Alpine Coach electrical

[breezie]

I just picked up a 2000 Alpine 36, which I love (so far).
Driving home I realized that non of the instrument panel or AC/Heat gauges lit up in the dark.
The headlights, signals, hazard, backup parking lights, all work fine.

Like a car, there is a rheostat/dimmer for the gauges, and when you turn it up all the way it turns on a pair of courtesy lights in the ceiling, again, just like a car.

Well the ceiling lights turn on but there is no illumination to the gauges at all.

I checked every fuse, starting with the one called "INST PNL" and worked my way down the list.

All fuses check out.

Next step is to remove the switch panel.

Any Alpine geniuses out there have any thoughts on this?

Thanks,
Brianna

 

[SeilerBird]

Did you actually remove each fuse and test it with a multimeter or just eyeball them? Eyeballing can be deceiving.

 

[breezie]

Hmm.

My reply did not post.

You have a good point. I will check the fuses and their sockets again.


I just don't get how the ceiling lights work with the dimmer but not the instrument lights.

 

[darsben]

Hmm.

My reply did not post.

You have a good point. I will check the fuses and their sockets again.


I just don't get how the ceiling lights work with the dimmer but not the instrument lights.

Instrument panel lights are on a rheostat  the ceiling light may bypass the rheostat

 

[breezie]

I trouble shot (better than trouble shooted) this problem myself.
For anyone else thats interested, two nuts behind the headlight switch module release it from the dash,
There are 2 standard automotive connections in the back. One with 4 spade plugs and the other with 6.
Upon close examination, some previous person forced the plugs together and bent one of the spade connectors out of the way.

So I just straightened it up with a pair of needle nose pliers, put it back together, and voila, dash lights!!!

 

[Lou Schneider]

Easy fixes are always best!  Like darsben said, the instrument panel lights go through a rheostat on the headlight switch.  The ceiling lights come from the same voltage source but go through a switch contact at the end of the rotation travel instead of through the variable resistance element.