The 'E' Type Forum

Hi guys,

Please forgive me but I need to know what the Map Light is.

I can identify as follows:

- interior light: same as on my Smart: the centre rear upper lamp, on top of the rear door. Plastic white cover, I put 2x14 W into it which I had around.

- instruments: lots of light bulb sockets, all 2.2W, usually red/white, plug into the instruments.

- then, there is a sequel of three lights below the centre panel. Is this the "map light" ?

Just want to be sure I wire it up correctly.

Carsten

The map light is the single long festoon bulb ( a double-ended bulb about 0.5 cm diameter and 1.5 to 2 cms long ) which clips into a bracket on the underside in the centre of the dash top panel

...and which I don't have....

This would explain why there are 2 ripped-out cables, purple + purple-white.

Could you publish a picture ?

Carsten

Here are they; purple and purple white . They are bounded with the middle air hose

Mine isn't a festoon bulb, but a bayonet bulb, size BA9S. So are the bulbs (2) in the main interior light fitting and the front side light bulbs.

Mine was a BA9S bulb too....until the socket fell apart. They are ?24 to replace which is ridiculous so for ?1.50 I used two warm white LED chips and 22 ohm resistors from china. Five times brighter and sixteen times cheaper!!!! They are under the dash so you cant see them.

Purple is positive (always live) and purple and black is negative that goes to the door pillar switches and to the switch on the dash too.

The ones in the interior are also BA9S. 14 watt sounds a lot. Mine are 5 watt each..Might put LED bulbs there too!

The three below the centre panel light the strip that tell you what all the switches do. These are 1.2 watt BA7S bulbs. The connect to the red wire that you will have that does all the instrumentation lights in the various gauges. They illuminate when the side lights come on.

Mine is also the bayonet type, i replaced it with an LED equivalent from ebay.

Very interesting about the bayonet type, because mine sounds to be very inauthentic, as its wires have those strange unsoldered/uncrimped diving bell shaped fastenings which just push into a curl on the fitting itself ( which is brass )

Sounds right Christopher:

christopher storey wrote:Very interesting about the bayonet type, because mine sounds to be very inauthentic, as its wires have those strange unsoldered/uncrimped diving bell shaped fastenings which just push into a curl on the fitting itself ( which is brass )

Mine was the same Christopher. Carsten's April 2nd 1966 built car actually, although I don't recall selling the tub with dadh top still on it. Others have been bayonet type as per David's drawing.

Hi Pete,

The tub came empty as I had absolutely no cash for whatsoever extra on top in those days, almost 10 yrs ago now.

I searched the dash and found nothing. Again, is it under the dash cover ? I have stored this in another edge of the garage, and may look there this weekend.

Below the folding dash panel is the radio console, there can't be a lamp. Only the 3 bulbs with the slots in the panel which shine on the gearbox cover.

Oh and I will swap the interior light bulbs- if too beefy they will melt the cap in no time and agen and harden and darken it....

Carsten

The map lights sits under the dash top.

Ahhh !

Now I remember- I am pretty sure I have seen one of these there:

<===>

And Citroen used lots of them, so I have various stock. They even came in different lengths.


Carsten

If not you might consider this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-12V-30-60-9 ... 3ac30b44c2

Makes better light and easy to install on the underside of the dash

Yes but as original as a fish driving a Bike...

Did the map light have a plastic cover ? Or was it a frosted bulb ?

Carsten

Hi Carsten - mine is just an open lamp - no cover as it's hidden (and therefore somewhat protected) by the dash top. David's earlier picture shows my type as well - clear lamp, no cover.

I can remove the lamp and insert the connector from my period parking lamp where the lamp was, thus using the electrical supply for the parking lamp if needed (rather than using the cigar lighter). But, of course, I wouldn't ever need to use the parking lamp these days - hardly going to leave it on the side of the road overnight, now, am I?

One of the better bits of Jaguar electrics.

The wires are forever falling out and shorting, blowing fuses and releasing smoke.

Taken my bulb out and dont use it......its an easy way to run the battery flat if the door hasnt been closed properly

DId the same as Steve !

I know I am replying to an old post, but my search has not yielded any recent results. I have a 64 E-type 3.8 OTS and cannot figure out how the map light is attached. It, along with many other things was missing.

One more question. The new cigar lighter I purchased from Martin Robber has a round stem for attaching a hot wire. It's almost like a "bullet" type end, but smaller diameter. The double purple wire from my harness has a female end for connecting to a Lucar "blade". I'm not sure how to make the connection.

Help on either problem would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Al