Lost lights...

Help! Driving home tonight both my dipped lights flickered then went out. The main beam and all other electrics are working. I checked (changed) the fuses and the bulbs. Any ideas please?

The Godfrog said:

Help! Driving home tonight both my dipped lights flickered then went out. The main beam and all other electrics are working. I checked (changed) the fuses and the bulbs. Any ideas please?

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Sorry forgot to say - D90 300Tdi

You might want to check the switch itself

As I understand it they have a habit of failing. can you check the switch with a multimeter?

Cheers

neilly said:

You might want to check the switch itself

As I understand it they have a habit of failing. can you check the switch with a multimeter?

Cheers

Click to expand...

Neilly - I'll try that tomorrow as I had to leave the car at work. The side lights still come on and they work of the same switch?

But the switch has two positions, sidelights and then move it again to get the dipped beam. At least that is how it works on mine.

Cheers

Good point - thanks for the suggestion.

Could also be the dim-dip relay as yours is probably fitted with one. It is a pinkish colour relay behind the speedo and often fails. If it has gone don't replace it with like for like as they are about £80 or something ridiculous like that. You don't need it legally and can bypass it, you can buy a bypass kit but I just gutted the internals from mine and soldered a heavy cable between the two main contacts and plugged it back in.

+1 on the column switch - I've had 3 Defenders and replaced that switch at least once per vehicle (I think current X plate is on its third...... ;-(

Easy job with the cowl off (easier to wrestle with if you remove the steering wheel centre 'cushion) - just a plug off and release the locking nut to slide out where the unit sits in a slotted hole. It might be the relay true, but I'd opt for the switch as the most likely culprit. Good luck, A

Kwakerman said:

Could also be the dim-dip relay as yours is probably fitted with one. It is a pinkish colour relay behind the speedo and often fails. If it has gone don't replace it with like for like as they are about £80 or something ridiculous like that. You don't need it legally and can bypass it, you can buy a bypass kit but I just gutted the internals from mine and soldered a heavy cable between the two main contacts and plugged it back in.

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Well it's not the switch..... so need to break out the relay. Can you test a relay? Kwakerman- any suggestion on where to get a relay by-pass kit from?

The Godfrog said:

Well it's not the switch..... so need to break out the relay. Can you test a relay? Kwakerman- any suggestion on where to get a relay by-pass kit from?

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Look at this, should give you the idea, if it is the fault I'd recommend gutting your old relay and solder a good size wire between the two relevant terminals. Cost = time only (or a beer for a mate if you cant solder!)

There is a lot of gubbins in the relay, you will probably find the actual plastic around the main relay contact has melted. To prove it you could (carefully) use a bit of wire to link the two contacts in the socket and give the lights a quick test, if they work you have proved the relay is duff

The Godfrog said:

Well it's not the switch..... so need to break out the relay. Can you test a relay? Kwakerman- any suggestion on where to get a relay by-pass kit from?

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Doh!! Sorry about that - oh well onto plan B.....