VXR8 Main beam bulb

VXR8 Main beam bulb

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Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Saturday 11th April 2015
quotequote all
Fitted some upgrade bulbs today (Philips X-treme vision) to the dipped beam & side lights only to find I've a main beam bulb not working. As they get used very rarely its handy I've found it now rather than the night before the MOT when I usually check the bulbs. I'd taken the arch liners out & gone in from the underside & luckily hadn't put everything back so was easily able to remove it but to me it seems hardwired into the carrier that plugs into the loom. What am I missing? confused

Tattooboy

7,946 posts

177 months

Sunday 12th April 2015
quotequote all
Winky151 said:
Fitted some upgrade bulbs today (Philips X-treme vision) to the dipped beam & side lights only to find I've a main beam bulb not working. As they get used very rarely its handy I've found it now rather than the night before the MOT when I usually check the bulbs. I'd taken the arch liners out & gone in from the underside & luckily hadn't put everything back so was easily able to remove it but to me it seems hardwired into the carrier that plugs into the loom. What am I missing? confused
Is it a long thin bulb? Sounds like it could be HID ?

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Sunday 12th April 2015
quotequote all
So just got round to Googling H9 bulbs & yes it does come hardwired into its carrier. At least I'm not going mad (well, maybe).

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
So what is it with the main beam on ‘R8s at the mo as there seems to be quite a few threads on them lately? confused

Bought a new bulb & fitted it this evening & …. no difference. Tried the N/S bulb in O/S (it’s the O/S which is the issue) & nothing. Tried the old O/S bulb in the N/S & it works so its NOT the bulb. Put the original bulbs back in their original sides & the O/S still doesn’t work & now the lower main beams don’t work (either side). WTF?

Help please guys.

Granby

2,473 posts

214 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
Have you checked the fuses?

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
Granby said:
Have you checked the fuses?
Yep, last thing I checked. All ok & even swapped them over just to be on the safe side & see if the failure swapped sides but nope. frown

I don't understand why when I first checked them this evening the lower mains worked but by the end they didn't when all I'd done was swap one upper main bulb to the other side & back again?

snowwolf

11,503 posts

174 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
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I had a similar problem with my old Monaro, from what I can remember I bought new bulbs and all was ok

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
snowwolf said:
I had a similar problem with my old Monaro, from what I can remember I bought new bulbs and all was ok
Got the bulb but made no difference.

ARAF

20,759 posts

222 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
Maybe the BCM is playing up? How about disconnecting the battery for 5 minutes, to see if that changes things?

Failing that, then I'd check the earth to the side that isn't working, and then the light switch on the dash.

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
ARAF said:
Maybe the BCM is playing up?
BCM?

ARAF said:
How about disconnecting the battery for 5 minutes, to see if that changes things?
Will try it tomorrow evening.

ARAF said:
Failing that, then I'd check the earth to the side that isn't working, and then the light switch on the dash.
Which will be the earth (not much light or space down there)?

ARAF

20,759 posts

222 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
Body Control Module. I guess what I was really saying in computer terms was "Have you tried turning it off, and turning it on again?"

For checking the earth, the easiest way is to run a piece of wire from earth on the bulb, to a known earthing point in the engine bay.

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
Well I've not moved the switch into the 'off' position if thats what you mean but will try the disconnect of the battery tomorrow & we'll go from there.

ARAF

20,759 posts

222 months

Wednesday 15th April 2015
quotequote all
Winky151 said:
Well I've not moved the switch into the 'off' position if thats what you mean but will try the disconnect of the battery tomorrow & we'll go from there.
No, what I meant was that disconnecting the battery for 5 minutes will reset the BCM.

snowwolf

11,503 posts

174 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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Buy two new bulbs and fit, and make sure all connections are good. Or check out each bulb directly on the battery and a short bit of wire.

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
snowwolf said:
Buy two new bulbs and fit, and make sure all connections are good. Or check out each bulb directly on the battery and a short bit of wire.
Winky151 said:
Bought a new bulb & fitted it this evening & …. no difference. Tried the N/S bulb in O/S (it’s the O/S which is the issue) & nothing. Tried the old O/S bulb in the N/S & it works so its NOT the bulb. Put the original bulbs back in their original sides & the O/S still doesn’t work & now the lower main beams don’t work (either side).
Disconnected the battery for about 15 minutes but no change once reconnected.

Again swapped the fuses into the N/S holder & ALL fuses are ok.

ARAF

20,759 posts

222 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
Okay, then get a length of wire, and run it from the earth on the lamp unit, to a good earth point in the engine bay or on the engine.

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
ARAF said:
Okay, then get a length of wire, and run it from the earth on the lamp unit, to a good earth point in the engine bay or on the engine.
Ok, job for Saturday.

Does the bulb need to be in situ (in the lamp) or can it just be plugged in?

ARAF

20,759 posts

222 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
Winky151 said:
ARAF said:
Okay, then get a length of wire, and run it from the earth on the lamp unit, to a good earth point in the engine bay or on the engine.
Ok, job for Saturday.

Does the bulb need to be in situ (in the lamp) or can it just be plugged in?
In the past, I've used the tang from the bulb to hold the bare wire in the earth side of the bulb holder. You're only doing this to see if it's the earth which is at fault, so very temporary.

Winky151

Original Poster:

1,267 posts

140 months

Saturday 18th April 2015
quotequote all
Borrowed my neighbour mechanic & his multi-meter & confirmed there's no reading from the earth. Checked the wiring diagram in the Haynes manual & also established the lower main beams take their feed from the O/S light which explains why they don't work either. Had intended to get it in the air to have a look at the wiring behind the arch liner but putting the dash back in the Carlton & the damn thing fought me all day so didn't get a chance

At least I've got a handle on the problem now so I'll see what's there. If the earth is fried as it seems, where does it wire in & can it be changed out?

ARAF

20,759 posts

222 months

Saturday 18th April 2015
quotequote all
I'd pop a new earth point in, close to the lamp. On the slam panel, or inner wing. Run a wire through to the lamp holders, and you're done. If you start to open up the loom, you could be chasing the wire for ages before you find a break, and disturb other wires causing more problems.