No light - I think I'm in dim/dip land

I have a 2000 Defender and think I'm in dim dip land .....

I've no lights at all except for the flash, which is of course on a different circuit.

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Initially, my lights intermittently stopped working - and the multimeter was showing nothing at the brown wire that feeds the switch but the fuse was OK - so I have a small problem somewhere between the fuse and the light switch. I took a seperate live and fed it into the switch - and bingo lights. Then mysteriously the intermittent fault moved into its working phase ....now onto the dim dip.....
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In repeatedly fiddling with the switch when trying to trace the intermittent fault - it (the switch) fell to bits (it was a cheap replacement part). So I simply cut the block connector off it and soldered the 3 wires together as a temporary fix until my new switch arrived. All was well - plugging and unplugging the block connector to switch the lights. However on clipping the connector in on one occasion - a small spark and I lost the whole light circuit.

I'm still getting 12 V at the switch so the problem is now further 'down stream' than that - and as it affects both the side and main lights the only common denominator seems to be the dim dip relay. And true to that theory when I make the circuit I can't hear the click from it anymore.

So I've another relay on its way for me to test as I type.

I did look at joining the wires to bypass the relay - having read that its the two blue/red wires - however It just seems to have 3 blue wires coming to it and I can't see numbers on the pins... I also popped the Relay open but there is no sign of it having burnt out.

So hopefully the new relay will solve things - any suggestions are most welcome though as I'll be borrowing a car to travel to work until I can fix it ...

OK - it wasn't the dim dip relay - the new one arrived and made no difference.

From the diagram attached above:

70 is the light switch
75 is the head light relay
76 the dim dip relay
6 is the fuse box

With the circuit broken I'm still getting 12 V at the switch feed - ie pin 1 measuring from the brown live feed to an earth on the column. So the problem is now further 'down stream' than that. The main light solenoid and the dim dip relay do not seem to get a live feed as they no longer click.


I've removed the Fuse F20 - and measured from there (both pins as I couldn't see which was which) to the earth on the column again - to check the wire from pin 2 on the switch - and got no voltage.

I've removed the light solenoid and tested between pin 87 to the earth on the column again - to check the wire from pin 4 - and got no voltage.


I'm not very adept with the multimeter - in fact I don't really know much at all - so once I switch the circuit on I don't know how to check what's wrong after that ...?


Assuming I've carried out my readings correctly - am I right that I must have a break in both wires leaving the switch?


Would the next thing be to check for continuity between f20 and pin 2 and also pin 87 and pin 4 ?

It seems very odd that a fault would develop in both wires at the same time ? unless I've pulled them about too much?

If anyone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction, talks me through a few things, or just shout encouragement - I'd be hugely grateful!

Did you get this fixed?
I seem to have a similar problem

I did ! It was a header in the dash - details here:Help! no lights