MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Noticed as I pulled up against our building at work this morning that my headlights weren't on and neither was the light on the dash.
Full beam and sidelights are fine.

I'm running a bugeye WRX 2001 model with an HID kit fitted to dipped beam.
They've been fine for 5 months no problems.

Checked the HID wiring harness and the inline fuse is OK; relay was a bit damp as it's been raining a lot and had some surface water on it; took it off and cleaned it and put it back together. I can hear the relay clicking when I change between dipped and sidelights on the indicator stalk. However, the lights don't fire up.

Any ideas where to look next?

I'm at work so don't have a screwdriver with me hence I can't get into the box behind the battery unless I find someone in the office with some tools.... my local dealer advised me to try swapping the headlamp relay over with an identical one from the box to see if that got em working.

However I couldn't locate the fuse for the headlights; my fusebox inside the car only had fogs, and something saying "illum" - I checked anything which looked remotely "light-like" on the board but none of them appeared blown.

Can anyone help me please?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

You've looked for fuses on the car, rather than just inline, I take it? The wet could have blown that fuse....

After that, have the Ballasts been wet? It MAY be possible for them to short out, the leads to the HID lamps carry a hell of a voltage.

If BOTH aren't working, I'd suspect fuse, or wet/corroded connection first, then try removing and drying out the ballasts, before swapping a known working one if all else fails.

Alcazar

Sorry, just re-read your post, and you say the relay IS clicking, so it's unlikely to be the car's fuse, the relay is obviously getting a voltage to power it up.

Can you check, with a multimeter, circuit tester etc, that the relay is RECEIVING power from the battery and that that power is coming OUT of terminal 87? ie: TO the ballasts?

If so, then either both ballasts are damp, or shot, or both lamps have gone at once.

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Do you know which fuse I need to check? Like I said - the dash light's not coming on to signify power to the lights, which was why I wondered about the fuse first of all... but I couldn't find one inside the car that said headlamps, dipped, main beam or anything like that - very odd... I wonder if those are contained in the relay box housing in the engine bay?

I'll have to check the relay with a circuit tester when I get home as I'm not "tooled up" or suitably attired for getting under the bonnet at work unfortunately . It's also chucking it down out there!

The relay only appears to click when switching from dipped to side lights and not vice versa - don't know if that makes a diffference?

I reckon you could be right in your assumption about it being something to do with damp as it's been chucking it down here for the last 2 days solidly and the cars been facing up-hill as I've just moved house and that's the nature of my new parking space unfortunately...

One ballast should definitely be fine though as it's mounted underneath a bracket so there shouldn't be anything to get it particularly wet.

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Okay - was being thick earlier on where to find the fuses
Opened up the fuse / relay box in the engine bay and checked the right and left headlamp fuses.

Nothing blown by the looks of it. Just to make sure, swapped the passenger side headlight fuse out with a new one but still nothing.
Thinking about where I've got the two ballasts mounted I can't see that they would have been prone to a lot of excess water and the connections to the battery look ok.

Plus the 30A fuse on the harness to the battery also appears intact (although I'll change it later when I get home to make sure).

Went to Halfords at lunchtime to try and get a replacement 40v relay so I could swap it out to test the one in the harness (which was admittedly very wet as it appeared to have become dislodged from its original mounting point) but guess what - they don't flamin well carry them - just indicator flasher units . Also tried the VW dealer across the road from work in the hope they might carry them but they haven't got any VW units in stock - typical!

Should most car dealers stock these? Anyone think of anything else I might have missed?

Alcazar - I'm hoping it's just the relay that needs replacing; I'll carry out your suggested tests on the relay when I get home later and see what results I see. I'm REALLY hoping I won't have to remove the ballasts as that'll be a right pain (and my garage floor is currently a bit wet!)

ash002004

iTrader: (1)

sounds like the garage leak needs repairing most importantly!, lol

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Sadly it's a brand new house but the builders haven't put sufficient drainage in around the bottom of the courtyard (it's on a slope) where the communal garages are, so every time it rains a lot, the water all runs down into the shallow trenches by the garage and off the roof of the houses above them and then into the garages when it has filled up the trenches.

Suffice to say I'm not happy about that and will be taking that up with the builders as they clearly need to put a drain in. I'll post some photos once I get my internet up and running at home (only moved in on Friday).

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

All sorted guys - stopped off at Maplin on my way home who had 40V relays for automative use - they're just not sealed....

Anyway, replaced the one in the harness and hey presto - lights back on again.
Relay is now zip tied to the battery clamp!

Always nice to have a fix that costs £6 instead of having to go via a dealer or other garage

Thanks for your input everyone.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I've had similar with automotive relays, mine fir my HID driving light stopped working. When I removed it and took the cover off, it was rusted solid inside.

I was working in France at the time and it was a ball-ache getting a new one, I eventually got a working one off a scrapped car at a garage

All mine are now replaced with quality ones, sealed with Araldite.

Alcazar

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Hmmm - Araldite - now there's an idea
Was thinking I might get one of those weather proof boxes and mount the relay inside it...

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

That's a possible, also have a look at Vehicle Wiring Products Ltd. Suppliers of auto electrical parts. as they do relay boxes that relays plug into, like OE stuff, and fuse boxes with relays attached, etc.

A tube of Araldite though, and just smear it over the join between the top cover and the base, leave for 10 minutes and refit.

Alcazar

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Great link Alcazar - thanks for that