Flashing roof light on dash.

[daveblueozzie]

My warning light on the dash is telling me the roof is not down,it flashes all the time. it also beeps until i lift the roof slightly then close the roof. The roof is obviously locked down.
At the moment i have a piece of cardboard stuffed between the contacts of the micro switch, this stops the beeps when i start the engine and also stops the light flashing on the dash.
Has anyone changed the micro switch ? , I have a new micro switch but there does not seem to be any spare wire going to the original switch, don't want to break it completely.
I know the obvious replies, take the bulb out from behind the dash or put a piece of tape over the dash area so it does not show. Don't want to do the short cut , I want it fixed.

[g8dhe]

If a piece of cardboard is making the switch open then it sounds like the switch it self is working, either the switch has moved and the carriage of the AFT slider isn't reaching it to turn it off, or the carriage isn't making it as far as the switch. I think others in the past have adjusted the switch with success.

[roofraisers]

Mine does something similar & haven't got to the bottom of it yet.
When my roof is up the light is on.
When you let the roof down & the roof "locks", the dash light goes out. About 8 seconds later I here a click (presumably from a relay which I haven't yet traced) & then the roof light starts flashing again. I don't think mine is a micro switch problem as I can close them fully with the roof slightly open & exactly the same thing happens.
At the moment the bulb is out & I just rely on the definite "lock down" closing sound.

[daveblueozzie]

If a piece of cardboard is making the switch open then it sounds like the switch it self is working, either the switch has moved and the carriage of the AFT slider isn't reaching it to turn it off, or the carriage isn't making it as far as the switch. I think others in the past have adjusted the switch with success.

I have tried moving the switch and the contact that pushes the switch in/off , no joy, the cardboard is making the switch close as it should ,but without the cardboard the lights are flashing and the beeper sounds.very annoying.
I think the switch is only just working if you see what i mean, i suppose i am forcing it a bit with the cardboard

[g8dhe]

It does sound similar to roofraisers problem except without the delay.
I haven't heard of anyone having the circuit of the control box at all which is frustrating - I don't suppose anyone has on old one, even a non-working one, for dissection ?

[stilldesperate]

I have tried moving the switch and the contact that pushes the switch in/off , no joy, the cardboard is making the switch close as it should ,but without the cardboard the lights are flashing and the beeper sounds.very annoying.
I think the switch is only just working if you see what i mean, i suppose i am forcing it a bit with the cardboard

There's more than one switch in the roof, afaik, so lifting the roof to press the switch is probably doing the job, but the other switch/s are not connecting.

I did this job on my first Bongo a few years ago, I'll have meter / soldering stuff at the Lincs meet if you want me to take a look?

SD

[daveblueozzie]

I have tried moving the switch and the contact that pushes the switch in/off , no joy, the cardboard is making the switch close as it should ,but without the cardboard the lights are flashing and the beeper sounds.very annoying.
I think the switch is only just working if you see what i mean, i suppose i am forcing it a bit with the cardboard

There's more than one switch in the roof, afaik, so lifting the roof to press the switch is probably doing the job, but the other switch/s are not connecting.

I did this job on my first Bongo a few years ago, I'll have meter / soldering stuff at the Lincs meet if you want me to take a look?

SD

[mikeonb4c]

Mine's been flashing ever since I bought it. Long since fogotten all about it. S'pose I ought to fix it sometime

[timjonz]

Please help!
My Bongo has developed the same fault.
How can I fix it?

[g8dhe]

No ones fed back any info on the previous faults, so given that the light is controlled directly from the AFT control box (Offside rear pillar) that would be my first place to look. Is the bleeper going as well or just the light ? If both are going then its more likely that its a micro-switch operation problem, if only one light or bleeper then the control box.
There is a good thread here if its the micro-switch here http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 6&p=492340

[321Away]

sounds like 1 of the 2 micro switches has gone open circuit, are you going to umbongocats meeting in Wellington country park on 31/06?? i'll be popping down there so will have look for you.
Julian

[timjonz]

I have beeping & flashing, if I raise the roof slightly then put it back down the beeping stops
I've looked at the link & it seems straight forward, just hope my tinkering skills are up to the job.

Thanks

[daveblueozzie]

Ive never got round to fixing the problem its still stuffed with a piece of cardboard.

[roofraisers]

After a bit of looking & trying to understand the problem .... & trial & error, I've come up with this mod that seems to work & make the light on the dash do as it should.
Firstly the micro switches on ours were a bit gummed up, so I used some contact cleaner to dissolve the gunk so I could then hear a definite "clicking" when the spring lever was pushed against the switch with my finger.
I then wrapped a piece of foil from a glass milk bottle top (slightly thicker than cooking foil) around the spring lever. 1 turn I seem to remember & that seems to make a contact on the switch when the roof is down, but still (which is very important...) allow the spring lever to move away from the switch when the roof is up. Wrapping the foil around the spring lever is a little tricky I'll admit & it may take a few tries until you get your optimum number of wraps right as milk bottle tops may not be all the same thickness. I did find I had to do both as they seem to work together but separately if you understand me... I suppose it would have to work like this in case you had one roof motor fail or run slower than the other & the roof wasn't locked down fully on both sides.

We are likely to be at the bash if people want some "special Cumbrian milk bottle tops" to try, or even see the mod I've done on our roof switches.

Nigel

[PixieAndTheMoon]

We had similar problem the other week when we put the roof down on a windy day. We were driving up the M6 on another windy day!! I had visions of the roof being taken by the wind and whipping it off We stopped a couple of times and raised it a few inches and drew it back down again, was not enough to sort the problem. Turned out we needed to raise the roof fully to realise the extent of the problem which was a piece of the roof tent had got trapped. We then made sure it came down properly, so to speak and the light went off and has remained so ever since.

I am of the ilk to check wiring and change a fuse before I blast my mind with technicalities

Jo