main beam failing - heck!

[juleshh]

Hi,

My lights are fine dipped but when I go for the main beam, they switch off completely - not the rears or the side lights though. I have a 3b with the later lamps in it. Did not always do this but now is.

I am hoping that something is just lose.....which relay operates the dipped and main beam functions in the fuse box please?!

Cheers

Julian

[martinjs]

Julian, there is a wiring mod usually needed for the elipsoids to be used on a 3b.
i did it a few weeks ago, i dont know how yours will have worked if it wasnt done.
Anyway here is a pic of the multiplug off the back of the light stalk.
You need to remove the yellow wire at the top (position 7) and put it where the green arrow is (position 8).
If you start to prise the 2 parts of the plug apart is should just pop out, dont seperate them fully or all the wires will come out causing big problems if you dont know where they all were.

HTH

martin

[NoNonsense]

Julian, there is a wiring mod usually needed for the elipsoids to be used on a 3b.
i did it a few weeks ago, i dont know how yours will have worked if it wasnt done.
Anyway here is a pic of the multiplug off the back of the light stalk.
You need to remove the yellow wire at the top (position 7) and put it where the green arrow is (position 8).
If you start to prise the 2 parts of the plug apart is should just pop out, dont seperate them fully or all the wires will come out causing big problems if you dont know where they all were.

HTH

martin

Does this by any chance allow the low beam to stay lit with the high beam on? If so, does anybody know if this works on B4 chassis cars?

[martinjs]

Does this by any chance allow the low beam to stay lit with the high beam on? If so, does anybody know if this works on B4 chassis cars?

Yes it does, i dont know what other cars it will work on.

[gavs20v]

Had this happen to me years ago on an old 90 20v and it turned out to be the switch in the actual stalk. Changed the stalk and hey presto, we have lights!
Nice one
Gav

[NoNonsense]

Yes it does, i dont know what other cars it will work on.

great...i will experiment later and let you know.

...i'll probably toast my turn signal/headlight stalk. hehe
but, if I have to take one for the team, i will.

if that doesn't work, perhaps a diode from one to the other might work and give me low beam ellispoid when the pencil high beam is on.

[RSCoupe]

If you don't have relays for the updated lights, you probably fried the switch. You should replace the switch and add relays so that the high amps don't have to go through the switch. This is a common problem for people here in the states that upgrade to the elipsoids in their B3-B4 Coupes and sedans.

[juleshh]

thanks MArtin, the mod was done before me - could that wire be loose or could it still be sommet in the fuse box? It used to work just fine. I hope sommet has come loose

Ta

J

[porkkis]

Probably faulty light switch. I'll tell this one more time: All of you - make those higher voltage harnesses to get better lights and to save those switches.

Btw position 8 is already in use if the car is equipped with light height remote control.

[NoNonsense]

Btw position 8 is already in use if the car is equipped with light height remote control.

do you know what position 8 does for the height remote control because I've got a set of headlight leveling motors here and a switch, but no idea how to make them work. my car doesn't seem to be pre-wired for anything here.

[NoNonsense]

if you really want to get thrown for a loop, here is what the B4 harness looks like in the USA. It's got completely different wiring schematics except for the two green wires.

[porkkis]

Joe,

I've measured all the functions the stalk switch has. Strangely no indicator wires are on the light switch side. They are passed to the other side by the 2 pins connecting the left and right switch

Different wirings appear on european cars too. This is all because regulations vary depending on the country the car was originally sold. IIRC the extra wires are used for the european "just one side" parking lights. You also have the head lights wired where some european cars have the day light driving lights wired using a resistive wire to make the lights dimmer. This is the case in cars originally sold to Sweden and probably some other countries too.

[porkkis]

Errm and now you can forget about what I said about your wiring because US models probably have different light switches too. Can you notice that the US harness has a brown wire where there isn't even a hole for a pin on the european connector...

[NoNonsense]

yep, i noticed that extra brown wire, along with all the other differences. I'd like to know how to wire in daytime running lights on the ellispoids, just to make them stand out a bit more. I tried with some LEDs, and it works ok in dim situations, but totally not visible during daylight. now i have H.I.D.s though, so i guess daytime running lights at very low intensity would be cool in the high beam portion.
I am trying to figure if I can rewire anything to have my low beams stay on when I apply the high beams...that's all i want. No luck so far unless i rewire with relays and diodes with a harness to the battery...

[Stick Insect]

If you don't have relays for the updated lights, you probably fried the switch. You should replace the switch and add relays so that the high amps don't have to go through the switch. This is a common problem for people here in the states that upgrade to the elipsoids in their B3-B4 Coupes and sedans.

On my CQ20v with the early light there are H4 ( dip and main) on the outer reflectors and a main only H1? on the inner reflectors dip 55W, main 130W per headlight.

The elipsoids have one main and one dip ( wattage unknown to me) on dip they are 55w? main beam adds 65W to this total. i.e 120W per headlight. Why does changing to elipsoids with standard wattage bulbs fry the American lighting stalks?

I put higher wattage bulbs in mine 90/120 H4 and 120W mains and fried the light stalk! nice.......


I have built a relay harness for lights and spots as well and need to get it finished. I will post details if I ever get any further!

Standard wattage xenons seem to help.

I wonder if blue LED windscreen washers would help

David