Warning System - Lights On - '93 Geo Metro?

[Crvett69]

they are behind the quarter panel plastic covers. if you take those off should see the plug inside there that they go to. none of the ones i have here seem to be corroded so i could probably send you a lifetime supply of them if these ever rust out. but you figure how old you car was and they lasted this liong so these should last as long as you have the car. did you ever put the tach dash in your car?

[DOCTORBILL]

"they are behind the quarter panel plastic covers. if you take those off should see the plug inside there that they go to. none of the ones i have here seem to be corroded so i could probably send you a lifetime supply of them if these ever rust out. but you figure how old you car was and they lasted this liong so these should last as long as you have the car. did you ever put the tach dash in your car?"

OK...I guess I am way too ignorant...What are the "Quarter Panel Plastic Covers?"

I am not familiar with this terminology.

The weather here has been bad and worse! I've just gotten over some virus
and my left eye fixed (right eye next Wednesday!) - so, no I have not done
squat on The Phoenix except check to make sure the oil level is OK
(not using any oil and running like a charm!)

We just had 6" of snow yesterday and more to come with variations of from
-3 degrees to 45 degrees! Really screwie weather! Slop everywhere...

The Dash Tachometer will probably not get done until Spring....

The door switches likewise, more than likely.

I am getting too old for working on cars....at least I feel that way of late.

Hope that goes away and I get a big shot of ambition!

DoctorBill

[Crvett69]

those big plastic panels next to rear seat that go from door post back to rear hatch. one thing you might consider doing while you have them off is to spray inside them on the metal with some undercoating. will make the car quieter

[DOCTORBILL]

One would have to remove the back seat and the back backrest to do that, no?

Is there some trick to getting those panels off?

Whenever I have messed with stuff like that, I broke the plastic connectors
that hold them in place!

Once they are off, I will spray some undercoating as you suggest!

Also, while they are off, I could install some speakers, couldn't I...?

One side of the plastic "panels" is cracked....can one fix them with fiberglass as
one would some boat?

I am fairly good at fixing fiberglass canoes with the resin and fiberglass.
Learned how to do that by buying bashed in $1,000 canoes for $50 and fixing
them better than new for my four kids each to have as they grew up.
Some busted fiberglass canoes I got for free from the owners just to cart away!

Anyway - I never liked farting around with the plastic door and insides panels
on cars because something always breaks.

I found a shop in Spokane that sells all those bizzarre little "Connectors" and
"Clips", but still, something always cracks or breaks or pops off. Those damned
connectors and clips are expensive little buggers!

On older cars the plastic has always become hard and brittle.

So - any helpful hints would be appreciated!

As to noise, The Phoenix runs so quietly that I am looking forward to
the Tachometer because sometimes I can't tell how fast the engine is revving
from the sound of it running!

DoctorBill

PS - My front "Dashboard" and all the plastic around the Radio, etc has been
Frankensteined - replaced with "Pull-n-Save" pieces - each of different
colors.

What is a good BLACK paint that I can spray on these pieces that won't
peel off like the stuff the former owner used?

[Crvett69]

they make a plastic vinal spray paint that you can recolor the plastic parts with. it sticks better than the regular spray paint. can get it at schucks or most auto parts stores. for the rear panel removal i would suggest next time your at your pull a part yard to remove one of the panels, that way if you break it you will know how to remove yours without breaking it. its also a good idea to get a collection of those clips while you are at the wrecking yard. for the ones with the pin in the middle just use a screwdriver to push that center pin down about 1/8" and then it will pull right out. just pull the pin out when you want to install it, put the clip in place and push the center pin back in till its flush

[DOCTORBILL]

I have a question about the night lights in the Heater Switch bank above the Radio.

At night I can see the heat "amount" selector and the selector panel as to where
the heat is to be directed to, but I cannot see the lever above the "where-to"
symbols nor the fan speed lever.

Are there supposed to be bulbs allowing one to see these upper heater levers?

While I'm driving, I have to "feel around" for those two levers and I have a hard
time finding them...

If there are lights to illuminate them, they are probably T.U.

Is it difficult to get at those light bulbs?

DoctorBill

[Metro Mighty Mouse]

I believe there is just one light in the middle panel that lights the entire section.

As for the plastic panels in the back, they can be removed without removing the back seat. The clips are also pretty durable and if worse comes to worse I have extra panel clips for behind the panel (they are the same as the ones inside the door panels) and I have generic surface push connectors I bought from J C Whitney for when other connectors break.

I used Dupli-Color vinyl paint and Krylon paint on my dash and plastic parts. Both work well as long as you do a thorough job prepping the part.

[70camaro]

Hey, to get back to the original topic... My 94 does not "bong" when the lights are left on. GM Rat, does the "audio alarm mod." make the sound? I'm wondering if mine is broken or missing or if it's even wired for one.. Did all 94's have this? Can anyone else with a 94 chime (bong) in on this? I'm hopeing at least the plug is there, then I could just get a module from a doner...

[cliffs_redneck]

I bought my 94 Metro on eBay about three months ago. I couldn't get the dome light to come on when the doors were opened (although it worked fine when the switch was set to always on). Also, I didn't have a Lights On chime. Anyway, long story short, I pulled off the panels on either side of the rear seat, cleaned corrosion off the door switches and reseated them. Lo and behold! The Lights On chime works now, as well as the dome light when a door is opened. Hope this helps someone out, sorry if I'm repeating what's already been written. Now if I can only figure out why I don't have backup lights...

[DOCTORBILL]

Hey!

Wait a minute!

What have the door switches to do with the Lights On boinger?

My switches are goners....will replace when the weather gets better.

I don't understand....

DoctorBill

[Crvett69]

think the light on buzzer is hooked to dome door light switches so if you open the door it will ding if lights are on but not ding if door is closed

[SchlockRod]

I think it's typical that the door switch controls the lights-on warning in addition to the dome light. That's how our van works.
I still agree with Dr. Bill that the lights should be wired throught the ignition. So what if you need headlights while parked or broken down? Just turn on the ignition!