Series III lightweight. Gauges, lights and others...

new owner of a series III lightweight, I have lots of questions
regarding the different gauges and lights of the "dash panel"
- In between the gauges, in the upper part of the dash panel, there is
a round red push button. What is it used for?
- just under that, you have a squarish red push button. What is it used
for?
- Again under that, you have three lights. What are they used for?
- Finally, next to the wiper knob, you have a "fighter plane gun
commane" like button (a switch protected with a cover). What is this
for?

Many thanks,

aspamateur *AT* gmail *DOT* com

On 11 Oct 2006 07:18:49 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>new owner of a series III lightweight, I have lots of questions
>regarding the different gauges and lights of the "dash panel"
>- In between the gauges, in the upper part of the dash panel, there is
>a round red push button. What is it used for?
>- just under that, you have a squarish red push button. What is it used
>for?

assuming it is like my 101, could be the brake test button. Tests the
fail valve that connects the 2 brake circuits (somehow!)

>- Again under that, you have three lights. What are they used for?
>- Finally, next to the wiper knob, you have a "fighter plane gun
>commane" like button (a switch protected with a cover). What is this
>for?

could be for IR headlights. Removed before it left the army and now
fitted to make your headlamps dimmer and more likely to break

Trying to remember back to my Lightweight days, the switch under the
protective flap IS for the IR headlights (when fitted in place of the
tungsten ones). I think it may also cut the circuit to all the other
things that emit light, such as brake and indicator lights (although
that COULD be the multi-position lighting switch in one of its 'Convoy'
positions). The idea is that in IR mode (when you're moving 'blacked
out') no other lights can come on accidentally and give your position
away.

This is why the military wiring looms are so different to the civilian
ones. I do have somewhere out in the workshop a rather tatty copy of
the wiring diagram which I could scan and email if required... might
take a few days to find a time slot, though.

Yes, the circular red button that sits almost flush with the fascia is
(IIRC) the brake warning light and its test facility -- comes on if the
two brake circuits get unbalanced. It's controlled by a shuttle valve
on the top of the front chassis rail roughly below the bulkhead
steering box. If both circuits are equal, the shuttle stays in the
middle, but if one circuit goes down, the shuttle moves sideways and
switches the light on. Makes brake bleeding an absolute s*d,
particularly as you then have the devil's own job to get the shuttle
back in the centre again. Amazing how often the wiring mysterious
disconnects at this point to turn the blessed warning light off!

GRAEME ALDOUS
Yorkshire

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> new owner of a series III lightweight, I have lots of questions
> regarding the different gauges and lights of the "dash panel"
> - In between the gauges, in the upper part of the dash panel, there is
> a round red push button. What is it used for?

Hazard switch? when you push it does it pop out? Mine does and is.

> - just under that, you have a squarish red push button. What is it used
> for?

Switch to test something, mine has all the wires cut so not sure what it
does test.

> - Again under that, you have three lights. What are they used for?

Red middle is ignition light
Left is green indicatotr
Right is amber light that comes on to show the indicators are working when
you have a trailer attached

> - Finally, next to the wiper knob, you have a "fighter plane gun
> commane" like button (a switch protected with a cover). What is this
> for?

Turns the instrument lights off so you can drive in with no interior lights
on.

>
> Many thanks,
>
> aspamateur *AT* gmail *DOT* com
>

At least thats wht mine do.


--
nigel@leginDOTorg
1979 Lightweight

I've posted scans of my old Lightweight diagrams on my pages.

There's the whole wiring diagram (720K) at
www.teeafit.co.uk/download/lightweight/lightweightwiring.pdf -- a but
scratty I'm afraid, but the sheet had been well-thumbed in the
workshop.

There's also my own (hand-drawn) interpretation (321K) of how the Infra
Red switching system affects the rest of the lights etc on the vehicle
at www.teeafit.co.uk/download/lightweight/lightweightwiringIR.pdf.
Hope it makes sense to everyone.

GRAEME ALDOUS, Yorkshire