Help Whats Going On With My Lights

[merky300]

Can anyone point me in the right direction, my front lights have gone stupid.

Position 1 (sidelights) N/S Main beam comes on dim. O/S Side light illuminates.
Position 2 (dip beam) N/S Dip Beam O/S Nothing sidelight goes out.
Position 3 (high beam) N/S High Beam O/S Sidelight comes back on only.

Connectors at the lights look good, main earth is good. Ihave taken the steering column switch out and tested the terminals all seem to work as they should.

Is there anything between switch and lights that would cause so many problems at once. Haven't had a look at the relays yet but I wouldn't have thought one relay going down would caus so many problems. The nearside headlight has the usuall twin filament bulb but lights up dim on sidlights then normal dip and high. All very strange. Can anyone work this one out.

Thanks

Tony

[Barkychoc]

Still sounds like an iffy earth to me.

Where is your main earth - on the V8S its just behind the passenger front wheel on the diagonal chassis tube.

[merky300]

Same earth point, chassis has been de-rusted earth point is clean and shiny new nut and washers.

[Barkychoc]

What about the connectors that go from the main loom to the lights - if its the original white plastic connectors they are rubbish. You could have a poor earth or other connections inside them.
With the power off you could try sticking a wire brush down them to clean them a bit and then put a bit of vaseline in them temporarily - they are better cut off and replaced though.

Chris

[tvrgit]

does it make any difference if the engine is running or not?

[merky300]

Will have another look tomorrow, going of the replies it sound like you think it is likley to be wireing/connectors/earths rather than switches relays etc.

Gives me a starting point

Thanks

Tony

[brow]

I had a similar experience where my switches started doing different things than before. I failed to diagnose myself and it turned out to be the switch was faulty even though i tested input/output voltages and earth.

[kenpage]

mark i have a fault on mine if i have the wipers on when they start to move from rest on each arc the headlights come on have a look at yours i think its the switch on mine as all the earths are clean and tight but the switch tests ok

[merky300]

Think the problem is sorted, one dodgy connector on the off side and some cleaning of terminals and bulb holders have got the lights coming on. It would seem that the small side lights are parking lights and once the ignition is switched on the main dip beam comes on dim, there is then the usual dip and high beams. Are they all wired up like this, it confused me.

Tony

[tvrgit]

merky300 said:

Think the problem is sorted, one dodgy connector on the off side and some cleaning of terminals and bulb holders have got the lights coming on. It would seem that the small side lights are parking lights and once the ignition is switched on the main dip beam comes on dim, there is then the usual dip and high beams. Are they all wired up like this, it confused me.

Tony

There was a period in the late 1980s when new cars were fitted with "dim-dip". I don't know if all the TVR S-series have it - I think it was dropped in the early 1990s. Mine certainly has and that was why I asked earlier if it made any difference if the engine was running or not - that would have identified a fault in the dim-dip relay.

[merky300]

Now I see, I've never come across this set up before and thought the dim dip beam was a fault in the wiring, coupled with the other conector problems. Just have to put it back together and fit the new waterproof conectors.

Thanks

Tony