Hi

I've just got my sapphire back together and the headlights are doing something strange. If I put the sidelights on the dipped beam bulbs light up too but they're dim. If I put dipped beam on nothing changes. If I then try and switch main beam on nothing happens but I can flash the main beams.

So far I've tried a different switch and a different relay but nothing has made a difference so far.

I've checked the earths behind the dash around that area and they seem ok. Everything else works perfectly on the car except for the dipped beams and mains. With the ignition off just the sidelights come on as they should but with the ignition on the dipped beams come on but not as they should.

Just put the dash back in and I was getting the correct voltage at the switch so I guess the fault is elsewhere. Where else should I look? Are there earths near the front lights?

Any ideas help or input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Theres earths by the lights either side 10mm headed bolts,when the sides are on with ign on, these DO light the dipped beam just a little.

its called dim-dip lights

 

I didn't know that I thought just the side light bulbs would come on. I'll investigate further tomorrow thanks

 

Cleaned the earths by both headlamps and the fault is still there If I check the voltage on the brown wire and yellow wire on the back of the bulb I get 6 volts on the passenger headlight and 5 volts on the drivers one. This is with the switch in either side or dipped beam position. If I check the voltage at the plug that plugs into the lights I get 13 volts (with engine running) at the passenger side and nothing on the drivers side.

What does that suggest please?

Thanks

 

is the lamp failure ecu plugged in if not they won't work, also try the relay in fuse box

 

The lamp ecu is plugged in. Can these fail and cause problems?

I've checked the voltage outputs on the fusebox for relay F and I'm getting 6 volts from both pins nearest the front of the car.

Thanks

 

I've also changed the Blue relay. The brown one is the one I checked the voltage on.

 

the relays are white i think try these, there is normally 2 so swap them over.
could also be a problem with fuse board
if the lamp failure unit is faulty it can cause problems. mine was giving false warnings which caused problems with the rear lights so i unplugged it completely then I had no lights

 

I've just looked and there's only 1 white relay in the fusebox on mine. According to the manual the relays for the lights are the Blue 1 which is number 2 and the brown one which is relay F.

I'm wondering whether it could be the fusebox or the lamp ecu that is faulty. Has anyone changed a fusebox?

 

never known a saff fuse box to go wrong Paul,are u just not getting dipped beam? have u checked the light switch ???

My thoughts would be the switch

 

No dipped beam and no main beam but mains can be flashed. I have tried another switch and it was exactly the same. I have also changed the blue relay.

With the side lights switched on the sidelight bulbs light up and so do the dipped beam bulbs but the dipped beams are very dim. For some reason main beam then doesn't work and the blue light on the dash doesn't light up but if you flick the stalk the mains flash on and the blue light illuminates.

 

Strange

This may help

II relay = dim dip try changing that one
X relay main beam
B rear fogs and dim dip try this one aswell
F Dipped beam headlights

 

I've changed number 2 but not the others. I'll grab them tomorrow and change them too. This is really winding me up now I just want the car on the road.

Thanks

 

good luck let us know how u get on

 

Thanks I'll report back tomorrow. I really hope this is it

 

also had this problem when i reshelled my cossie and put in lights from a 1.8. some headlights are wired differently internally to others and need an extra earth link inside. don't know the detail, my brother did it

 

All 4 relays changed and it still does exactly the same

Can you find out more details about how your brother fixed it please Nick?

Thanks

 

All earths that I can find have been cleaned. I've cleaned the ones behind the headlights, the one behind the clocks, the ones in both footwells and the one on the column but the fault is still there. One thing I did notice though is that the washers don't work either Could that be related?

I have seriously had enough now

Thanks

 

Wanna phone no Paul of a good auto electrician????

If so i will PM you his no

 

I have one coming on Tuedsday thanks but this is doing my head in Normally I'd be able to sort most faults on my own but this one has me stumped and I'm finding it annoying. I'm sure that this is connected to the washers not working now too, I'm sure they worked when I picked it up too.

 

Yes im sure there connected as lights need to on (dipped beam) to work

 

I had a similar problem on my saff. It turned out to be the multi plugs on the back of the lights.

Try moving the plug up and down a bit with lights on dipped beam and see if they come on.

 

I have had both plugs off but that is an interesting thought. I've often wondered if it's one of the light units that is faulty

 

A small update.

I've had an email from the previous owner of the car tonight with a photo of his fusebox. His fusebox has 2 small white relays on the right hand side but mine has brown ones in those locations



And these are what I have



Does anyone know the difference between these relays please?

My car is an 88 rear wheel drive model.

Thanks

 

no chance to find out paul, the car has been broken.

but it involved linking the earth in the multiplug that goes on the actual light unit to another pin in there as the headlight needed an earth that was not in the loom (must be 2 different lights, one with the earths linked interanlly and one not)

 

That's a shame. Thanks for replying though

 

Cleaned the earth on the drivers light again just to make sure but the fault is still there. I've also removed the dash and I can't see any earths that I missed and moving the loom makes no difference.

What on earth can I have missed?

 

check the connection on th fuse board itself. try moving the relays about & yes they should be white. just go down to your local scrap yard & there will besome in an old ford

 

I'm going to go to the scrappys Friday and bag some bits.

Tonight I decided it'd be a good idea to test the voltage at the dipped beam fuses in the fusebox and funnily enough I was seeing 6 volts at each There must be a fault somewhere in the fusebox

 

did u sort this eventually if so how as my new 2wd has done the same.

 

you have got the right stalk on there haven,t you i had a simallar problem when i used a stalk from a hatchback in the end i brought a new one for the sapphire.