No reverse lights

[Frobisher]

Much to my dismay, I just discovered my reverse lights (95 Disco - auto trans) are not working. How long that has been so is uncertain, so now what? Bulbs are good, fuse is good, the reverse light switch mechanically works when depressed, so how do I sort it out?

I've done a lot of searching, and it seems like the ZF transmission doesn't have a lot of issues with the switch. I can't really figure out exactly where I should have electrical continuity, but I have at least checked the connector box near the brake fluid reservoir by the firewall. Center pin is the connection, but I can't seem to get any voltage there. The RAVE isn't very helpful on it, so if anybody has dealt with testing the switch, etc., that would be really helpful.

Also, for full disclosure, due to some issues from the previous owner, the switch preventing ignition while in gear doesn't work. In theory, they're related, but that switch has always been disabled and the reverse lights have worked until recently.

Having just replaced one of the swivels and the water pump, I was really thinking I'd have a break from repairs for at least a few days...

 

[fishEH]

How are the bulb sockets? They go bad. Grab a test light and check for power at the metal strips on the taillight housing where the bulb sockets connect.

 

[Frobisher]

Thanks fishEH for the reminder to keep it simple. Rule #1 for repairs should be check the easy stuff first. I don't know how often I've had the light units apart in the past year fixing bad wiring and strips, so I figured they'd be good. After all, what are the odds of both going out at the same time. To be fair, I only assumed they failed at the same time.

If you're going to ask Discoweb for help, you better try the suggestions no matter how much you think "It couldn't possibly be that." Lo and behold, two minutes of pushing on sockets and there come the reverse lights. Time for a little humble pie.

To wrap it up, ALWAYS check the easy fixes first since that's likely the culprit. Then, move on to the more complicated and/or expensive. As a result of all this, though, I found there really isn't much out there on problems with the reverse light switch on the ZF transmissions. They do fail occasionally, but there aren't a lot of resources on how to test if that's really the problem. Again, always start easy, and use the help you get here. It continues to be a great resource.

 

[discostew]

Yea fishEH rocks. If I was gay I'd do him.