Some years back, I disconnected the two wires leading to/from the panel light rheostat and hoooked them together, thus bypassing the faulty control. Unfortunately, the instrument lights are extremely dim, as are the turn signal and high beam indicators (I believe all are the same type of bulb). They are almost too dim to read the instruments when there is any type of oncoming traffic or ambient light. And unless it is pitch black, there is no way I know when my high beams are on.

I was advised the bulbs might have dimmed over the years, but in testing, I found I have only 10.4 volts in the instrument lighting circuit, while, using the same meter, with the same ground, I have 12.5 at the fuse strip.

I saw from the schematic component listing that there is a voltage stabilizer,and know from past Volvos that this is a resistance coil used to keep the instrument needles from gyrating wildly. But the lights shouldn't be affected by this, should they?

Can anyone tell me how I can get those bulbs the full 12V they deserve, or is my only alternative to replace them with lamps of higher wattage.