Dipped headlights not working on older Xflow

[thesheep]

While trying to sell my car I rather embarrassingly realised that the dipped headlights don't work. So I thought I'd better fix that quick. Easier said than done.

 

The sidelights work, and the full-beams work. Of course when the dipped lights are on, the sidelights are on as well, so in the daylight, it's easy to think, at a glance, that the lights are all working. Try driving at night and you soon realise otherwise.

 

There are 3 switches that control the headlights: a main rocker switch which can be off, sidelights on, or main lights on. Then a 'full beam' switch. Then a full-beam flasher.

 

I'm not electronically minded, so any help would be appreciated:

 

I've verified that the bulbs are fine. I've also checked that no fuses are blown in the fuse box. I've checked the obvious connectors on the back of the switches.

 

The back of the switches look like this. On the left is the flasher, in the middle is the full-beam switch and on the right is the main light rocker switch (in this photo I've obviously removed the connector for the main light rocker).

 

The main rocker switch connector looks like this. I think the brown ones deliver live 12V to the switch. I guess the red and blue wires go to one of each of sidelights or main lights.

 

Any ideas for how to proceed? Maybe I should try to establish if the switch is working first - how would I do that?

 

Thanks

 

Ben

 

 

 

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Caterham7Junkie.com

 

Edited by - thesheep on 6 Jun 2010 11:30:33

[OliverSedlacek]

The most likely culprit is the switch that toggles between main beam and dipped beam, or possibly the associated wiring connections. Mine went a couple of years ago pretty much as I was driving . There really isn't much more to the wiring on an XFlow.

[Etienne 7]

I had a similar problem with mine. No dip light, everything else worked and the fuse blew off. I had a plug not connected around the master switch area.

 

Have you checked all the plus all around the car + the fuses?

 

Despite the simpleness of our cars, electrical stays a pain !!!

 

Good luck!

 

_________________________

BRG 1600 Sprint / Black Elise S1

Lotus Seven - Anything Else Is Just Transportation

[PAC]

Maybe I should try to establish if the switch is working first - how would I do that?

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Presuming you've not got a multi-meter, I'd pull the spade connectors off the switch, then short two wires together, preferably with a purpose made wire with male spades, failing that, anything metal (long nosed pliers), but be careful not to short the pliers to earth anywhere .

I'm not sure what the terminal configuration is, but would guess the power goes to the middle one, as long as you don't short to earth, you can't do any damage if you guess wrong, you'll just light the wrong lamp.

That will prove you have power to the switch, and if the lights work, then the switch is duff.

P

 

Edited by - PAC on 26 May 2010 20:27:17

[jonboylaw]

One Question, has it always been like this or just a recent thing?

 

Have you touched any of the connectors on the back of the dip/main switch at all, like pulled off the spade connectors?

 

Mine was doing this last week, I am 95% though a re-build so suspected I had wired it up wrong. Please ensure the main feed is connected to the centre of the Main/Dip toggle switch and the dip in then upper spade connector and main is the lower...

 

 

 

Jonathan

 

My Flickr

 

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95% there :)

 

92 Supersprint, Ford LSD LA, RK AX Crossflow.

 

 

Edited by - jonboylaw on 26 May 2010 23:24:47

[eagle]

I had a similar issue: headlight not working and then a fuse blew, then with the new fuse it would work intermittently and the bulb was fine throughout all this. The problem was the earth inside the headlight unit. All I did on mine was clean the connection that sits inside the headlight unit at the bottom.

 

Hope that works!

 

Andy

 

_________________________

1998 VX1600

[eagle]

Oh, for the record, my issue was with full beam, not dipped, but hopefully it's the earth connection...

 

_________________________

1998 VX1600

[thesheep]

Right, I've tried connecting up the connectors that go into the main switch, and I can get the sidelights to go on, and the full beam (if it's toggled on) but not the dipped beam. So I guess it's not the switch.

 

Next I'll take a look inside the headlights like Andy said, to see if that is the problem. Once I can get the damn light casing off (angle is too tight for screwdriver).

 

How would I test the earth inside the headlight? And if one of the earths is messed up, would that be stopping both dipped headlights from working?

 

--------------------------------------------------------

Caterham7Junkie.com

[OliverSedlacek]

It's probably still the switch! You can try swapping the dipped and main connection at the switch. If you then have dipped beam but not main, then it's definitely the switch.

 

It can't be the earth, because otherwise you wouldn't get main or dipped beam.

[eagle]

Just a note on why it can be the earth connection...The two circuits have separate earths in the headlight, so if one of them is more corroded than the other (depending on which is touching the headlight casing), then that can cause a loss of connection. Like I said previously, it's exactly what happened in mine with the only exception being I had dipped working and full beams not working.

 

Ben, it may not be necessary to test the earth connection if it's obviously corroded (covered in a bluey limescale sunbstance). If this is the case, simply clean it up with some sand paper or even a pen knife blade will do if necesssary.

 

Having said all that, if it's easier to do initially, it's probably worth swapping the connections on the switch though as suggested by Oliver, that'll confirm which end of the circuit has the problem.

 

I'm not familiar with your headlight fixings. If you need to slacken off the headlights, then mark on a wall/fence where the full beam is roughly pointing and you can use this marker to align the unit when it comes to putting it all back together again.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

_________________________

1998 VX1600

[jonboylaw]

Just checked my Main/Dip switch and yours looks to be wired correctly. I would now suspect a bad connection in lamps.

 

The side light/main lights switch powers a relay that supplies the power to the centre of the dip/main beam switch. So if you have main beam then this is working.

 

Jonathan

 

My Flickr

 

-----------------------------------

95% there :)

 

92 Supersprint, Ford LSD LA, RK AX Crossflow.

 

[thesheep]

Thanks Jonathan.

 

I will take the lights apart and check over the connections.

 

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Caterham7Junkie.com

[Ian B]

Right, I've tried connecting up the connectors that go into the main switch, and I can get the sidelights to go on, and the full beam (if it's toggled on) but not the dipped beam. So I guess it's not the switch.

That sounds like you're shorting the wires on the 3-way Rocker switch. Have you tried shorting the wires on the Main/Dip toggle switch?

My first suspect would be that

 

 

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Ian - Slightly Vider SVelte SuperVeloce model 😬 - Joint AR for North Kent - Area details and calendar here

[jonboylaw]

Or try swapping the main and dipped wires on the toggle switch and see if you only get dipped, this would strongly suggest a knackered toggle switch..

 

 

 

Jonathan

 

My Flickr

 

-----------------------------------

95% there :)

 

92 Supersprint, Ford LSD LA, RK AX Crossflow.

 

[OliverSedlacek]

On my 1989 car there is only one earth inside the headlight! There have been plenty of changes over the years, which is why it can be hard to be specific. The fact that neither dipped beam works points to a common point of failure, so that rules out the headlights. The dipped/main switch and fuses are your most likely bet.