Headlights intermitent

[malverner]

Sidelights working but not beam - but work when pull full beam arm, but have to hold on.

Earth crowns look clean and no corrosion.

After a few minutes beam comes on ok and clicking between full and beam works again...

All bulbs ok.


Any suggestions before I start the very fiddly earth crown check (lhd so very squashed in around there)

Have read wiki etc..

Thanks in advance

[captain Byrne]

My earth crown looked ok from a distance but then when I had a really good rummage they were really rough. A couple were rusty, a couple just plain loose. Mine's a lhd so just remove the speed cluster, drop the fuse holder & remove the air vent on the dash. Remove all wires from the crown, put new connectors on. Get a small wire brush & clean the crown as best you can. If you can get a stubby pozy in there you can remove the crown & clean it properly. It's well worth re-doing it anyway just for peace of mind. An hour tops.

[ghost123uk]

Sidelights working but not beam - but work when pull full beam arm, but have to hold on.

Just to clarify, do you mean "sidelights" or dipped beam. ie dipped beam works ok but main beam only works when pulling the main beam stalk (as in to "flash" mains)

[malverner]

Thanks people.

WD-40 Specialist Contact Cleaner sprayed onto dash light switch and stalk switch has cured it !

Just to clarify it was sidelights only working on both settings from dash switch, but dip and full beam worked when pulling on stalk to flash (lol). It's a 4 square headlight vanagon.

All back to normal now.

Thanks

[PetenAli]

You may find that the problem comes back. I had exactly the same thing happen driving thru the night in France three years ago. Then it seemed sorted. Did you notice if the wipers also failed to operate at the same time?

Eventually I had total failure of both dipped headlights and wipers and had to bypass the head light switch late one night so I could get home. Eventually it turned out to be a knackered ignition switch (because both wipers and dipped beam pass thru the same circuit on the ignition switch) and a replacement ignition switch sorted the problem. What was happening was that the ignition switch was slowly breaking down. I think it took nearly a year between the initial manifestation of the problem and finally both dipped beam and wipers stopping completely.

[malverner]

Thanks for that - I think wipers were still working. I'm aware it's probably a temporary fix .. Did a squirt of contact cleaner sort yours temporarily too?

[clarence]

Point me in the Rt direction, I am a 1986 1.9manual T25vanagon from California
My side lights work but main lights don't,if I use my indicators the the headlamps flash as if they where indicators,rear signals work but both flash as if warning lights are on,even though the RT flashes brighter or same with LT dependent on which way I push indicator arm,
My earths seem to be clean and Dry on all lights,

Regards Clarence

[R0B]

Clarence.You should start your own thread,instead of hijacking this one.