Ye Ole Bulb "Tester", Power Lock, etc.

[HardCharger]

Hi All,

I was told not to use a bulb & 2 wires as a "tester" for currents as I might fry the ECU or something, does this hold water?

One of my power locks just stopped working, do these have independent fuses or is this an automatic actuator replacement?

Also, I was told to be careful when taking apart the dash as the truck will think it's being stolen and will act up once everything is back together again and start 'er up. True?

Thanks hope to hear all your opinions and experiences on these.

[Blknight.aus]

Trueish.

Depends on what circuit your testing.

[BilboBoggles]

Is it a late Defender? If yes - then possibly it's not the actuator itself, but thecable that runs through the black corrugated rubber bit in the door frame. Sometimes those wires break.

[HardCharger]

Hi Blknight.aus, well, some of the electricians around here use that method first to test just about anything with regards to current flow and finding grounds so I'm afraid that if one of them starts poking around like that, it will not bode well for me.

Hi BilboBoggles, I'll check that wire then. Thanks. It was working fine this morning then when I locked the doors upon arriving at a client's office, there was something off with the sound and found that the rear left side door didn't lock no matter how many times I tried the remote. Wound up manually working it.

[HardCharger]

By the way, Blknight.aus so far the only stuff I need tested are the front, right marker light as the bulb always dies. Like I said, it was recommended that I clean out the socket first as that could be the culprit but I'm currently out of bulbs so I can't try it out. In the event that it still dies, then I think it'll need electrician intervention.

The other bit that may be tested will be the left, rear power lock as it stopped working on me. While it could be a loose connection as BilboBoggles suggested, in the event that it's not, that will need some tracing.

In any case, what are the components I should stay clear of when doing the bulb test?

[HardCharger]

Hi All!

Just to provide closure to this, after further consolation here on other threads and in other Defender forums, it was found that it was the notorious pink wire that caused my woes. BilboBoggles gets the prize!

Spliced thick wire at the wear area and all is right with the world now.

As for the marker light that keeps dying on me, just cleaned out the socket as suggested by someone and the bulb I put in after has been there since.

Thanks for all the support!