1980 C3 Parking light/Turn signal bulb replacement

[Donnydeadlight]

Hi All. I'm very new to CCCUK, so please forgive me if this has been posted/answered previously though I have searched the forum and couldn't find anything. I noticed today my lower P/S front lamp (in the grill) on my 1980 C3 is not working, though the turn signal comes on as normal. I'm assuming it's a bulb, but can't quite figure out how to access. Thought I'd ask the experts before tinkering around. Grateful for any support or direction here. Many thanks in advance.

 

[Oneball]

There’s a bulb holder on the back of the light you twist to release it, in theory you might be able to get your hand in there but it’s probably easier to unscrew the grille. It’s 4 screws on the ‘79. I’m not sure if the ‘80 is the same as they changed the front a bit.

 

[Chuffer]

I have a 1980 and as Oneball said you can reach up inside and twist release the the lamp holder . A bit of a fiddle as you need to lay on the floor to reach up inside the nose of the car . Turning the front wheels in the appropriate direction will help a bit with access rather than jacking up and taking the wheel off . Good luck .

 

[Donnydeadlight]

There’s a bulb holder on the back of the light you twist to release it, in theory you might be able to get your hand in there but it’s probably easier to unscrew the grille. It’s 4 screws on the ‘79. I’m not sure if the ‘80 is the same as they changed the front a bit.

Thanks, much appreciated!

 

[Donnydeadlight]

I have a 1980 and as Oneball said you can reach up inside and twist release the the lamp holder . A bit of a fiddle as you need to lay on the floor to reach up inside the nose of the car . Turning the front wheels in the appropriate direction will help a bit with access rather than jacking up and taking the wheel off . Good luck .

Thanks for coming back so quickly, really appreciate it. Seems I have bigger problems now. Just took her for an hours drive and she dumped the entire contents of the radiator on my drive when I got back! Well, at least it was on my drive and we got home safe.

 

[Vetman]

You may have a leak that only occurs when you switch off the engine. At this point the air cooling and water pump stop and the water temperature and water pressure spike. Still a leak that needs fixing though. I had this type of leak on my radiator so I replaced it with a new aluminium one from Champion.

 

[Oneball]

Look on the bright side now it’s empty it’s a good time to give the rad a flush and check the thermostat is working, change the rad cap too assuming it boiled out of the overflow.

 

[Donnydeadlight]

You may have a leak that only occurs when you switch off the engine. At this point the air cooling and water pump stop and the water temperature and water pressure spike. Still a leak that needs fixing though. I had this type of leak on my radiator so I replaced it with a new aluminium one from Champion.

That's really helpful, thanks. I should probably should start a separate thread?

 

[Donnydeadlight]

Look on the bright side now it’s empty it’s a good time to give the rad a flush and check the thermostat is working, change the rad cap too assuming it boiled out of the overflow.

Really appreciate you guys coming back to me so quickly, such a great forum! It seemed to come out the bottom corner (D/S) so don't know if there's a drain plug or screw in thermostat switch that may have come loose? Seemed to start just before I killed the engine. Pretty sure the thermostat is good as the electric fan kicks in fine. I should probably start another thread...?

 

[Oneball]

Overflow is on the passenger side on most C3s so sounds more like a simple leak rather than anything else, fingers crossed.

 

[Vetman]

You could check any likely connections and then try something like Radweld. It must work for someone! Changing the radiator on my 75 was a difficult but rewarding job single handed.

 

[Donnydeadlight]

Thanks so much all. Really helpful suggestions and advice. I'll update the post when I figure out what's going on and hopefully it will help someone else. Your support is greatly appreciated.

 

[Donnydeadlight]

I have a 1980 and as Oneball said you can reach up inside and twist release the the lamp holder . A bit of a fiddle as you need to lay on the floor to reach up inside the nose of the car . Turning the front wheels in the appropriate direction will help a bit with access rather than jacking up and taking the wheel off . Good luck .

Hi all. Just updating this thread in case useful. As Chuffer indicated, if you have a 1980 C3 you can indeed reach up behind the front fairing/valance and reach the bulb holder without raising the car to replace the bulb. I managed it lying flat beside the car with the steering slightly turned for additional clearance. It is a simple squeeze and turn holder that is easily removed by turning counterclockwise. Once released the bulb holder can easily be removed with plenty of slack in the harness to bring it out the underside of the car to replace the bulb (finally something sensible!) Many thanks all for your support, I hope this helps someone. (Ps I'll update on the radiator issue in a separate thread)