Battery drain

[Dox 23]

If you fit the updated loom and don’t remove the resistor you don’t get side light only with ignition on and you should fail the mot.

That switch looks quite new? Shiny terminals.

The uprated loom means the switch only carries current to switch the relays, ie tiny, but if the wiring shorts for what ever reason it can pass the max the battery can supply - beyond its capabilities 

[Keyo 47]

Does that mean my car could fail it’s mot  as only working on low and high beam and the lowest setting no longer works on mine . 
 

that was someone’ else’s switch and they reckon the dim dip resister yellow cable can short on the chassis leg and then switch starts on fire so they remove the dim resistor and the yellow cable from the switch I think 

Edited July 22, 2020 by Keyo

[fendervg 32]

What happens to the switches is that the heat of the filament bulb damages the two tabs for the rocker part, then the tracks go out of alignment and hence you get a short and maybe a fire - easiest fix is to install a small fuse on the earth wire - this is documented in a sticky in the Electrical section as far as I can remember. Alternatively, source a Chinese Jetta switch, which works identically but has LED bulbs.

For any uprated loom with relays on a UK car, you need to disconnect the dim dip resistor - not all looms will have a wire for the sidelight present, so in some cases you need to feed this from the original loom.

[Keyo 47]

Are the side lights the really small bulbs in the front headlights ? Thanks . 

[1xshaunx1 27]

15 minutes ago, Keyo said:

Are the side lights the really small bulbs in the front headlights ? Thanks . 

Yes mate

[Keyo 47]

15 minutes ago, 1xshaunx1 said:

Yes mate

Thanks from memory the first click on the switch use to turn the sidelights  on - now when I do first click it puts on the medium beam light so when I second click the lights stay the same / would my mot fail on that ? Thanks 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Keyo

[Cressa 44]

6 minutes ago, Keyo said:

Thanks from memory the first click on the switch use to turn the sidelights  on - now when I do first click it puts on the medium beam light so when I second click the lights stay the same / would my mot fail on that ? Thanks 

That doesn't sound to be working correctly.. Best ask Vince  if this is what the loom he got you does, but I doubt it .

Good luck

[Keyo 47]

Sure I’m going round to my mate tonight who is handy with electrics  👍 By the sounds of It disconnect the dim resistor and connect some more cables .  

Edited July 23, 2020 by Keyo

[Dox 23]

Unplug the dim dip resistor and all will be restored ( dim dip will no longer work).

[Keyo 47]

Thanks fox . 

[Dox 23]

Dim dip explained.

First position on the switch with the engine off puts the sidelight bulbs on

First position on the switch with ignition on (engine running or turned off) the dipped beam bulb is supplied with reduced voltage (via the resistor) giving a brightness somewhere between sidelights (piss holes in snow) and dipped beam (position 2 on the light switch)

The issue with uprated looms and dim dip

Because the dipped bulb is supplied with reduced voltage with ignition on this is the feed used to fire the relay for dipped beam on the upgraded loom, even the reduced voltage is enough to fire the relay (a 9V PP3 domestic smoke alarm battery battery is enough to test a relay if you want to test it out of the car)

Removing the resistor reverts the dip dip system to conventional sidelights (position 1 on the switch ignition on or off) / dipped beam (position 2 on the switch).

I've never seen an uprated loom for the sidelights

Edited July 23, 2020 by Dox

[fendervg 32]

It's not that there are uprated looms for the sidelights, but that they need to be connected. The Corrado headlight connector has four pins, for high, low, earth and sidelights, and a lot of looms only have the first three, which means the feed for the side lights needs to be connected. This is different to the Golf etc, where the headlight connector is a standard 3 terminal H4, and the wires for the sidelights are run separately to each of the two bulbs.

Some looms that use OEM connectors will take the feed for the sidelights directly from the old connector that is used to switch the relays, but normally this would not be run through the relays and fuses, but directly from the switch to the headlight.

Not sure if that makes sense - but I will try and dig out a few pictures.

[Keyo 47]

1 hour ago, Dox said:

Dim dip explained.

First position on the switch with the engine off puts the sidelight bulbs on

First position on the switch with ignition on (engine running or turned off) the dipped beam bulb is supplied with reduced voltage (via the resistor) giving a brightness somewhere between sidelights (piss holes in snow) and dipped beam (position 2 on the light switch)

The issue with uprated looms and dim dip

Because the dipped bulb is supplied with reduced voltage with ignition on this is the feed used to fire the relay for dipped beam on the upgraded loom, even the reduced voltage is enough to fire the relay (a 9V PP3 domestic smoke alarm battery battery is enough to test a relay if you want to test it out of the car)

Removing the resistor reverts the dip dip system to conventional sidelights (position 1 on the switch ignition on or off) / dipped beam (position 2 on the switch).

I've never seen an uprated loom for the sidelights

Dox I have the rayne loom mate with two relays . Thanks 

[seanl82 23]

I've got the rayne automotive loom too. My dim dip is disconnected, and I've never had an issue with MOT. As long as you have side lights, main beam and high beam then it conforms to legal requirements

[Dox 23]

15 minutes ago, seanl82 said:

I've got the rayne automotive loom too. My dim dip is disconnected, and I've never had an issue with MOT. As long as you have side lights, main beam and high beam then it conforms to legal requirements

If dim dip is connected you'll only have sidelights with ignition off, if they test with ignition on they should fail it - but who drives with sidelights anyway?

[seanl82 23]

39 minutes ago, Dox said:

If dim dip is connected you'll only have sidelights with ignition off, if they test with ignition on they should fail it - but who drives with sidelights anyway?

Yeah my dim dip resistor is disconnected. 

[Dox 23]

2 minutes ago, seanl82 said:

Yeah my dim dip resistor is disconnected. 

Sorry skim read what you said

[seanl82 23]

15 minutes ago, Dox said:

Sorry skim read what you said

👍

[Keyo 47]

1 hour ago, seanl82 said:

I've got the rayne automotive loom too. My dim dip is disconnected, and I've never had an issue with MOT. As long as you have side lights, main beam and high beam then it conforms to legal requirements

So Dox and Sean, 

I have side lights working with ignition off . When ignition on and first click on switch I have low beam and side lights come on at the same time - second click same as first click . This is incorrect I think- is it best just to disconnect the dim dip resistor and if so what is the proper way of doing this - they seem to cause switches to explode anyway when they short. I imagine the only thing I wont be able to do is have dim lights with ignition off which won't bother me ? 

Tar. 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Keyo

[seanl82 23]

Yeah first click should be low beam, second main beam. Just disconnect the yellow plug for the resistor. I've just left home but can get some pics later if you like

[Keyo 47]

14 minutes ago, seanl82 said:

Yeah first click should be low beam, second main beam. Just disconnect the yellow plug for the resistor. I've just left home but can get some pics later if you like

Thanks Sean 

Update I unplugged these two yellow connectors next to the dim dip. 

Sidelights are now working with ignition on and off - first click just sidelights - second click medium beam . 

So this is correct now I think guYs. 

Is it just best to electrical tape the yellow connectors and that is all I need to do - are there any bad side effects for unplugging these ? 

Thanks 

 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Keyo

[seanl82 23]

2 minutes ago, Keyo said:

Thanks Sean 

Update I unpluged these two yellow connectors next to the dim dip. 

Sidelights are now working with ingnition on - first click just sidelights - second click medium beam . 

So this is correct now I think guYs. 

Is it just best to electrical tape the yellow connectors and that is all I need to do - are there any bad side effects for unplugging these ? 

Thanks 

 

 

 

Yep, that sounds right. 👍

[Keyo 47]

2 minutes ago, seanl82 said:

Yep, that sounds right. 👍

Thanks picture showing above mate the plugs. Just electrical tape the ends chap ? 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Keyo

[fendervg 32]

4 minutes ago, Keyo said:

Thanks picture showing above mate the plugs. Just electrical tape the ends chap ? 

Yeah, not needed - just an old UK market safety thing in the regulations - I suppose DRLs of a sort.  It was to prevent drivers from driving in darkness with just the sidelights on as a lot of cars didn't give any visual indication of what setting they were on, and this feature made the low beams glow to put out more light.

Just tape them up and insulate them, if you want stick them in a bag to waterproof them.

[Keyo 47]

1 minute ago, fendervg said:

Yeah, not needed - just an old UK market safety thing in the regulations - I suppose DRLs of a sort.  It was to prevent drivers from driving in darkness with just the sidelights on as a lot of cars didn't give any visual indication of what setting they were on, and this feature made the low beams glow to put out more light.

Just tape them up and insulate them, if you want stick them in a bag to waterproof them.

Thanks for all your help lads getting a lot of things fixed on my drive these days 🤘