Main Beam.

Every time I hold the main beam on for more than a second the radio cuts off and I get the main beam warning failure message, even though they are working.
The RR has aftermarket headlight bulbs fitted, could this affect the mains?

Are they hid's?

67Rob said:

Every time I hold the main beam on for more than a second the radio cuts off and I get the main beam warning failure message, even though they are working.
The RR has aftermarket headlight bulbs fitted, could this affect the mains?

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Sounds like a bad earth to me. What wattage are the bulbs? Irishrover ran high wattage bulbs without a problem but it's not something I would do as the are switched by MOSFETS in the BECM.

goonarmy said:

Are they hid's?

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Yep. Fitted by the previous owner. I recently noticed that the light switch on the dash gets warm after a short while of switching them on.

Datatek said:

Sounds like a bad earth to me. What wattage are the bulbs? Irishrover ran high wattage bulbs without a problem but it's not something I would do as the are switched by MOSFETS in the BECM.

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Don't know the wattage but they are very bright and each sde has what looks like some sort of voltage regulator.
I don't like them and want to change back to factory fitted.
(I know I've already mentioned this in a previous thread but haven't got around to doing anything about it yet).

67Rob said:

Yep. Fitted by the previous owner. I recently noticed that the light switch on the dash gets warm after a short while of switching them on.



Don't know the wattage but they are very bright and each sde has what looks like some sort of voltage regulator.
I don't like them and want to change back to factory fitted.
(I know I've already mentioned this in a previous thread but haven't got around to doing anything about it yet).

Click to expand...

Hid's on a separate switch on the dash?
Dash switch gets warm Summat wrong there, power consumption is not high, so bad connection or fault in the igniter.
They are technically illegal as the headlamp is not designed to accept them. Personally I think they should be banned.

Datatek said:

Hid's on a separate switch on the dash?
Dash switch gets warm Summat wrong there, power consumption is not high, so bad connection or fault in the igniter.
They are technically illegal as the headlamp is not designed to accept them. Personally I think they should be banned.

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Hid's are connected to the original wiring, no seperate switch on dash.

They look like 'plug and play' so hopefully easy to remove as original bulb holders still intact.

67Rob said:

Hid's are connected to the original wiring, no seperate switch on dash.

They look like 'plug and play' so hopefully easy to remove as original bulb holders still intact.

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So the dash warning may just be because of the lower current draw.
Dash switch maybe gets warm from the back light.
Radio going off is going to be a bad connection somewhere, probably an earth.

A couple of years back I tried HIDs on the standard wiring and got all sorts of warning lights coming up on the dash. They went into the bin and, following Irishrover's example, I fitted 100watt bulbs.
I probably could have got the same light from some of those 'plus' bulbs but the 100watters were free so . . . . .:bounce:

If any body else wants to try HIDs I've been given another set of H4s and they're still in the box in the garage. Straight plug in with two ballasts.

They're not going anywhere near my BECM.

Hate HIDs....but my L322 has them fitted...

Only reason I hate them is because when one blew, the car went mental!

Datatek said:

Hid's on a separate switch on the dash?
Dash switch gets warm Summat wrong there, power consumption is not high, so bad connection or fault in the igniter.
They are technically illegal as the headlamp is not designed to accept them. Personally I think they should be banned.

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I tend to agree with you there, I'm going to fit driving lights and wire them old school to a switch. The reflectors are plastic on the P38a, I know some that have placed "off road bulbs 100watt and they melt the reflector, causing the beam to go off focus" Too many Foreign add on's from fleabay. The headlight units have a "E number" search online and it will tell you the permitted bulbs. some units have the wattage and type embossed on the glass and lid to the bulbs.:googleit: "E number"

I find the standard setup to be more than adequate. Maybe if you find them dim after removing the HID's you could look at cleaning the inside of the glass on the head lamp and checking the beam set.

HID's will cane the becm. The easiest way to fit HID's is to get 2 x double pole relays.
At the headlight connector end, use the headlight voltage to switch the relay, & run Fused seperate feeds to the battery. The relay will then become the switch when headlights are requested. Simple as that.

Rick-the-Pick said:

HID's will cane the becm. The easiest way to fit HID's is to get 2 x douple pole relays.
At the headlight connector end, use the headlight voltage to switch the relay, & run seperate feeds to the battery. The relay will then become the switch when headlights are requested. Simple as that.

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As long as you can put up with the constant bulb warnings on the dash.

Rick-the-Pick said:

HID's will cane the becm. The easiest way to fit HID's is to get 2 x double pole relays.
At the headlight connector end, use the headlight voltage to switch the relay, & run Fused seperate feeds to the battery. The relay will then become the switch when headlights are requested. Simple as that.

Click to expand...

I installed HID high beams on my '97 just after I got it and they've been faultless for several years now. I guess there are good ones and bad ones.

Henrik97 said:

I installed HID high beams on my '97 just after I got it and they've been faultless for several years now. I guess there are good ones and bad ones.

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Unless they are installed in the correct projector lenses then they are all bad...!

HID lamps are an abomination and should be banned out of hand. They are bad enough to put up with sat up in a Range rover, god alone knows how many accidents they have caused when people are sat in lower vehicles. If you wear glasses they can blind for seconds at a time and are bloody dangerous.

Yep, I second you on that one.

Evening Rick

wammers said:

HID lamps are an abomination and should be banned out of hand. They are bad enough to put up with sat up in a Range rover, god alone knows how many accidents they have caused when people are sat in lower vehicles. If you wear glasses they can blind for seconds at a time and are bloody dangerous.

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Agree. I hate the bloody things and wish the previous owner had left alone.

It's next on the list of bits to do.