49 replies to this topic

[sledgehammer]

At a guess 98 % of cars on the road at the moment have fuses in the light circuit - so checking the fuse would be a valid point

 

the SPI & MPI have fuses on the head lights - less likely for both to blow after an upgrade - but not impossible

 

when Hubba made the comment it wasn't clear what the OP's mini was - could have been a mates SPI / MPI

 

It's a bit sad when some one offers a valid comment and is chastised for doing so ?

Edited by sledgehammer, 27 February 2014 - 10:04 PM.

[tiger99]

NO, you did not read what I said. ZERO percent of cars legally on the road have a single fuse in the feed to both headlights. Many cars, including late Minis, have FOUR fuses, feeding main and dip, left and right seperately, which is safe and legal. But there is NEVER, EVER one single fuse that will make both lights fail.

[sledgehammer]

He just said check the fuse - why is that such a problem for you ?

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

Steady on tiger. If I'm not mistaken 'checking the fuse' had not been suggested to the op prior to my mentioning it. Experience in electrical problem solving has taught me to check the basics first rather than assuming the worst straight away. The fact the the post had even be started suggests the op wants all the help they can get. Are you that arrogance to assume that an electical fault does require checking a device that is designed to blow if there is too much current being drawn through. I hope you do not do much work with electricity. Leaving a trail of burnt out cars in your wake isn' t the best thing really, is it?

Edited by HUBBA.HUBBA, 27 February 2014 - 10:36 PM.

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

But there is NEVER, EVER one single fuse that will make both lights fail.

Rubbish

[tiger99]

That statement is correct, and you are arguing from a position of not knowing the facts, not having checked the wiring diagrams, or not having thought at all about the safety implications.

 

Edit: Suggesting to the op to check something that, in a road legal car was of no possible relevance, was extremely unhelpful to the diagnosis of the problem.

Edited by tiger99, 27 February 2014 - 10:41 PM.

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

Still, Steady on! Hold on. You know ALL the facts? All hail tiger.
Go and have a cup of tea and a biscuit and chill out, its nearly the weekend.

Edited by HUBBA.HUBBA, 27 February 2014 - 10:53 PM.

[sledgehammer]

quote 'was extremely unhelpful to the diagnosis of the problem.'

 

absolute rubbish - would have took a second to check the fuses 

 

always look for the simple cheap things first

 

anyway has the OP found / cured the problem ?

[Dan]

The suggestion to check the fuse in this thread seems to be in response to the flasher not working, in addition to the permanent lighting. In that case it's perfectly valid as there is a fuse for the lamp flasher in all Minis and it is one that will kill both lamps. If that fuse is fine, and the high beam still doesn't work, it suggests the problem is not with the supply. Having said that so does the fact that the dipped beam works but it's still helpful and is why the first thing I would often suggest in this case is to check the horn, since it is on the same fuse. Can we drop this now please and get back to the problem.

Edited by Dan, 28 February 2014 - 12:10 PM.
Detail.

[Captain Mainwaring]

Why, why, why does someone, every single time that a headlight problem occurs, say "check the fuse" or something similar? It is ILLEGAL and DANGEROUS to have one single fuse that, if blown, can cause both headlights to fail, and a moment's thought, before posting a stupid and unhelpful answer, would show why. If I had £1 for every time I had to say something like this, I could afford to retire....

 

As has been correctly stated by several people with, in at least one case a very high standard of electrical knowledge, a lack of main beams is most likely, indeed almost certainly, down to problems with the blue/white wire from dip switch to front centre bullet connectors, and from there to each light.

 

No it's not. Full Stop, wrong. This is not a matter of opinion, something subject to personal preference. 

 

Please post an extract from C & U that provides evidence of this.

 

With all due respect, if you can't get your way around the very basic electrical systems on a Mini, then you shouldn't be messing with auto electrics at all. The OP needs to follow uncle KernowCooper's advise and buy himself a multimeter, download the wiring diagrams and understand where the issue could be.

 

It's simple to check from the headlamp connector for continuity to ground, and then from dipped and main feeds to ground. Cut any circuit in half and the maximum number of times you will need to check is 7 (try it if you don't believe me)

[evilpen14]

I believe I may have figured it out. Will let you know when I have time to work on it. The horn works :). Thanks for the help has been helpful.

[sledgehammer]

I believe I may have figured it out. Will let you know when I have time to work on it. The horn works :). Thanks for the help has been helpful.

 

Glad your getting there

 

my money is still on the bullet connectors behind the front panel - just greased mine up

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

I believe I may have figured it out. Will let you know when I have time to work on it. The horn works :). Thanks for the help has been helpful.

it'll be good to know what it ends up being. I'd laugh if it was the fuse

[tiger99]

It WAS NOT the fuse, as the MAIN BEAMS were clearly stated to be not working. It may have been the fuse, if it was only the flasher that did not work.

 

I suggest that you give up trying to prove that fiction is fact, because it only makes you look stupid. It can also lead to people, having wiggled irrelevant fuses and having their lights mysteriously come back to life, into thinking that they have fixed the problem, when in fact it was elsewhere, intermittent and they have not fixed it. Just suppose it recurs, at speed, on a dark road at night? Just who should be held responsible for the deaths that may follow?

 

Diagnosis of headlight problems needs to follow a logical process, and if both lights are out, thet NEVER, EVER starts with "check the fuse", as an examination of any Mini wiring diagram will show.

[sledgehammer]

^^^ laughs ^^^