Rear lights not working - yes they are

[mikel]

Hello,

dashboard and rear lights went yesterday. Fuses look ok. I expect the relay to be the problem, given other posts with a similar issue, and was going to check that at the weekend but the lights have just come on whilst the van has been sitting in the drive. I'd left the switch on at the parking light position four hours ago and hadn't noticed (looks like front parking lights weren't working either - full and dipped are ok). Would this give any clues as to where the problem lies? Still likely to be a relay or do Bongos just come with mischievous gremlins?

[g8dhe]

Does tend to point at the relay which is on the nearside second from the rear,

or possibly a dirty connection on the 15 Amp TAIL fuse number 8 in the larger box under the bonnet or could even be the switch contacts themselves they are on a separate pole from the headlights.

[mikel]

Thanks for the pic Geoff - that will be a great help when I get to look at it this weekend.

mikel

[mikel]

After a very long weekend - it was the relay.

[g8dhe]

Yup that was a long weekend! Have you managed to get a replacement ?

[mikel]

Yes - I found an auto electrician who sorted it for the mot (it had failed on the lights).

It's that long ago now that I can't remember where I got to with the original problem - whether I looked and found the relay difficult to remove or what - but I left it, possibly because it started working again, and ended up under pressure to get it fixed because I didn't know where to get an auto sparky and I'd completely forgotten about the relay!

Anyhow, I'm just glad it's sorted now - even if I could have done it for the four quid cost of a relay.