Dipped beams not coming on

[ihopethatsnotrust]

Hello,

Just diagnosing now, checked the headlight switch and it seems to be working fine with a multimeter. Pulled the dipped beam relay under the dash and the dipped beams stay on so it looks like short somewhere is the problem.

More investigation to do

[ihopethatsnotrust]

Update from today's trials:

Main beam relay (the large metal one on the front wing) was removed and the contacts looked pretty poor so I've given them a quick sand and reconnected it.

I am now getting dim dipped beams in positions 1 and 2 and now bright dipped beam in position 3 so somewhat an improvement but not completely solved. Will check if the relay is actually broken at a later date

[Othen]

Originally Posted by ihopethatsnotrust

Update from today's trials:

Main beam relay (the large metal one on the front wing) was removed and the contacts looked pretty poor so I've given them a quick sand and reconnected it.

I am now getting dim dipped beams in positions 1 and 2 and now bright dipped beam in position 3 so somewhat an improvement but not completely solved. Will check if the relay is actually broken at a later date

Originally Posted by Othen

This shouldn’t be too hard to fix, just be methodical.

I’ve just noticed from your initial post that you said the dipped beams were not working, but in the photos they clearly are. Does that mean you did something to switch them on all the time, or is this an intermittent fault such that sometimes they are on all the time, and other times they don’t come on at all? If it is an intermittent fault then it is less likely to be the switch or the relay (both tend to either work or not, nothing in between), and more likely to be a short between some switched live in the two areas I spoke of above. If that is the case Id start looking at the front of the car between the relay and the headlamps first because it is easiest to access.

A thought: if you disconnect the relay (just pull off the connector block) and the headlamp stays on you will know for sure it is a spurious short between the relay and the headlamps. If the lamps go off with the relay disconnected, but come on when you reconnect it then you will know the fault is at or before the relay.

Just be methodical, run as many diagnostic tests (like I suggested) as you can to eliminate issues before you start taking things apart. Write down the results (otherwise you will forget) and logically work out what is wrong, it is a pretty simple system.

Good fortune,

See above... so, when you disconnected the main relay (the metal one) did the dipped beam lights stay on (in positions I and II, maybe III as well) or not? If they did then you know the fault is a short somewhere between that relay and the headlamps; if they didn't you may conclude it is either internal to the relay or in the yellow wire between relays G and A.

Einfach?