Underdash Light

[Rick]

Hi all, can anyone tell me what the light is for under the dash on the lhs of the steering column on my 73 240z. The globe is by foam pad inside a metal cylinder with a wire coming out the other end ?

Cheers

[GongZ]

Hi Rick - sounds interesting!

 

Do you have a working 'map light' above the heater controls? Do all of the dash instruments have working lights?

It might also be the light source for the fibre-optic cable that was used in 1973 US market 240Z's for the heater and hazard light controls (it would be surprising if your car has this however).

 

A photo would be of great assistance.

Edited December 14, 2016 by GongZ

[Cozza]

Is it for the cigarette lighter maybe?

Photo please.

[Rick]

Hi Rick - sounds interesting!

 

Do you have a working 'map light' above the heater controls? Do all of the dash instruments have working lights?

It might also be the light source for the fibre-optic cable that was used in 1973 US market 240Z's for the heater and hazard light controls (it would surprising if your car has this however).

 

A photo would be of great assistance.

Hard to get a photo as the dash is still intact but sounds very much like the fibre-optic source light idea.

[YosemiteZed]

Hi

I have seen this before on a 1974 260

The wire you mention is not metal but glass and goes to the cigarette lighter from the encased bulb

The encased bulb under the dash generates the light source and the glass fibre wire channels this light to the cig lighter holder

I always thought that this was pretty ingenious in car manufacturing in 1970

After 1974 the latter 260's had a bulb at the lighter

[PeterH]

Hi

I have seen this before on a 1974 260

The wire you mention is not metal but glass and goes to the cigarette lighter from the encased bulb

The encased bulb under the dash generates the light source and the glass fibre wire channels this light to the cig lighter holder

I always thought that this was pretty ingenious in car manufacturing in 1970

After 1974 the latter 260's had a bulb at the lighter

Yep.....the photo of the unit out of the car, is out of my spare dash year unknown...and the photo of the unit in installed is one that took before I dismantled my 1973 car...hope this helps

 

Pete  

[d3c0y]

My 73 and another have had this also.

[Rick]

Thank you all for your help.

[GongZ]

Yep.....the photo of the unit out of the car, is out of my spare dash year unknown...and the photo of the unit in installed is one that took before I dismantled my 1973 car...hope this helps

 

Pete  

 

Great photos Pete - thanks for that.

I have a 1973 US lighter and a US hazard lights switch to fit to my car. I would therefore like to illuminate both.

 

            

'73 US Lighter (note openings in the side to allow the light to shine through the body of the lighter)

 

 

I found this photo that '240Z Guy' posted in the stickied Electrical Systems topic '240Z Hazard Switch'. It seems to show that the light source can feed 3 fibre-optic cables - i.e. lighter, hazards and illuminated heater controls (not fitted to Australian delivered cars).

 

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/6506-240z-hazard-switch/page-2

Hi Gongz,

 

Glad to hear you are having some luck in finding the right connections for the hazard lights.  I have attached a photo of where the connector to the light source is, not the best i came in from the where the heater vents would be looking towards the steering wheel.  So that 'can' looking thing,in the background, is where the bulb goes into and the 3 pin connector, with only 2 wires, black and red/blue, is the power supply plug for the globe in the can.  You can also see the loop back plug (hazards) and the connectors to the cigarette lighter.  The 'can' has two black tubes sprouting out of it, although only one in this photo where the gold rim is, as one will provide illumination to the cigarette lighter and the other to the hazard light switch.

Hope this helps you.

(click to enlarge)

Edited December 14, 2016 by GongZ

[gav240z]

Is this only on 73/74 S30Z's? I'm surprised AU market cars had these fitted? Perhaps Nissan intended to fit hazards and illuminated panels and didn't go through with it?