Technical Sidelights and dipped beam lights are stuck on. Stalk does nothing.

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Technical Sidelights and dipped beam lights are stuck on. Stalk does nothing.

Balak

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Jul 6, 2019
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Hi, I recently bought a 2011 1.4 Punto Evo and have had trouble with the lights.

Problem:


  • With the car off, all lights are off.
  • WIth the car on, the small sidelights and dipped beam headlights turn on. The rear night lights also turn on. Green sidelights icon comes on in the dash.
  • Turning the lights stalk does nothing
  • The main/high beam headlights come on and off as expected.
  • From the menu, toggling day running lights and cornering lights doesn't seem to change anything.
  • The dipped beam lights angle works fine.
  • Fog lights work fine.
What I have tried:

  • Checking the appropriate fuses and they all seem to be fine.
  • I've scoured the handbook and internet for a schematic for the relays but have found nothing (any ideas which one I might need to check?)
Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

Edit: the engine bay fuse box looks like this: (pic stolen from anothe thread (y))
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I've now swapped over all the black 20A relays and all the 30A relays but no luck.

Next, I'll try to replace the whole lights control assembly. I bought a used part on ebay for about £40.
 
Update:

I've managed to fix it for a total spend of £3.99 and three hours of work.

There's a black and a red wire running through the stem of the lights control stalk. You can pry the back off easily using just a knife - gently push it into the the top until it pops up a bit. Then the plastic panel rotates to reveal the insides. From here I was able to see that the red wire had snapped right at the ball joint. Don't attempt to pull the red wire using plyers as there is no slack at all.

I got the idea to check this after another user in this forum described the same issue but for me I had to disassemble the entire steering wheel area in order to solder the wires back together.

I mostly followed the directions used in a youtube video from "Ciro Cerullo" to do all this. Probably wouldn't have had the confidence to do so otherwise. The first time took me three hours. Second time was just 25 minutes.

Steps:

1. Disconnect negative battery terminal using a 10mm socket/spanner.

2. Wait a few minutes for the electricals to discharge
3. Remove the airbag and unclip cables. This is done by pushing an allen key or screwdriver throught the dimples underneath the steering wheel. There is one on either side. (look for a video or guide on this. It's really easy once you know how).

4. The steering wheel his held by a torx T50 bolt. (A matching size hex key will not work). Mark the position with a marker so you can screw it back into this position.
5. Carefully remove steering wheel, remember how the cables were positioned and folded (take a picture?)
6. Remove the panel on the left side that covers the lights (and cruise) stalk.

7. Use a hex allen key to unscrew and remove the bottom plastic panel.
8. Two more of the same hex allen bolts can now be accessed. These hold the top plastic panel in.
9. There is also another larger allen bolt at the central column. You only need to loosen this one.
10. Pull the leather of the top panel down. Then unclip the top panel from the back wall. There is a clip on the left and the right side.
11. Now you can remove the top plastic panel and switch assembely off together.
12. Take it home, open it up and fix the broken cable. I did this by cutting some of the original cable off from both sides so that I could solder a new length of cable inbetween. If you simply solder at the broken position, it will still be located at the joint that caused the wear.

13. Reassemble.
14. Test everything.

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