Reverse lights*

[NuMlOcK]

I have a 1990 saab 900 turbo spg and my reverse lights dont seem to work, any ideas on how to fix this?

and i did just put new bulbs in*

[Tomarse]

They are switched by a little switch that is fixed into the gearstick assembly. I think that this is adjustable too (you can screw it further in/out).

You could test if that switch works. If you remove the plastic centre console you should be able to find it.

[NuMlOcK]

thank you for the advice.

this may sound dumb, but how do i go about taking off the center console...???

[Tomarse]

Before you go taking it apart, I would get a meter and see what you are getting on the connectors on the lights themselves. From reading here a lot of people seem to have trouble with the earths to the back lights - and loose lights because of that.
I know on my car once of my light clusters has a dodgy earth and every so often i have to wiggle the wires to get it to work again.

On my car the centre console has one screw by the ignition key. 2 hidden behind the ashtray at the back, and 2 underneath the gearlever rubber.
My reverse lights only work sometimes - but i think that my switch just needs adjusting as you can wiggle the stick around and it often fixes them.

Before adjusting the switch, you could also try shorting it manually and seeing if that makes the lights come on. if it doesnt then there is a wiring fault somewhere.

[900t]

In the USA the reverse lights also come up in the front of the car, the white section under the turn signals. If these don't light either then definately the switch.

I know on my 1992 900 S the reverse light flashes on as you shift to 5th. I had a friend drive the car and I followe,d nearly had a heart attack when I saw the reverse lights suddenly come on at 50 mi/h Probably needs adjustment

The console isn't hard to remove. The part under the shift boot and over the key is different from the part where the window switches are, IIRC there are some clips but I don't want you break it.

[matzemueller]

Hi,

I also have a problem with the reverse lights. In reverse the front lights go on, but not the ones in the trunk lid. That means, the switch works. The fog lights in the same housing work, so it is not the trunk lid connection. I replaced the bulb. What else could it be?

Thanks

[900t]

Originally Posted by matzemueller

Hi,

I also have a problem with the reverse lights. In reverse the front lights go on, but not the ones in the trunk lid. That means, the switch works. The fog lights in the same housing work, so it is not the trunk lid connection. I replaced the bulb. What else could it be?

Thanks

This is probably a wiring problem. Open the trunk and pull the lights apart, do you have a voltmeter?

[c900]

Originally Posted by NuMlOcK

I have a 1990 saab 900 turbo spg and my reverse lights dont seem to work, any ideas on how to fix this?

and i did just put new bulbs in*

I don't know if all the SPG/Aero optioned C900's were hatchbacks, but if your car is a sedan version, chances are the rear earth connections to the light clusters are bad. If the car isn't a sedan version, then you could well have a dicky reverse light switch.

If the car has a manual transmission (which I'd assume it does) the switch screws into the left side of the aluminium casting which holds all the shifter assembly together, while if the car has an automatic transmission, the reverse light function is part of the neutral safety switch that is itself a pizza-slice shaped switch unit secured to the left side of the auto transmission shifter.

To remove the centre console covering, you should take out one of the seats (left side - driver for LHD, passenger for RHD) to give lots of working room. Depending if your car has all the power-window switches between the seats or not determines how much wiring you'll need to disconnect from the cover over the centre console and from the main part of the cover itself.

You will probably need to take off the shifter knob so you can get the centre console top cover off and out of the way, then the rest of the console cover is secured by some screws (a couple behind the seat belt clip housings, one down near the ignition switch, and two right at the front either side of the opening for the shifter to come through).

If you've removed the left-side seat, getting the main part of the console cover out will not be too bad (watch out for any wiring connected to switches if there are any), and then you'll be able to see the switch for the reverse lights.

Assuming your car has a manual transmission, you should be able to unscrew the switch out of the aluminium shifter housing and check that it works with a multimeter. Also have a look at all the other associated wiring to see if something might have come off a terminal. It can happen.

Hopefully this will give you enough info to get at the switch if you need to.

Craig.

[matzemueller]

Originally Posted by 900t

This is probably a wiring problem. Open the trunk and pull the lights apart, do you have a voltmeter?

I do have one. The rear fog light on the same bulb holder works fine, so the whole thing is grounded ok. What do you suggest?

[cdaly]

The other thing to do is to bend up the contact tabs in the bulb sockets so they put more contact pressure on the bulbs.

[SpectreBlofeld]

Does your cigarette lighter work? They share the same circuit...