[C320-list] Cabin lights?

[David Veeneman]

I figured out how to open the cabin lights—thanks for all the suggestions kn response to my post. For anyone else who has the same problem down the road, here’s how I got mine off:

My procedure relates only to older C320s with lights built into the headliner. It appears that Catalina changed that approach at some later point, but I’m not sure when.

Anyway, on early C320s like mine, the light fixtures are molded into the headliner in the saloon and galley. They are round with a round frosted lens in the center, The lens extends below  the fixture about 1”. The lens is held in place by a plastic retainer ring that can be freely rotated.

The retainer ring does not screw off. It is held in place by several small tabs, evenly spaced around the ring, that clip over the fixture, which means that the retainer ring must be carefully pried off the fixture. As several responders noted, the ring is subject to breaking when prying it off the fixture, so take it really easy and apply as little force as possible. The tabs are small, and the ring should pop right off once you have freed a couple of the tabs. The ring simply snaps back onto the fixture when you are done.

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David Veeneman
Dana Point, CA
SV Adelante, C320 #131




> On Jun 4, 2019, at 12:49 PM, David Veeneman <davidv at veeneman.com> wrote:
> 
> I’m starting work on the non-functioning cabin lights on my new (to me) 1994 C320. But first, I have to get the covers off the ceiling lights to check the bulbs and current, and it’s not obvious. How do I do that? Thanks for your help.
> 
> David Veeneman
> Dana Point, CA
> SV Adelante, 1994 C320 #131
> 
> —
> David Veeneman
> Davidv at veeneman.com
> (949) 607-7968