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Need help with headlight problem

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Old Jan 18, 2007 | 04:35 AM
  #1  
grinder's Avatar
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Need help with headlight problem

Hiya chaps

been having probs with the headlights on the car ( a 1991 cab - Jap Spec ) for a while now

i have ended up putting 2 new wires into the system

1 - from the head fuse to the light relay
2 - from the head fuse to the headlight switch

the lights now work - so thats a good thing .. BUT ..

( bearing in mind this is a Jap spec import )

1 - when you put the sidelights on - the lights stay down and shine thru the FTP lenses ( which its supposed to do )
2 - when you put the dipped beam on - the lights rise and come on
3 - when you stwitch to full beam - the lights put full beam on

( all well and good you think )

4 - with the lights OFF and you flash at another car - it flashes thru the FTP lense - where as i think the lights should raise , flash and then drop

so i seem to have a mix of Jap spec and UK spec ( my 1990 TII UK Spec - when you flash the lights - it flashes thru the FTP lenses - BUT - when you put the sidelights on - the lights raise )

is there an extra relay i have missed to make the lights raise , flash and then drop

or do i just have to live with this wierd problem ??

im not sure if its the actual flash stalk is faulty or if i have some more wiring issues ?

its a bit arkward to trace - as all the manuals on the net are for USA spec cars

any help would be appreciated on this ( and sorry if this post doesnt make 100% sense - its not the easiest thing to explain !! LOL )

Ta

Stu
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Old Jan 18, 2007 | 04:46 PM
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From: Rohnert Park CA
why did the lights stop working in the first place that you had to run new wires?
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 08:14 AM
  #3  
grinder's Avatar
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bought the car and the headlights didnt work

have done continuety tests and resistance tests on the wires and the voltage was only about 5 volts - so not enough to power the lights or the motors ( and 0v at the relay )

rather than pulling the loom apart i decided this way was simplier

i tested the lighting circuits with a 12v power probe - this is how we found out what wires needed 12v and what didnt

they are working - i just can figure out why they dont come up , flash and then drop

Stu
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 08:36 AM
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From: MD
Originally Posted by grinder

1 - when you put the sidelights on - the lights stay down and shine thru the FTP lenses ( which its supposed to do )
They are not supposed to do that unless you wired them to.
2 - when you put the dipped beam on - the lights rise and come on
Normal. Assuming "dipped" means low beam.
3 - when you stwitch to full beam - the lights put full beam on
Normal. Assuming "full" means high beam.

4 - with the lights OFF and you flash at another car - it flashes thru the FTP lense - where as i think the lights should raise , flash and then drop
No. FTP lenses are just that, Flash To Pass. You pull the lever and the lights flash through the lenses in the front bumper. If they were suppose to raise, flash, and lower then why would the lenses be there? Not to mention it would make no mechanical sense what-so-ever.



The only thing that I see that is out of place is that the headlights are coming on with the parking lights and shining through the FTP lenses. Unless you wired them to work that way, they should not be coming on.
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 11:23 AM
  #5  
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From: UK
thing is mate - its a jap spec car - so the lights do stay down on side light - but they should pop up when you flash

hence the half jap half UK spec car

nothing is simple with these cars eh

Stu

( and dipped means low and full means high )

***edit***

will check tonight - but im pretty sure that the side lights are built into the FTP lense - will have a closer look tonight to check

i know that on my jap spec S4 - it had them
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 11:50 AM
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Where are you reading that the lights on the jspec cars should come up?
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 12:37 PM
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Originally Posted by raptor22
Where are you reading that the lights on the jspec cars should come up?
+1 I think you are mistaken.

Also, where are you reading that the lights should come on with the parking lights? I've never read that. However, JSpec cars do use a different FTP than ours(US model). The lenses they use have lights built into them (lights that are separate from the headlights). Perhaps your a bit confused...or maybe I'm mistaken. If I'm mistaken please point me to a location that describes the JSpec headlights turning on with the parking lights.
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 02:33 PM
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I had the jspec FTP ports for awhile. They just have a little halogen tube light in them that adds some brightness as a daytime runing light.
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 02:47 PM
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From: Rohnert Park CA
well the Jspec cars are wired to raise the headlights when you FTP.

I do not know how the switch differences are though, or if they are supposed to raise the headlights if the parking lights are on (I doubt they do).
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 03:08 PM
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From: UK
hiya chaps

icemark is right ( or from my knowledge )

i have had a look and the Jap Spec FTP lenses have a solid back with the side lights in them

when you put the side lights on - the lights stay down and the lights in the FTP lense light up - there is NO light on in the actual headlight when using side lights

the indicators use the full lense - hence no side lights in there

so my prob now is ( the same as before ) the lights dont pop up when you flash to pass

this is causing me some concern as they stay down and dont shine thru the FTP ports

i really need a jap spec wiring diagram - but cant seem to find one - so im working blind here

the car was dirt cheap - its a 1991 cab with beige leather interior and only 5K on a rebuild - its just that the lights dont work as they should

so any more ideas are sooooo welcomed

Stu
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Old Jan 19, 2007 | 04:18 PM
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From: MD
Originally Posted by Icemark
well the Jspec cars are wired to raise the headlights when you FTP.

I do not know how the switch differences are though, or if they are supposed to raise the headlights if the parking lights are on (I doubt they do).

Good to know. Never heard of that. Very weird though.
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Old Jan 20, 2007 | 01:44 PM
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gonna try my switches in my mates jap car ( i hope ) - so this will prove 1 of 2 things

1 - its the switch that does it
2 - its the wiring that does it

either way - i need to get this sorted out
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