Do the sidelights have Dim Dip?

[Pierson]

I checked my lights yesterday and without the ignition on, had no NS side light, only OS. Turn igntion on and both sides illuminate.

 

Can I assume from this that the side light bulb has a Dim Dip function that has blown on the NS - or is it something altogether more 'fun and interesting'?

 

Pierson

[k80rum]

Sounds like one of those 'parked lights' safety features. So that the off side of the car is illuminated when stationary Something i've not noticed on mine ('99 DeDion). I'll go and see if mine does it..

 

Darren E

 

Edited to add: if it's a feature, then I don't have it - ignition off, all sidelights on.

 

Website and Emerald maps library

 

Superlight R #54

 

 

 

Edited by - k80rum on 6 Aug 2007 09:43:17

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

No dim/dip that I'm aware of !

 

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And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking...

 

And racing around to come up behind you again. new link to photos

[Irrelevant]

Purely a guess . . . but could it be that there are 2 methods of illuminating the side lights:

1. When the side (should be called parking as you shouldn't drive on side lights) lights are turned on.

2. When the low/high beam is on - so that if a headlight bulb fails, the light will be lit by the side light bulb, even of only dimly.

 

If this is the case, and a fuse of whatever in the wiring for option 1 had gone, this would explain your situation.

 

Is this a standard car and loom?

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Side lights are always on with headlights !!

 

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And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking...

 

And racing around to come up behind you again. new link to photos

[Pierson]

SM25T is right - with ignition on, both side (sorry, 'parking'...) lights are on when on the first indent of the light switch, then dipped/main with the second (full) indent. But turn off the ignition and it becomes akin to the situation Darren hints at whereby leaving the indicator set in the tintop, for example, offers night parking visibility on one side of the car only.

 

However, in the case of the 7, it's just the NS front that's out, the rears and OS front are on. The car is standard as is the loom.

 

It's not the end of the world 'cos engine running, the car still has full parking lights and I always run full lights anyway. Guess I'll have a peek at the bulb and try swapping it to see what happens.

 

Pierson

[Drumster]

Try this.....

 

NS sidelight and NS light are on a separate fuse from OS sidelight and OS rear light. If one of theses fuses have blown the headlights on both sides will still work as headlights oare on another fuse.

 

Happened to me last week.

[Ian Macquarie]

The Wiring diagram in my build manual shows a Dim/Dip Control.

The diagram is dated 1988, though mine is a 1990 car and does not have it!

 

Ian

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

It was a fairly short-lived gadget on many tin-tops (esp Fords), but seems to have been abandoned these days ? Don't imagine CC would have done it for long !

 

******************

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking...

 

And racing around to come up behind you again. new link to photos

[Pierson]

Thanks for your post, Ian - perhaps you're 'sheading some light' on this matter.... (sorry). Our car is 1987 vintage, one of the first de-Dion chassis, so your diagram sounds/looks accurate and contemporary.

 

Well, last night the inevitable happened - used the lights after a run to the monthly Carrotlands meeting and when back in the garage fully expected the problem to remain. But it didn't - the parking light on the NS was on (as was the OS) without the ignition. So - I'm happy, but no closer to understanding why....

 

There is a small (matchbox-sized) black, finned box plugged into a white connector which eminates from the fusebox under the dash and attached by Velcro to the inside of the scuttle bulkhead - wassat, then? Could that be a separate Dim/Dip control of the same vintage? Please forgive my lack of electrickery knowledge.

 

Any clues? Not so much concerned, just curious.

 

Cheers,

Pierson