Suddenly no dipped beam!

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.

duncanrobson

Member
Posts
19
My 96 300 TDi has suddenly lost dip beam. I have read all of the threads I can find on here but none seem to relate so can I ask some more experienced members for advice.
So far I have found there is no power to fuses 10 & 11 no matter which position light switch is in, 30 amp fuse under bonnet is OK, puts out main beam when removed, shows 15.9 volts across it when engine running (seems a lot). Disconnected plug from switch, ran jump wire from main power input (brown), could power up main beam but not dip. Relays below glove box clicking when dip switch activated, swopped out a couple which I think are ok but no change. Disconnected dim/dip resistor, that only put out dim dip. Reconnected dim dip no longer working. I changed the bulb connectors recently (had this problem before, turned out to be them), bulbs are recent and work.
Temporarily connected main wiring to dip filament so that I can drive home from work this week, hope to fettle this at the weekend. I am now at wit's end, concerned about lack of volts at fuses. Where does the supply come from for these? Think this must be the root cause of the problem, according to Haynes (I know) these receive battery potential and pass it to the light switch.
I appreciate that this is perhaps not the correct forum for this request but as a junior member not really aware where I should place it.
Thanks in advance.
 
First stop is to check your dim-dip relay, which is No.1 on the top row of relays and is yellow or was when it left the factory. the lighting fuses in the interior fuse box protect the outputs from the light switch.

The question is you say you don't have dip but further on you say u have losted "put out" dim-dip when u removed the resistor how do u know if you don't have a dip beam?
 
Mine does this occasionally, fine on full beam, then click back to dipped and they disappear, just side lights. Usually a few clicks on and off from the stalk returns my lights. I know it's a dodgy relay, it's on my list
 
Thanks for the reply Discool, explains fuses. Probably I didn't explain well, after removing resistor connection sidelights position was just sidelights with engine running, replaced connection, still just sidelights. No dull glow from dip filaments. Quite happy to lose dim/dip, never use it anyway. think all relays have been changed at one time or another, nearly all yellow, and as recently fitted new sills and repaired footwells no guarantee relays are back in the right order on side panel. (They weren't disconnected, just moved out of the way) Any idea of wiring colours for dim dip relay?
 
It's a standard 4 pole relay.
87 brown-orange to the resistor.
86 black to the MFU
85 brown-purple to the 30amp fuse in the engine bay fuse box
30 black-red to the lighting fuse no.10
The only other common part in the main lighting circuit is the switch.

My resistor has been unplugged for years, I have LED side lights which look a bit naff when the dim-dip was on.
 
Back
Top