The Mysterious Service Connector / Service Light,

[adrians]

Well, today I decided to fix my horn button that hasn't worked since I brought the car, the PO had wired a second button under the dash, so I had a working horn.

Yesterday I successfully fixed the horn on the "removal steering wheel'' of my son's Nissan Skyline R32 - so I thought tackling the Spider would be easy. See my other post about that problem !

See Post http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=29469

Anyway during the usually lying on your back and fighting with the cables and connectors in confined spaces I was suddenly hit with a shower of sparks as something was shorting. Quickly killed the power to the battery and started to investigate.

I discovered the Service light connector had unscrewed from it's mounting plate (on the right side of the car) and was arcing on the body.

I removed the connector and it contained a light bulb, but I can't see how the light would work ! - all the connector are joined together and were feed by a positive supply (+), the body is plastic and screw base metal and earthed to the body (-), so the bulb couldn't work.

So my most informed friends - what does this connector do ?

Secondly does it act a connector joining other circuits ?

[JEEPER]

What does the plate look like the socket was mounted to and where was it located? Could it be a courtesy light that is supplied with a ground from a door jamb switch? The reason for the junction of 3 tabs could be to feed another courtsey light down stream, if that is what it is. The courtsey lights have power all the tume and the door switch completes the negitive or ground on the 81 I believe. What color are the wires?

[RoyBatty]

That is the receptacle for an optional light that had a few feet of extension cable and a connector plug at the opposite end from the light that plus into the part you show in the pictures.
fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4430&p=31424&hilit=+inspection+lamp#p31424

[adrians]

Jeepre's the mounting bracket is as per the link that RoyBatty posted / photos. On a US car the bracket would be between the middle console and the steering column.

The wires going to the socket are :
single female blade connector light blue/red stripe and
two cables into one blade female connector black/red stripe.

Both wires are active (+) direct to a battery circuit.

Thanks everyone for your help - I think I'll have to re install the light connector, but insulate the blade connectors to complete the circuits.