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Dipped Beam Not Working - Side And Full Working


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#16 cal844

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Posted 11 July 2018 - 07:29 PM

Id now start changing the switch and stalk with known working items to find out if it is the stalk or the switch on the dash

#17 Twincam

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Posted 11 July 2018 - 08:56 PM

Id now start changing the switch and stalk with known working items to find out if it is the stalk or the switch on the dash


Cheers mate. I'll rip a stalk off another and try my luck.

#18 Twincam

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Posted 13 July 2018 - 05:23 PM

Right seems to be a bit of a mixture of things.

I changed the stalk for a good working replacement which then allowed for power to go through the switch. Strange as it was a new one.

I then used my power probe to check For power at the relay - this was correct and power was travelling via my bypass also.

Leaving that in place, I removed the one headlight and pushed 12v into the top pin on the multiplug... both dipped beam elements illuminated.

I then checked for continuity at from the headlights to the blue/red connector behind the grille. Both sides had continuity. Both sides also had a good earth too.

Lastly, I checked the power coming to the connector. This was present however 12v was NOT passing through to the other sides even though the bullets were all cleaned by myself and a file went into the connector holes.

Snipped off, new spade connectors and covered with insulating tape I now have dipped beam once again!

Oh and a horn as the inital replacement stalk also caused the horn to stop working...

#19 cal844

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Posted 13 July 2018 - 08:04 PM

Poor connections at the grille and stalk

#20 Twincam

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Posted 13 July 2018 - 08:16 PM

Poor connections at the grille and stalk


The grille one I should've tested continuity from both the input lead to the output leads but I was thinking after cleaning it up with emery cloth / sand paper and a mini round file it would've been alright!

The stalk however was a new Lucas item which has only been on the car a month. Looking at the contacts etc it looks completely poop compared to the original ones. Goes to show you can't trust even new parts! Even more so branded ones....

#21 elguapo

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Posted 13 July 2018 - 08:45 PM

I have the exact same issue, same year car.

 

I have just wired in all new looms throughout, disappointingly I found that the red and green trigger wires on the dimdip relay were disconnected from the connector (they were floating free within the relay plug). Manually connected them in and the lights worked, but then back to side lights only. I guess the relay (its the original) is goosed also suspect my headlight switch.

 

Sadlly I managed to break one of the plugs on my multimeter so wasnt able to check for power.

 

I'd like to bypass the resister, is this easy to achieve? I read (as above) its on the N/s inner wing but where abouts?



#22 cal844

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Posted 13 July 2018 - 09:12 PM

It's behind the radiator, gold coloured cylinder with a round black plastic plug.

#23 elguapo

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Posted 13 July 2018 - 09:38 PM

ta!



#24 Ethel

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Posted 15 July 2018 - 11:23 AM

The dim dip system supplies the dipped beams, via the resistor, when you have the sidelights and the ignition on at the same time. The purpose is so you don't drive on sidelights only, the resistor reduces their brightness.

 

The headlight circuit works independently: light (rocker switch) supplies the indicator stalk via the blue wire; the stalk connects it to either dip beam (blue/red) or main beam (blue/white). The headlight flasher connects main beam to a separate, permanent, live (purple) that also supplies the horn.



#25 Andacami

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Posted 04 January 2019 - 01:36 AM

Bit of thread hijack but I have a problem with the dipped beam not working under any circumstances. The car is a Mini Mayfair and has had a bit of work done on the electrics; the car is new to us so I’ve very little history. Fortunately, though, the car was previously owned by someone known to me so I am able to speak to them and it was serviced at a local garage I use regularly. I say this as, as a last resort, we could take the car to the garage and pay them to sort it. I also intend to speak to both the previous owner and the garage and explain the below to see if they can recall why we should be having this problem. I should add we knew the lights did not work when we bought it (recently) thinking it was an easy fix.

 

Anyway, for now though and hoping this might be useful for future reference (along with all the other posts on the same subject), I thought I'd ask here for help as I’ve followed the guidance already posted above and elsewhere and really want to crack this one myself if possible.

 

In this case, all other lights work as they should. I do not know if the resistor and/or dim-dip relay circuit has been bypassed previously. The following is what I have already done/checked/etc.

 

Fuses

All fuses including in-line, 4-block and in-line under the dash have been checked and are good. There has been some previous electrical work done to reduce the number of in-line fuses behind the carb and these all checkout too.

 

Relays

The yellow relay by the brake master cylinder and fuel inertia switch has been replaced. It does not seem to click under circumstances though, either with the new one or old one. I’ve not touched the other Yellow relay, on the bulkhead on the passenger side, again this does not seem to click when doing any lighting related activities. There is a black relay under the dash, seems new, does not seem to click when doing any lighting related activities (not including indicators here). There is an empty pink relay socket, there is no relay there at all! Hold that thought…

 

Resistor

The gold resistor on the passenger side looked like it was wired in and it looks like it is physically broken. I have simply connected the brown wires together effectively taking the resistor out of the equation. Again, no idea if the entire circuit has been bypassed anyway.

 

Bulbs

Bulbs are fine and I can actuate all of them by ensuring the existing ground at the bullet connectors behind the grille are connected and taking a 12v supply from the starter motor so I know that all the usual wiring and bullet connectors to the lights behind the grille are sound.

 

Wiring

As above, all wires check out behind the grille including for fan and indicators and all lights in all modes bar the dipped beam and where necessary I have replaced bullet connectors and retested; it all checks out. My issue is there is no 12V coming down the loom from behind the dash on Blue/Red but it does buzz out to certain point, read on…

 

If I buzz out the dipped beam wire (Blue/Red) I can get all the way from the feed at the grille to the in-line fuse under the dash for both (Blue/Red) wires. I am assuming the feed from the bullet to the lights works as I have already tested this and been able to activate by applying 12V directly at the bullet connector.

 

Dip-Dim lever

I have checked that 12V comes from the rocker switch to the Blue wire on the stalk and I have checked that the Blue/Red gets 12V when the switch is in the correct, dipped beam, position, it does not get 12V when in side lights position or when the full beam is permanently on (stalk forward, not backwards flash).

 

I also get 12V for full beam in all circumstances and they work as they should.

 

Conclusion

I can only conclude that the power for the dipped beam that seems to be correctly coming from the switch to the stalk and out of the stalk is not coming out of the steering column or getting to the loom to the inline fuses under the dash. I make the assumption as I’ve not been able to buzz this part of the wiring out (whereas doing the same test for full beam does buzz out all the way and off course, they work).

 

So, I am at a loss as to where to go next. My only thought is, that as I don’t know if the dip-dim and/or resistor circuits have previously been bypassed, that it could be the lack of the pink relay but I’m doubtful as if that were the case would the full beam not work either as surely the pink relay when used, controls the full / dipped beam AND routes to the resistor?

 

I don’t know where the wires go when they exit the stalk switching mechanism from the bottom of the column, nor do I know where they go at the interior end of the under dash in-line fuses (apart from possibly the pink relay); but it seems they don’t currently end up at the in-line fuses currently.

 

Could I simply take a new feed from the in-line fuses directly to the stalk feed? Is the wire beefy enough to take the current or do I need to do this to power two new relays at the headlight end? I assume so as effectively it does this anyway (unless it is switching the pink relay).

 

So, get a new pink relay or re-wire the stalk to in-line fuses?

 

Have I also missed something, what would folks advise...

 

THANK YOU  ;-)

 

 

To Note:

Anyone looking here to resolve similar issues should ALWAYS do a thorough job of confirming and if necessary, replacing the wiring and/or bullet connectors behind the grille as well as ALL fuses. In 90% of cases, this is the cause of all lighting problems.






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