Unusual headlight problem

[Luke]

The dipped headlights in my bravo HLX have decided to stop working from time to time. Fogs, rear lights, side lights and main beam all work fine but both lights on the dipped setting work sometimes and then go out without warning on the move. Cant be the bulbs, maybe a switch problem? Anyone come across this dangerous prob before?!
Any help much appreciated.

Luke

 

[Craig]

check the earth connections under the bonnet.

the best thing to do is leave your headlights on and start checking the wiring and connections.
if your lights start flickering, or go off whilst you're doing this, you may have found the culpret.

if it's a earth block thats at fault, you are probaly better off cleaning the block up and replacing the lucar style connectors, use fully insulated types to help prevent it happening in future.

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Unusual headlight problem

Its gonna be switch or relay, if it was an earthing issue at the headlamp then only one of them would go out, not both.

 

[Craig]

Re: Re: Re: Unusual headlight problem

glad to see tom agreeing with me as usual
to be honest, i think you're going to have to go through and find the fault.
you could try pulling the relay and checking wether its corroded, as i've seen this before.

can you hear the relay click off when the lights go out?

 

[Stu cook]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Unusual headlight problem

I had a very similar problem and have just had it fixed.
The fogs on my 1.4s had been fitted by the previous owner and were overloading the light relay causing some melting around the plastic casing on the connections. This was causing a dodgy connection and the dipped lights kept flickering to sidelights and back.
If you take off the cover and wiggle the connection on the bottom right of the fusebox (on the back of the fusebox!) see if the lights flicker. Also take the connection off the fusebox to see if any melting has occured.
Knowing you drive a HLX its propbaly safe to presume the lights were part of the spec, but it might be the problem?!
Try it out anyway
Stu

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Unusual headlight problem

Your fogs were wired directly to the dip beam??? Could you turn them off when it wasn't foggy?

I was driving along the M27 saturday night in the rain and the car infront suddenly put on his rear fog lamp. No fog to be seen, not even any mist. After 2 miles of my full beam in his rearview mirror he turned it off again. What was he thinking?!

 

[Nick]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Unusual headlight problem

He was presumably thinking your lights were too bright and/or badly aligned.

Are they?

Nick

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Unusual headlight problem

They are 55W and perfectly aligned. He also turned his fog on when I was quite a way behind him and there was another car behind him which overtook when he turned the fog light on.

 

[Luke]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Unusual headlight problem

Thanks for the advice, i'll give it a try tonight.

Luke

 

[GM]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Unusual headlight problem

Had a similar problem about a year ago. Got into the car in town one night and i had no headlights - just sidelights. Wipers went too. Anyway as i live about 2 miles outside the city, with no streetlights, had to call my dad to lead me home cos i couldn't see ****. Brought the car into the Fiat dealer the next day and they said it was a loose connection behind the dash - charged me 70euro though, but what the hey, didn't fancy dismantling the dash myself. Anyway, i'd bet that your prob is just a loose connection somewhere.