Disco 200tdi headlight issues

[leon_81]

working through the long list of jobs on my mates 200 at the weekend we thought we'd tackle the mud filled broken headlights! we got a replacement pair from a breaker

he had an issue with the lights previously where one of the dipped beams worked ok, but the other was like a sidelight in terms of light output

while fitting the new ones, we checked wiring and couldn't find anything obvious. basically with some fiddling we've worked out that he can have both sides dipped very, very dim, or if we wiggle the drivers side bulb plug, that one lights up properly but the passenger side goes out?

he's going to get down the breakers and get some replacement headlight plugs with a few inches of wiring for starters, but we're sure there must be a wiring or earth problem somewhere

are there any common places for things to go wrong that we should check first? things seem to be getting worse for him and he can't use the disco in the dark at the moment!

[doda456]

The stalk on the steering wheel column does burn out, cos the 200tdi has no relays in the lighting circuit resulting in a approx 1v or more volt drop at the bulbs.

You can fit a set of relays quite easily and it does make a difference.

[Paul 200 TDI]

Personaly I think it's an earth problem. If the switch was defective the lights would be on or off or dim, but not a combination from left to right.

So I would be checking out the earth points or the plug for the lights, they can melt.

[nicedayforit]

Have you had a look at the condition of the fusible links in the main battery +ve cable?

These things,

http://www.jpurnell.com/RR/repairs/fusible%20link%20repair.htm

Common cause of electrical problems in 200tdi's, including dubious headlight operation.

[leon_81]

i'm thinking earth too - its like there is resistance somewhere meaning not enough power is getting through?

are there any common earth points to check? is it worth trying to put in new earths on the headlight wiring or is that a bad idea? (i've had to use new earths on rear lights before on a ford to stop them inter-acting

@ nicerdayforit - never heard of fusible links, but we'll check!

thanks

[Paul 200 TDI]

Have you had a look at the condition of the fusible links in the main battery +ve cable?

These things,

http://www.jpurnell.com/RR/repairs/fusible%20link%20repair.htm

Common cause of electrical problems in 200tdi's, including dubious headlight operation.

again that wouldn't cause 1 head light to be OK and the other dim. It's some thing to do with the individual lights, voltage feed, bad connection or earths

[leon_81]

all fixed - turned out to be an earth and oddly enough a fuse? anyway, just alignment needed now

thanks again for the suggestions

[Paul 200 TDI]

all fixed - turned out to be an earth and oddly enough a fuse? anyway, just alignment needed now

thanks again for the suggestions

Right now you got that sorted, then we can start with the fuseable links, rip them out put them in a bin and fit an under bonnet fuse box from a 300 TDI. A very easy job to do

[leon_81]

i did mention that to him, he said he'll think about it - maybe wait until something else goes wrong!

[Paul 200 TDI]

i did mention that to him, he said he'll think about it - maybe wait until something else goes wrong!

One the easiest jobs I have done, and it didn't take long to do, also there was no need for the first aid kit

[leon_81]

no need for the first aid kit after working on a land rover... thats got to be rare! i'll mention it to him again

he's no mechanic, and he doesn't like to play with stuff unless it needs it though - not a problem for me as i've got a 300tdi - i just need to make sure he doesn;t start pinching bits off mine to fix/improve his!

[peterdon]

i did mention that to him, he said he'll think about it - maybe wait until something else goes wrong!

That will be quite soon then