Sounds like i have a few things messed up , the outter Low Beams come on when High Beams should (click the stalk back and release). The inner ones only ever come on when i pull the stalk to the first stage (pass). So basically when i twist the knob to "P" the Park Lights come on as they should, but if i keep going to Low Beam nothing happens, Park Lights stay on, but no other lights. Both my Low and High beam fuse clips are melted and have been bypassed (not by me) and have some holders with the globe type fuses in them, none are burnt. Could this be caused by someone mixing up the fuse holders and crossing them over? i might try that. There is also a third one been put in which isnt marked as to what it does. Cheers.

Let's start again....... Were the lights working before or have you bought the car like this? If they were working, what did you change/do just before they stopped working? Yes, if somebody has crossed over the fuse holders you will get the opposite of what you expect. Again, make sure you have a changeover relay as the 'Headlamp relay'. This relay is different to every other relay in the fusebox. A combo of crossed fuses and the wrong relay would show up exactly as you have described.

I bought the car with no headlights in it at all, got some and plugged them in, thats all i did aside from checking the fuses. And i checked again and the person who installed the fuse holders did the smart thing and made them so they cant be crossed over. I checked both the headlamp relays against my other VL and they were the same to the exact number, i even changed them both out and nothing changed. Everything seems to check out good, cept it doesnt work properly Cheers mate. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.