Technical High Beam Not Working

[forzaf1]

2013 Fiat Panda.

Driving at night, went to put on high beam, flicked the stalk, and it cut out the dipped headlights completely and it went totally dark. Switched off high beam and the dipped beam came back on again.

Have tried new bulbs, no change. Checked the high beam relay and believe that's fine aswell as the fuse.

The dash shows high beam activated (blue logo showing).

I don't know if it's coincidence but the fog lights at the front don't work either (haven't checked the bulbs yet)


Any help would be most appreciated as it's due MOT at the end of the month.

 

[bugsymike]

2013 Fiat Panda.

Driving at night, went to put on high beam, flicked the stalk, and it cut out the dipped headlights completely and it went totally dark. Switched off high beam and the dipped beam came back on again.

Have tried new bulbs, no change. Checked the high beam relay and believe that's fine aswell as the fuse.

The dash shows high beam activated (blue logo showing).

I don't know if it's coincidence but the fog lights at the front don't work either (haven't checked the bulbs yet)


Any help would be most appreciated as it's due MOT at the end of the month.

I had an older Doblo that did that, I had to fit a new indicator/headlamp stalk. It would work on headlamp flash, does yours?

 

[forzaf1]

I had an older Doblo that did that, I had to fit a new indicator/headlamp stalk. It would work on headlamp flash, does yours?

Flash doesn't work either.

I've plugged multiecuscan in and when I turn on high beam, it initially registers as on and goes straight to off, almost immediately, but nothing from the lights.

 

[bugsymike]

Have you tried powering up the high beam relay or providing feed to that side of the relay, with relay out and / or checking the trigger side of relay socket?
I used a fused powered test probe to prevent any damage.
Reason I say that is I had a 55 plate Grande Punto that wouldn't work starter or power up the fuel pump in tank, relay was good but the trigger feed was bad, powering it up got everything working. That fault I finally traced to a broken/rotted wire inside it's plastic just 10mm from the ECU

 

[forzaf1]

I don't know if it relates but the Panda wouldn't start many months ago and we traced it to a failed fuel pump relay. Coincidence or have anything to do with lights??

 

[bugsymike]

I don't know if it relates but the Panda wouldn't start many months ago and we traced it to a failed fuel pump relay. Coincidence or have anything to do with lights??

Probably not, but it does point to suspect wiring/relays etc.
It's worth trying what I said, in my case relay and connections all looked good, it was only on testing what the readings at the socket for the relay and then powering up the output side using a fused test probe that I was able to trace the fault.

 

[forzaf1]

Ok so a little update.

Taken out fog lamp bulbs and tested them independently, and they work just fine, but when connected back to the car they won't work. So, it cannot be switch related as both high beams and fogs run off different switches.

 

[bugsymike]

Ok so a little update.

Taken out fog lamp bulbs and tested them independently, and they work just fine, but when connected back to the car they won't work. So, it cannot be switch related as both high beams and fogs run off different switches.

If you can identify the relays, try powering them up as I suggested previously, if the lights come on then you will be able to narrow your search.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Fuse/relay box under the bonnet. So far as I can tell, bottom row, 3rd along is headlight main beam. In passing, fog lights one highlighted too. Top right of that block is fuel pump.

 

[lingottobuilt]

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions.....
After checking the fuse, and replacing relay (probably not necessarily needed), still no joy.
Anyone know where I can view a wiring diagram, ?
I have got them to work by making an extra ground wire from no.86....meter reading from there to earth was not giving me a dead short,so thinking I'd got it, on test found that dipped beams are on when ignition is switched on.....and lights off,!
I need to trace the wires back thru the loom, but that seems like a very tedious job,
BTW, I connected up a new (used) steering column switch assembly suspecting it could be a poor connection within , but no change..

 

[bugsymike]

Have you tried powering up the high beam relay or providing feed to that side of the relay, with relay out and / or checking the trigger side of relay socket?
I used a fused powered test probe to prevent any damage.
Reason I say that is I had a 55 plate Grande Punto that wouldn't work starter or power up the fuel pump in tank, relay was good but the trigger feed was bad, powering it up got everything working. That fault I finally traced to a broken/rotted wire inside it's plastic just 10mm from the ECU

With reference to what I mentioned before as above, further to that , what I found was that the trigger signal for the relay from the ECU goes from a positive to a negative on turning ignition on or off, I know this sounds weird, but with a voltmeter in the relay socket this proved to be the case when all connected up.
As I wasn't getting a signal from that terminal I traced it all the way back through the loom to the ECU and found the break inside the plastic covering of the wire. By simply replacing that wire the fault was fixed.