Defender headlamps stuck on

A

Alistair Bell

Guest

• Oct 1, 2005

• #1

Hi all,

Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay correctly
however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
gets power from somewhere.
The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening intermittently.
Any hints gratefully received!

Thanks

Alistair

--
200Tdi Defender 90, 1990

 

B

beamendsltd

Guest

• Oct 1, 2005

• #2

In message <[email protected]>
Alistair Bell <[email protected]> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
> extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
> It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay correctly
> however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
> gets power from somewhere.
> The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening intermittently.
> Any hints gratefully received!
>
> Thanks
>
> Alistair
>

I'd suggest getting a meter or test lamp to check the switches - I'd
hazard a guess that either the master lights switch or the main/dip
switch has fallen apart internally.

Richard
--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
Running a business in a Microsoft free environment - it can be done
Powered by Risc-OS - you won't get a virus from us!!
Boycott the Yorkshire Dales - No Play, No Pay

 

A

Austin Shackles

Guest

• Oct 1, 2005

• #3

On or around Sat, 01 Oct 2005 10:31:19 +0100, Alistair Bell
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>Hi all,
>
>Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
>extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
>It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay correctly
>however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
>gets power from somewhere.
>The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening intermittently.
>Any hints gratefully received!
>

defender light switch is a pile of crap. I don't think that age defender
*has* a headlamp relay. Try pulling the switch, see if they go out.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
Satisfying: Satisfy your inner child by eating ten tubes of Smarties
from the Little Book of Complete B***ocks by Alistair Beaton.

 

B

beamendsltd

Guest

• Oct 1, 2005

• #4

In message <[email protected]>
Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:

> On or around Sat, 01 Oct 2005 10:31:19 +0100, Alistair Bell
> <[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>
> >Hi all,
> >
> >Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
> >extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
> >It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay correctly
> >however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
> >gets power from somewhere.
> >The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening intermittently.
> >Any hints gratefully received!
> >
>
> defender light switch is a pile of crap. I don't think that age defender
> *has* a headlamp relay. Try pulling the switch, see if they go out.

There's a dim/dip relay - luckily they very rearely fail...

PRC8123 Dim/Dip Controller - Defender from 274311 to HA705856
£88.01 ic VAT !!!!!!

Richard
--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
Running a business in a Microsoft free environment - it can be done
Powered by Risc-OS - you won't get a virus from us!!
Boycott the Yorkshire Dales - No Play, No Pay

 

A

Austin Shackles

Guest

• Oct 1, 2005

• #5

On or around Sat, 1 Oct 2005 16:14:06 +0000 (UTC), beamendsltd
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>In message <[email protected]>
> Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On or around Sat, 01 Oct 2005 10:31:19 +0100, Alistair Bell
>> <[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>>
>> >Hi all,
>> >
>> >Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
>> >extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
>> >It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay correctly
>> >however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
>> >gets power from somewhere.
>> >The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening intermittently.
>> >Any hints gratefully received!
>> >
>>
>> defender light switch is a pile of crap. I don't think that age defender
>> *has* a headlamp relay. Try pulling the switch, see if they go out.
>
>There's a dim/dip relay - luckily they very rearely fail...
>
>PRC8123 Dim/Dip Controller - Defender from 274311 to HA705856
> £88.01 ic VAT !!!!!!

ISTR it's no longer a legal requirement, though, so you can bridge across
the relay position with a short wire with 2 male blades. ISTR it goes
between the 2 blue/red wires.

dim dip came and went, in some strange fashion, as a legal requirement,
although my S-reg minibus has it.

--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
If all be true that I do think, There are five reasons we should drink;
Good wine, a friend, or being dry, Or lest we should be by and by;
Or any other reason why. - Henry Aldrich (1647 - 1710)

 

T

Tom Gilmour

Guest

• Oct 1, 2005

• #6

"Alistair Bell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi all,
>
> Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
> extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
> It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay correctly
> however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
> gets power from somewhere.
> The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening intermittently.
> Any hints gratefully received!
>
> Thanks
>
> Alistair
>
> --
> 200Tdi Defender 90, 1990

Had something similar on my 90 couple of years ago.. the loom to the rear
lights enters the chassis leg right next to the exhaust on the V8, exhaust
heatsheild had crushed & melted all the insultation off the wires. For some
reason there was a permanent live running to the rear (even when ignition
off) and this was tracking across to the sidelights.

Solved it by ripping out all the wiring from inside the chassis and
replacing it with a length of trailer wiring running outside the chassis
(but well tied up out of the way)

Tom
90 4.6V8

 

B

Badger

Guest

• Oct 2, 2005

• #7

"Austin Shackles" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On or around Sat, 1 Oct 2005 16:14:06 +0000 (UTC), beamendsltd
> <[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>
>>In message <[email protected]>
>> Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> On or around Sat, 01 Oct 2005 10:31:19 +0100, Alistair Bell
>>> <[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>>>
>>> >Hi all,
>>> >
>>> >Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
>>> >extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
>>> >It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay
>>> >correctly
>>> >however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
>>> >gets power from somewhere.
>>> >The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening
>>> >intermittently.
>>> >Any hints gratefully received!
>>> >
>>>
>>> defender light switch is a pile of crap. I don't think that age
>>> defender
>>> *has* a headlamp relay. Try pulling the switch, see if they go out.
>>
>>There's a dim/dip relay - luckily they very rearely fail...
>>
>>PRC8123 Dim/Dip Controller - Defender from 274311 to HA705856
>> £88.01 ic VAT !!!!!!
>
> ISTR it's no longer a legal requirement, though, so you can bridge across
> the relay position with a short wire with 2 male blades. ISTR it goes
> between the 2 blue/red wires.
>
> dim dip came and went, in some strange fashion, as a legal requirement,
> although my S-reg minibus has it.

Was there not something about vehicles not having dim-dip (after a certain
date) having to have headlamp levelling adjusters instead?
Badger.

 

A

Alistair Bell

Guest

• Oct 2, 2005

• #8

beamendsltd wrote:
> In message <[email protected]>
> Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:
>>On or around Sat, 01 Oct 2005 10:31:19 +0100, Alistair Bell
>><[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>>>Hi all,
>>>
>>>Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
>>>extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.

>>defender light switch is a pile of crap. I don't think that age defender
>>*has* a headlamp relay. Try pulling the switch, see if they go out.
>
> There's a dim/dip relay - luckily they very rearely fail...
>
> PRC8123 Dim/Dip Controller - Defender from 274311 to HA705856
> £88.01 ic VAT !!!!!!
>

Well, I was about to reply last night saying that I had already checked
the switches but decided that I should isolate them to make completely
sure! At this point I spotted the Blue/red with a couple of volts having
disconnected the battery so on a whim put the headlamp fuse in and this
dropped it to 0v.
At this point I had a bright idea and went looking for the Dim/dip
controller aka voltage transformer and found the little Lucas box and
heat sink in the back of the dashboard.
Fortunately taking it apart showed no smoking components and cleaning
the contacts on the circuit board inside appears to have solved the problem.

Thanks all for the ideas.

Alistair

--
200Tdi Defender 90, 1990

 

A

Austin Shackles

Guest

• Oct 2, 2005

• #9

On or around Sat, 1 Oct 2005 23:09:25 +0000 (UTC), "Badger"
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>
>"Austin Shackles" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>
>> dim dip came and went, in some strange fashion, as a legal requirement,
>> although my S-reg minibus has it.
>
>Was there not something about vehicles not having dim-dip (after a certain
>date) having to have headlamp levelling adjusters instead?
>Badger.
>

I think that's the HID lamps. After a certain year they had to have dim-dip
on all new motors, then a few years later they no longer did. I guess the
models in production at the time kept it.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young / In a world
of magnets and miracles / Our thoughts strayed constantly and without
boundary / The ringing of the Division bell had begun. Pink Floyd (1994)

 

B

beamendsltd

Guest

• Oct 1, 2005

• #10

In message <[email protected]>
Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:

> On or around Sat, 01 Oct 2005 10:31:19 +0100, Alistair Bell
> <[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>
> >Hi all,
> >
> >Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
> >extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
> >It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay correctly
> >however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
> >gets power from somewhere.
> >The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening intermittently.
> >Any hints gratefully received!
> >
>
> defender light switch is a pile of crap. I don't think that age defender
> *has* a headlamp relay. Try pulling the switch, see if they go out.

There's a dim/dip relay - luckily they very rearely fail...

PRC8123 Dim/Dip Controller - Defender from 274311 to HA705856
£88.01 ic VAT !!!!!!

Richard
--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
Running a business in a Microsoft free environment - it can be done
Powered by Risc-OS - you won't get a virus from us!!
Boycott the Yorkshire Dales - No Play, No Pay

 

A

Austin Shackles

Guest

• Oct 1, 2005

• #11

On or around Sat, 1 Oct 2005 16:14:06 +0000 (UTC), beamendsltd
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>In message <[email protected]>
> Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On or around Sat, 01 Oct 2005 10:31:19 +0100, Alistair Bell
>> <[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>>
>> >Hi all,
>> >
>> >Got a slight problem with my 1990 defender in that the only way to
>> >extinguish my headlamps is pull the fuses.
>> >It doesn't appear to be the switch since this drives the relay correctly
>> >however the connection between the relay switched contact and the fuses
>> >gets power from somewhere.
>> >The fault has suddenly appeared, no period of it happening intermittently.
>> >Any hints gratefully received!
>> >
>>
>> defender light switch is a pile of crap. I don't think that age defender
>> *has* a headlamp relay. Try pulling the switch, see if they go out.
>
>There's a dim/dip relay - luckily they very rearely fail...
>
>PRC8123 Dim/Dip Controller - Defender from 274311 to HA705856
> £88.01 ic VAT !!!!!!

ISTR it's no longer a legal requirement, though, so you can bridge across
the relay position with a short wire with 2 male blades. ISTR it goes
between the 2 blue/red wires.

dim dip came and went, in some strange fashion, as a legal requirement,
although my S-reg minibus has it.

--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
If all be true that I do think, There are five reasons we should drink;
Good wine, a friend, or being dry, Or lest we should be by and by;
Or any other reason why. - Henry Aldrich (1647 - 1710)