44 replies to this topic

[Horace]

Cool. Thanks.

[mxorvx]

Can someone tell me where the headlight relay is, and which one I can swap it with?

  This helper sheet tells you:   http://www.vx220.org..._151_139861.jpg   I swapped the intermittent headlight relay for the horn one. IIRC the horn is the one on the end towards the back of the car and the headlight is 2 down from that (but I'm not 100% sure on this)  

I hope you see this I have exact same problem....sidelights go on with sidelight switch but press head lamp switch and nothing happens except the sidelights go out... Did swapping relay fix your issue?

[james_ly]

Swapping the relay fixed it for a few months. Then it came back so I bought a new relay. No problems since!

[james_ly]

I think this is the relay I bought:

 

http://www.eurocarpa...50880030/p/home

Edited by james_ly, 08 September 2015 - 10:37 AM.

[Horace]

This is interesting.  I fitted HIDs, but the left headlight kept going off.  Couldn't find any issues with the power feed, got miffed with the whole thing and went back to normal headlights with no flickering.

 

Thinking about it, if I had a tiny intermittency in the relay power feed, it would cut the power to the xenon bulb, and the bulb wouldn't restart because it needs the balast to fire it.

 

Hmmm..........

[gaffer1986]

I've got a similar problem, the near side dipped beam goes out sometimes, but if I put my full beams on the dipped beam comes back on. I'll check these things when I have the chance.

[909]

These problems are invariably caused by faulty "utilux type" connections.  Inside the plastic covers there are male connectors one side and a female connectors the other side.  If corrosion occurs between these male and female connections, this causes an electrical resistance which will then cause heating of that connection which in turn softens (anneals) the metal of the female connector.  When the metal tension is lost and corrosion still exists the electrical connection will be less than perfect and become intermittent and fail, especially when a higher current occurs such as turning on the headlights. This electrical resistance causes the voltage drop which dimms all the lights when the head lamps are lit.  (Depending where the faulty connection is.  This fault can occur at a relay plug connection)

 

Corroded earth connections can cause similar problems.

 

A damp atmosphere excacerbates these problems. 

 

A repair can be made after finding the offending connector, cleaning off the corrosion and re-tensioning the metal female connector. 

Edited by 909, 12 September 2015 - 08:47 PM.

[gaffer1986]

These problems are invariably caused by faulty "utilux type" connections.  Inside the plastic covers there are male connectors one side and a female connectors the other side.  If corrosion occurs between these male and female connections, this causes an electrical resistance which will then cause heating of that connection which in turn softens (anneals) the metal of the female connector.  When the metal tension is lost and corrosion still exists the electrical connection will be less than perfect and become intermittent and fail, especially when a higher current occurs such as turning on the headlights. This electrical resistance causes the voltage drop which dimms all the lights when the head lamps are lit.  (Depending where the faulty connection is.  This fault can occur at a relay plug connection)

 

Corroded earth connections can cause similar problems.

 

A damp atmosphere excacerbates these problems. 

 

A repair can be made after finding the offending connector, cleaning off the corrosion and re-tensioning the metal female connector. 

 

The big problem is finding the offending article.

[Andy_VX]

It'll be a dodgy earth wire, take the clusters out and check the wiring. 

[gaffer1986]

Ok, so my problem is the near side dipped beam doesn't always work. When I turn the full beam sometimes the dipped beam will come or sometimes the side light will go out also so I'm left with no lights nearside apart from the indicator. I've swapped the relays around and I always get the same issue. Time for the cluster to come out.

[Wolfstone]

As 909 says above, it'll be a female spade connector that isn't tight enough. Check, clean and tighten them. It's a common problem.

[gaffer1986]

As 909 says above, it'll be a female spade connector that isn't tight enough. Check, clean and tighten them. It's a common problem.

 

Thanks, just a case of finding the connector. Will it be a connector in the light cluster or are there other connectors I need to look for?

Edited by gaffer1986, 20 September 2015 - 01:01 PM.

[mxorvx]

Thanks for posting that link. I swapped the horn and the radiator fan (both of which were working) with the low and high beam. So it seems that that the issue is not with the relays. 

 

It needs a service anyway so I will let the professionals find the issue whilst being serviced.

 

 

Can someone tell me where the headlight relay is, and which one I can swap it with?

 

This helper sheet tells you:

 

http://www.vx220.org..._151_139861.jpg

 

I swapped the intermittent headlight relay for the horn one. IIRC the horn is the one on the end towards the back of the car and the headlight is 2 down from that (but I'm not 100% sure on this)  

 

 

[Wolfstone]

As 909 says above, it'll be a female spade connector that isn't tight enough. Check, clean and tighten them. It's a common problem.

  Thanks, just a case of finding the connector. Will it be a connector in the light cluster or are there other connectors I need to look for?

It'll be a connector in the light cluster, either main or full beam, behind the rubber bungs.

[gaffer1986]

I pulled these spades off and put them back on again and the lights started working. They look really clean so it doesn't make sense. Is there anything I can put on them to improve conduction?

 

20150920_182922 by Richard Fanders, on Flickr

[gaffer1986]

The plug connecting the offside headlight is filled with grease, do you think this helps?

 

20150920_161103 by Richard Fanders, on Flickr

[gaffer1986]

This is the condition of my space connector and wire for my H1 dipped beam bulb. I have a feeling this maybe why it's intermittent, need to get a new one.

 

20150924_190704 by Richard Fanders, on Flickr

 

20150924_190615 by Richard Fanders, on Flickr

[gaffer1986]

Although I feel I'm heading down the wrong road as I can't see how a corroded connector to the dipped beam would make all the lights in the cluster not work when switching to full beam.

[Mangham54]

Turnip farmer wiring solutions, who knows what is connected to what.

[909]

The plug connecting the offside headlight is filled with grease, do you think this helps?

 

 

The grease (dielectric grease, not chassis grease) is there to stop moisture entering the plug connections and causing corrosion.  That faulty connector you have, has been heated by a corroded electrical connection.  They can get hot enough to melt plastic.

 

You may still have another faulty connection somewhere.  Remember to check all individual electrical connections for tightness.  Use a multimeter to check for any electrical resistance across the connections.  There should be none.

 

To analyze electrical circuits on a modern computer controlled car, a circuit diagram is a big help.  There maybe all sorts of obscure connections.

 

Best of luck, these types of problems can give you a headache.