Rear Light and dashboard problems

[mot]

hi I seem to have a problem with my discovery, the rear lights and the dash board lights do not work (sometimes!) head lights work all the time, but basically if the dash doesnt light up it means the rear lights are not working?
please help
thanks

[si_guru]

Does hitting the dash help??

..don't laugh. It works on mine.

[imspanners]

You'll probably find if you turn the switch on/off several times the dash will come on. The switches stick and don't actually turn the side lights on, but because dipped beam comes on you automatically think the front sidelights are working but they are not. (If the dash doesn't light up, turn the ignition off with sidelights on and go have a look at the front of the motor)!

Temporary cure: give the light switch a sharp tap with a screwdriver, and voila, let there be lights.

[mot]

Thanks for the reply, i tried hitting it, a couple of times infact! no joy,
also turning lights on and off etc, sometimes works but not always,
the bigger problem is the rear lights, it seems when i have no dash lights i also dont have any rear lights.
If i am driving, having switched on the lights, the dash sometimes comes on after a while, and then the rear lights work, they also sometimes turn off them selves too!
any other ideas?

[Peter Cowin]

Are the fuses ok? I had a similar problem whit rear lights and dash not working. I turned out to be a pair of burnt out head light connectors.

[mot]

Thanks for the reply, fuses are fine, head lights work, not sure if that would mean the conectors could be burned out or not, where are they located?
Thanks for your help

[Peter Cowin]

They go directly into your head light bulbs. When mine blew the fuse the dashboard lights went out that how I knew that my rear lights had gone out.