Stuey3D
New member
Hi I have a 2001 MPI Seicento which is experiencing and odd issue with the headlights.
I leave the headlights on all the time (bad biker habit as bikes are hardwired on nowadays) as they turn off with the ignition, however lately when I get in the car and turn the ignition on sometimes the drivers side headlight is really dim.
Now sometimes it will fix itself and work perfectly, sometimes it needs to be put to high beam and back again to trigger it, and sometimes the connector under the bonnet needs a wiggle either way it ends up working again and doesn't have a problem for the entire duration of the trip.
Had a look at the connectors and the plastic has melted away on one side so I taped it up to prevent any shorting but it still seems to happen. Oddly enough after I taped the drivers side up, the passenger light also experienced the same symptoms.
If I turn the lights off and on again but don't get out the car and turn the alarm on they come on no problems, the problem seems to occur after I get out and turn the alarm on and walk away. I have tried locking the doors without the alarm and it appears to fix the problem but I haven't tested enough to say this is the case for certain.
I ran a multimeter over the battery as since Summer when we had those floods the alternator seems to make a slight hiss which seems to correspond to the engine speed ie higher revs louder hiss, but everything has worked fine and when I tested today I get a solid 13.8v when just engine running and still 13.8v when all lights fans and heated windows are on so I don't think alternator is the issue.
It could be a battery issue especially as its cold as I only do short journeys now as my commute to work has dropped from 48miles to 3 maybe it's not charging enough, but I don't have a battery charger to charge it up overnight to rule this out.
Anyone with any ideas what this could be, I'm hoping its a simple fix and nothing major needs replacing.
Thanks for looking
stu
I leave the headlights on all the time (bad biker habit as bikes are hardwired on nowadays) as they turn off with the ignition, however lately when I get in the car and turn the ignition on sometimes the drivers side headlight is really dim.
Now sometimes it will fix itself and work perfectly, sometimes it needs to be put to high beam and back again to trigger it, and sometimes the connector under the bonnet needs a wiggle either way it ends up working again and doesn't have a problem for the entire duration of the trip.
Had a look at the connectors and the plastic has melted away on one side so I taped it up to prevent any shorting but it still seems to happen. Oddly enough after I taped the drivers side up, the passenger light also experienced the same symptoms.
If I turn the lights off and on again but don't get out the car and turn the alarm on they come on no problems, the problem seems to occur after I get out and turn the alarm on and walk away. I have tried locking the doors without the alarm and it appears to fix the problem but I haven't tested enough to say this is the case for certain.
I ran a multimeter over the battery as since Summer when we had those floods the alternator seems to make a slight hiss which seems to correspond to the engine speed ie higher revs louder hiss, but everything has worked fine and when I tested today I get a solid 13.8v when just engine running and still 13.8v when all lights fans and heated windows are on so I don't think alternator is the issue.
It could be a battery issue especially as its cold as I only do short journeys now as my commute to work has dropped from 48miles to 3 maybe it's not charging enough, but I don't have a battery charger to charge it up overnight to rule this out.
Anyone with any ideas what this could be, I'm hoping its a simple fix and nothing major needs replacing.
Thanks for looking
stu