Headlights - sidelights

[pmessling]

Good morning all

I have a problem with my lights basically

Engine not running turn side lights on and my HIDs are flashing. The reason for the flashing is because the relay that I control the lights with is chattering. I have the lights turned on by the control box via the relay switching power direct from the battery

Same occurs with the engine running

Originally I was using the passenger side headlight to control the relay. To eliminate the chances I rewired it to the drivers side to no success

When testing the headlight I measured that when just the side lights are on that there was 10v winch would explain the flashing.

There should be no volts until the headlight switch us turned to dip beam

So somewhere the 10volts are powering up the relay. It is also does not matter which side it used.

I'm suspecting a control box

[pmessling]

Just to add a bit more information. I tried a normal headlight bulb using the old wiring which now controls the relay and that too lit with the side lights on.

I need to get it done for the MOT unfortunately I can't cheat it given the bulbs lights up.

[Steve_T]

This is what the dim/dip box does for you - side lights gives 10v to the headlight and dipped beam means you get the full 12. There's a wire you need to cut - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[pmessling]

Spot on, a quick snip and all is good. Thanks for that, who would have known it to be that simple. Now just the handbrake to sort and retest.

[FarmyardPants]

Confused as to why this problem has just appeared seeing as it's normal behaviour for the sidelights to dimly light up the headlights...?

[pmessling]

Due to the low voltage the relay didn't know what to do so chattered. I was unaware that the side lights should light up the headlights all be it dim.

When I installed the HIDS I not sure whether I checked the side lights separate to the headlights as I've never driven with the sidelights on. It's either headlights or nothing's side lights are pointless

[Bigadz]

Digging this up I thought I had found the solution to my problem of ignition being on and headlights on the first click Instead of just sidelights. So I went ahead and snipped the Black and Red cable and alas now I have no dipped beam at all. High beam still works off the steering wheel.
Maybe my box is wired up differently or maybe it's something else?

[Penelope Stopit]

With ignition and sidelights switched on are the dipped beam headlights on bright?

[Bigadz]

Now with the B/R cable snipped when ignition is on the headlights are not on at all.

[Penelope Stopit]

Silly me....
I meant with the Black/Red connected

What are you trying to achieve, fix a fault and if so what is it, or do you want to do away with dim dip?

Someone else here recently posted about this very same job, they cut the Black/Red to remove dim dip and lost their dipped beam headlights

[Bigadz]

Okay so

Ignition on:

With B/R connected I get 1 click dipped beam and 2 clicks same dipped beam.. What I want to achieve is one click side lights and 2 clicks dipped beam.

If I cut B/R as others have successfully then I get 1 click sidelights, 2 clicks sidelights with no dipped beam.

Could be a process of elimination on the back of the Dip box...

[Bigadz]

Some further thoughts...

Need to check this with a multimeter later. Someone can correct my limited electrical knowledge if I got this wrong....

With B/R snipped on the box If I am now getting no voltage to the headlights on either first or second click then perhaps there is a problem with my main beam (second click) supply either through a burnt connector or a relay.
Perhaps beforehand all I was ever getting was a partial voltage (6/7V) instead of the full 12v on the second click.

Will run some checks later....

[Penelope Stopit]

I was going to work more on this modification https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
but realised there was no interest in it here

I am guessing that you have a good wiring diagram

[Bigadz]

Penelope Stopit said:

I was going to work more on this modification https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
but realised there was no interest in it here

I am guessing that you have a good wiring diagram

Sounds like you know what you are doing more than I do with that sort of thing! I dont have a wiring diagram, was just going to take Voltage readings with the switch set to first and second click and that should give me an indication of whats going on with the Dip beam box and if the relays are behaving as expected.

Basically I want to be getting 0v on the first click (B/R snipped) and the full 12v on the second.

[Penelope Stopit]

First things first, the wire that people have been cutting isn't Black/Red it's Red/Black, one person posts Black/Red and many others post the same incorrect information

Before you cut the Red/Black, If by chance there was no dip beam working but dim dip was working, cutting the Red/Black would leave you without any sort of dipped headlights
Are you certain that with the Red/Black not cut that the dipped headlights were working at full brightness?
Do you drive the car at night, you wouldn't see much if only the dim dip was working

These were @ Google

[Bigadz]

Penelope Stopit said:

First things first, the wire that people have been cutting isn't Black/Red it's Red/Black, one person posts Black/Red and many others post the same incorrect information

Before you cut the Red/Black, If by chance there was no dip beam working but dim dip was working, cutting the Red/Black would leave you without any sort of dipped headlights
Are you certain that with the Red/Black not cut that the dipped headlights were working at full brightness?
Do you drive the car at night, you wouldn't see much if only the dim dip was working

Many thanks for posting those diagrams.

So looking at previous posts there was a picture of the someone who had cut the Black/Red to resolve the situation from their box and others said they had as well and it worked but then some said it was different. I suspect the guys up at Blackpool were perhaps inconsistent with which colour wire they picked up!
I shall try Red/Black when I get home then!


I have not driven the car for over a year and going back it might have been a while since night driving, I should point out that I would have been running HIDs back then and I believe they were wired up to the battery, my brother has since stripped them out. I am now going to be running LED headlights back in the original loom.

[spitfire4v8]

On my early-ish car (1998) the dim dip box has 6 spade connectors, so no snipping required, I just pulled the red/black spade connector off and all was well.

Mine is definitely red main colour with a black tracer.

[Penelope Stopit]

Bigadz said:

Penelope Stopit said:

First things first, the wire that people have been cutting isn't Black/Red it's Red/Black, one person posts Black/Red and many others post the same incorrect information

Before you cut the Red/Black, If by chance there was no dip beam working but dim dip was working, cutting the Red/Black would leave you without any sort of dipped headlights
Are you certain that with the Red/Black not cut that the dipped headlights were working at full brightness?
Do you drive the car at night, you wouldn't see much if only the dim dip was working

Many thanks for posting those diagrams.

So looking at previous posts there was a picture of the someone who had cut the Black/Red to resolve the situation from their box and others said they had as well and it worked but then some said it was different. I suspect the guys up at Blackpool were perhaps inconsistent with which colour wire they picked up!
I shall try Red/Black when I get home then!


I have not driven the car for over a year and going back it might have been a while since night driving, I should point out that I would have been running HIDs back then and I believe they were wired up to the battery, my brother has since stripped them out. I am now going to be running LED headlights back in the original loom.

Ok, lets wait and see if you get full brightness headlights before the Red/Black is disconnected

• ***I have sent you a PM****

Edited by Penelope Stopit on Friday 12th April 12:06

[Bigadz]

spitfire4v8 said:

On my early-ish car (1998) the dim dip box has 6 spade connectors, so no snipping required, I just pulled the red/black spade connector off and all was well.

Mine is definitely red main colour with a black tracer.

Thanks for that, mine is a 97 but I do have a connector rather than spades on my box. Seems like this could be the way to go..

[Bigadz]

Penelope Stopit said:

Ok, lets wait and see if you get full brightness headlights before the Red/Black is disconnected

• ***I have sent you a PM****

Edited by Penelope Stopit on Friday 12th April 12:06

Thanks for that.