# Fiat Ducato - reversing lights



## Sheeds (Apr 8, 2011)

In Australia the majority of Motorhomes have two white reversing lights. One manufacturer who builds on the Fiat ducato cab/chassis is a bid lazy and leaves the imported Fiat as is - with the bright red foglight on the RHS rear and only the single white reversing light on the LHS. We don't really need a foglight in Australia because we simply don't have pea soup fogs like in the UK / Europe. In fact there is a law banning them if there is no fog!! A mate bought a Motorhome based on the Fiat cab/chassis and replaced the RHS rear foglight with a white reversing light. No problems,all went well. He ran a wire from the LHS reversing light across to the RHS foglight fitting. Cut the foglight wire,no problems. An accident repair on the LHS rear was needed. I can sense you're already ahead of me. Now on the dashscreen a message comes up "check rear foglight globes". The repairer doesn't know how or what wiring occurred. He'll have to go to a Fiat dealer.Surely there's a fuse for the original foglight that can be removed to solved the problem? Fiat electrics, beware it is said!!


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## PeteandMe (Sep 19, 2010)

It's only working the way it should. Having sensed there is no bulb there because the wire is cut.


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## duxdeluxe (Sep 2, 2007)

Yes, if it is a canbus system as on most modern vehicles then it will think that the bulb has blown and give an error message


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## Sheeds (Apr 8, 2011)

peteandme + duxdeluxe. Thank you for your input. How do we fix it? 
Is there a fuse or something that can be removed. Another Motorhome brand,Jayco in Australia, builds on the Fiat,but has two reversing lights, obviously removing that rear foglight and negating the missing bulb problem causing that message! Mate is reluctant to contact them out of respect seeing he did not buying their unit. Again, thank you for your replies.
PS: I would expect the rear foglight to remain in the UK? Yes?


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## radar100 (Sep 8, 2010)

Hi, first to answer your last question, a rear fog light is compulsory in the UK so yes the fog light remains. As to your previous question, your friend should have had this problem as soon as he cut the fog light wire but perhaps the bodyshop disconnected the battery or or the battery went flat whilst in their care. This would be enough to cause this problem to happen. Removing a fuse would not cure the fault as the bulb monitoring function in the canbus would still see the cut wire as a blown bulb. I also find it odd that doubling the load on the reverse light circuit has not confused the canbus. I have heard horror stories about people wiring towbars on cars with canbus systems and frying the main electronic module which can cost thousands to replace! There are two possible answers to your friends problem, one is to wire a suitable resistor into the fog light circuit to simulate the resistance of the unlit bulb (or even connect a bulb to the wiring out of sight somewhere). The other answer is to connect a computer (with suitable software) to the van and access the canbus systems and electronically disable the fog light function though this may not be possible, depends on the vehicle software. A fiat dealer should be able to access the vehicle systems at a price!

Hope this is of some help 

Radar


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## Sheeds (Apr 8, 2011)

*Fiat Ducato Reversing Lights*

Radar - sincere thanks for your reply. Towbar was fitted via a "junction box". Apparently that is the norm for wiring up a Fiat towbar. Therre was never a problem even with the wire cut,but his warning light comes on all the time now. Your advice and help will be put to good use. Will copy your answer and send it off to my mate. Thank you very much Radar.


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