10 replies to this topic

[mike.]

Last night, drove to tesco, light working fine. Set off from tesco to go home 10 minutes later and the lights weren't working.

Sidelights, tail lights and dash lights were gone, headlights worked fine. I immediately thought - Fuse; but i've changed the fuse and checked the old fuse and it was fine.

I got the multimeter out, switched the sidelight switch on, and test for voltage. I get no voltage at either side of the fuse.

Does this point to the headlight switch? Is there a way I can test this easily or should I just replace it and see. Also anything else it could be if its not the switch?


Hoping this is an easy fix as the car just got taxed 2 days ago and I want to be out driving it again!!

[Moggyton]

What about the other fuses under the lip on the right of the engine bay? Mine kept coming undone everytime there was a bump in the road -.-

Edited by Moggyton, 04 April 2013 - 05:52 PM.

[KernowCooper]

Check my post here on the fuses and there circuits http://www.theminifo...s-covered-data/ and work back from there as required to the switch

[mike.]

I've never checked the in-line fuses on my car, i'll check those too. But, the haynes says the bottom fuse out of the 4 does my side/tail/dash lights, so don't think its the inline fuses.

Kernow Coopers guide says after a certain year, models had the lights split left and right, some on the main fuse box, some on the in line fuses.

Well all of mine are out, not just one side, so I think I can rule out fuses.


Where else do I start apart from the switch really? What else can stop power getting to the bottom fuse?

[Moggyton]

I didnt either but when one was undone and dash lights stopped working it fixed it

[mike.]

Well i'll check those in the morning and if I get no luck, i'll head up to moss and get a new headlight switch. They're only a tenner and i'd rather that than start ripping my dash and wiring loom out to test thing.

Hope I can get it sorted tomorrow, supposed to be going for a night drive tomorrow to get photos of the car!

[Moggyton]

Good luck mate

[Chance]

I had this sometimes and I had to fiddle with the connections on the fusebox

But it was the second fuse down..and the connector on the left of the fuse..looking from the front

Then that stopped working so I changed my switch and it worked for ages

Then they stopped working again so I took my fuses out..put them back in and removed the fusebox and put it back on and they have worked since (go figure)

This was on an 85 and probably not much help but I thought I'd share my story haa

[alicetheauto]

Check the switch. You can strip them open relativly easily and check condition inside. Then replace if necessary. Got a local mate you can borrow his switch for a moment?

[tiger99]

Bridge the brown and red-green wires at the switch. If the side and tail lights then come on, you know for sure that the switch is faulty. I would not bother to dismantle it, as they are never very good afterwards.

[mike.]

Tiger - I'll keep that in mind if i suspect the switch in future.

I found the problem though, it was the connection at the fuse box as suggested.

The male terminal on the fusebox can easily be cleaned, but the female spade on the red wire will be hard to get into to clean. There isn't enough slack on the wire to cut it off and crimp a new one on either so not sure how i can improve that but i'll see tomorrow.