Dashboard lights off after short and smell of cables

[Zamper1978]

Hello all,
i have a custom switch on my T2 dashboard next to the headlight switch that i installed extra led lights . i believe created a short circuit whe i turned it on last time, lot's of smell and smoke. i guess a cable become loss on the back of the dash and touch each other because both switches are close enough. Lots of smell like cable or even relay mechanism i would say (like capacitors or mosfet smell when the board somewhere get's short) . Now i have not any more lights in the dash except the indicator lights (battery etc) i mean i cannot dim it up or down is just dead and if i drive in the night i see nothing.

I do not want to remove the dash on my own, i tried to make some photos from the back, can somebody advise if something doesn't look normal?
The switch on the bottom is the headlight switch and the other on the top is the custom for 2 extra lights in the front (they used to play ok together)

How many cables should the dimmer relay have?

This week i will try to remove the headlight switch to see what happened.

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[OB Bus]

Other people who are a lot smarter than me with electricity will jump in.

My one suggestion: disconnect the negative lead on the battery before touching anything else!
_________________
Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper.
People deserve the Government they voted for.

[Zamper1978]

thank you for your reply, bus at the moment is parked for some time so yes the battery is already disconnected. Though i have fixed at my own any battery drain i had before and would kill the battery, it was the CD Player and a custom clock that i have in my dashboard (they where consuming about 1.5A/h!)

[telford dorr]

You most likely burnt up the rheostat in your headlight switch. Measure the voltage at headlight switch terminal 58b. Lack of voltage confirms switch failure.
I would remove your added switch and check everything carefully before replacing the headlight switch. I recommend adding 1" lengths of 1/4" heatshrink tubing over all bare switch wire terminals.
_________________
'71 panel, now with FI
'Experience' is the ability to recognize a mistake when you're making it again - Franklin P. Jones
In theory, theory works in practice; in practice, it doesn't - William T. Harbaugh
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.
Same thing happens when you're stupid. - Philippe Geluck
More VW electrical at http://telforddorr.com/ (available 9am to 9pm PST)

[dodger tom]

^^^^^
listen to telford.

when you say remove the dash, do you mean remove the instrument cluster? cause that’s pretty easy to do (pull the fresh-air/heater levers, four screws, and the speedo cable), and provides easy access to switches and wires. at least it does on my ‘78. you don’t say the year of your bus. it’d be a good idea to post it in the signature section.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[EZ Gruv]

I did this recently. Telford is correct, get a new headlight switch.
_________________
Eric
1977 Deluxe Westfalia - 2.0L FI Type IV, Completely Original
Photographer for HotVWs, VolksWorld, AirMighty, VW Camper & Commercial, Hayburner, and more.
My Photography Page.

[kreemoweet]

Dash lighting will still work with a dead rheostat element, just turn the knob all the way (I forget which direction) and the rheostat will be bypassed for 100% voltage to the dash lights. Also, there's no insulation around the rheostat coil, so burning it up will not likely produce much smoke or smell, at least not from that part of the headlight switch. It seems none of the wires attached to light switch or dimmer relay are fused, I would be checking those wires for accidents, especially gray/red wire from terminal 58b on light switch, which feeds the dash lights.

Dimmer relay has 4 wires attached: white, yellow, white/black (fat) and brown/white (thin).
_________________
'67 bug: seized by the authorities
'68 bug: seized by the authorities
'71 kombi: not yet seized by the authorities

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[Zamper1978]

[KTPhil]

The wire winding for the rheostat function can break, get unwound, and short out other connections inside the switch.

_________________
Current Fleet:
- '71 Fastback
- '69 Westfalia
Retired:
- '67 Beetle
- '65 Beetle (x2)
- '65 Bus
- '71 Squareback

[Zamper1978]