400se headlight fault

[sheff3]

So I'm driving along the other day in trev (400se) and I hear one of the relays under the passenger side dash chattering away like my grannies teeth in February. I'm not sure which relay it was and it's now stopped rattling but the result appears to be that when I now put the head light switch down one place(that should put just the side lights on) I get full head lights. Yet if I put the switch all the way down to what should be full head lights the two head light units drop back down into the bonnet. Any ideas chaps?

[sheff3]

How did you guess?

[jvaughan]

I must admit, I suffer from intermittant relay problems myself. once every few months, I have to remove all the relays and either clean with emery paper, or just reseat them.

[sheff3]

quote:You fixed that headlamp prob yet?

In voice of Hommer Simpson "NOPE"

quote:There are three relays (at least!!) that control the pods; they should be identified on the relay diagram stuck to the ECU (if it's still there). There are also a cluster of diodes to the side of the relays that should be checked out,

"YEAP" had all the relays out and while I was doing it a diode fell to the floor, so obviously I'm thinking great, "FOUND IT". but..... "NOPE".

quote:and finally (although less likely as it affects both sides)

Both sides are affected,

quote:the pods themselves have microswitches on. My guess is that something is wrong with the 'Control' relay, the main lights switch or the column dip/main switch. Piece of cake.

I'll have another run at it this weekend and let you know what happens. Edited by sheff3 on Tuesday 24th April 13:15

[sheff3]

Sorted! First of all, thank you to everyone who replied for their suggestions, they where all useful. Now, what turned out to be the problem I hear you ask? Well this weekend I managed to have another look at the job with the help of more time, more light, but most important of all, with my brain switched on. first job retrace my steps of a couple of weeks ago and make sure I had not missed anything. So, out came all the fuses, they were OK. Fault still there. Then out came all the relays, they seemed OK, but to make sure start swapping them round (they are all the same Spec.)in order to check function, fault STILL there. Next reread Steve Heath's manual and see if I missed anything first time round..... So I'm looking at the caption under one of the illustrations which refers to the "two diodes in the fuse box that control the headlights" and I think to myself... "He's got that one wrong, there resistors not diodes" ....... Aren't they? You lot are ahead of me now aren't you? So I shoot out to look at the aforementioned "semiconductors from hell" (as they shall be hence forth known) to discover that while one of them is a resistor the other is most definitely NOT! Yes thats right, the one that I had refitted several weeks ago was indeed a diode, take it out, reverse it and hey presto fault cleared. to make matters worse when I logged onto this site in order to post this message what do I see? I'd only refereed to it as a "diode" myself in an earlier message.....DOH!!! I need a holiday!