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        General >> Problems >> Lighting Again
        
(Message started by: panther on Jul 25^th, 2007, 1:23pm)

Title: Lighting Again
Post by panther on Jul 25^th, 2007, 1:23pm

Hi

I've posted this before and am hoping that members may be able to help with the additional information. I have a 1998 Ultima and have replaced the main light switch 3 times! The last one lasted about 3 weeks before my fault returned.

The instrument panel, tail and side lights stop working. Brake, driving, rear fog and headlights are all OK. Then when they fail another switch will resolve the issue - but only short term.

'Dry' fuses and faulty earth have been suggested. Any thoughts

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by john.n on Jul 25^th, 2007, 1:29pm

Sounds like a fusebox problem to me.Does it have the cover-the big one held on with a wing nut (next to the battery). If not i would suspect a fault here especially with all the rain we have had. Check out the fusebox rebuild page. john.n :-/

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by RichardMS on Jul 25^th, 2007, 3:42pm

Are your headlight bulbs standard 50/55 :-/.

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by panther on Jul 25^th, 2007, 8:00pm

The fuse boxes are secure. However the problem has being going on for some months befopre the current weather but I do thank you John for taking the trouble to reply
The bulbs, Richard, were replaced and I did put in brighter ones when one went. Am intrigued by the question

Bob

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by Simmo on Jul 25^th, 2007, 8:35pm

I guess Richard is suggesting that IF you have fitted more powerful bulbs there is the possibility that the loom wiring is being overloaded and thus 'cooking' the wiring or the connecter behind the switch.

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by wudz on Jul 25^th, 2007, 9:06pm

Hi Panther,

The switch should only control the relay, so the current would be the same even if you change the bulbs to higher wattages or faulty cooked wiring to the bulbs. It may well be that the relay has got shorted turns which would put extra demands on the switch but depending on how bad the short was would still operate the relay.
Also could be as pointed out, you may be also feeding extra current via a partial short in the fuse box....

Cheers
John

Fingers cross it is only the relay....not sure which one it is though

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by RichardMS on Jul 25^th, 2007, 10:16pm

on 07/25/07 at 20:35:41, Simmo wrote:

Exactly as Simmo is saying, The reason why I am saying this is quite a few years back I used to own a Manta B to which I fitted Piaa dipping rally spots, these were fitted with 90/135 watt bulbs and I wired them through only two relays and then to the supply from the headlights, I later had problems with the lights and traced it to the headlight switch, It was melted around the rear pins.
I got around this by wiring up four relays, one to each of the dip and main on the spots, When the switch had melted it didn't do the loom any damage, it just got warm but probably would have melted this as well if I hadn't of noticed the switch.
If the bulbs are a lot above 55 watt then this may be causing your switch to melt, These switches are not fantastic anyway as there have been plenty of problems with them melting in the past, and I expect you already know about the excellent wiring the Scorpio has ;D

HTH

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by dogma on Jul 25^th, 2007, 10:50pm

Hi mate, if you need any relays let me know, i jus pulled all the fuses and relays out of my 2.9 befre it went to the breakers
jim

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by wudz on Jul 26^th, 2007, 6:34pm

Hi,

Not quite,

Your switch only operates a relay/s anything controlled by the relay contacts will not affect the switch only if below...
The extra load on the switch has nothing to do with adding relays, extra bulbs.....if you put everything after the original relay then at worse you weld the relay contacts or damage the wire from the relay switch contacts to the lights, this would not though affect the switch
as it only feeds the relay that is why it may point to the relay shorted turns which would add more current to flow through the switch or tracking in the Fuse box again adding extra current to the switch not anything faulty after the relay..
:)

Hope This helps in you fault finding
Cheers
John ;) ;)

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by panther on Jul 29^th, 2007, 8:23pm

Still no luck - having checked the bulbs they're 55w as normal. Can see no moisture in either fusebox and so I'm still stumped or 'in the dark'

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by Tompion on Jul 30^th, 2007, 12:45am

Have you checked the multiplug to the main fuse box, a lot of people have been caught out with this, it can look OK but isn't seated propery. You can see the plug here (click on the first picture):
http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/fusebox.htm
It pivots in, make sure the lugs you can see in the picture are correctly located.
Look carefully at the fuse box cover if the plugs not in right it won't go right down flush with the fuse box base.

Dave

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by pappa on Jul 30^th, 2007, 8:22am

Hi Panther!

I had the same symptoms as you have. I did not replace the light switch, instead of that I pulled the
wiring out as far as i could from behind the switch, then turned on the lights (the switch attached)
and touched/moved the wires until I found the one that was causing the problem. I can't remember
it anymore, but I think it was one very small lead in one of the corners in the plugin that had become
loose. I pulled it out from the plugin base, cleaned it and squeezed it to be a little bit tighter and
then pushed it back in. Or did I just use a small screwdriver to squeeze it tighter, can't remember,
have done that to many cars and many plugs.

Anyway that cured the problem permanently for me. (touching wood!)

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by davem on Jul 31^st, 2007, 8:00pm

I had a similar problem last year. I would be driving along with dipped headlights on....and not realising I had no lights on at all at the rear, except when I saw others flashing me in the rear view mirror. The dashboard lights were out as well and thats all I thought was missing.

Anyway, I discovered one of the wires to the light switch - top right I think +12V - which goes into the multi-plug had a bad connection...and had even melted the multiplug a bit.

I decided to simply break that one wire out of the multiplug and extend it and simply hardware it via a soldered connection.

No problem ever since.

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by panther on Aug 5^th, 2007, 9:33pm

Well guys problem resolved. Thanks to all who responded but especially 'Pappa' & 'Davem' ; It was exactly as described. One of the connections has spred and when 'jiggled' lights worked. I've temporarily squeezed it tighter with two ends from a thingytail stick unitil I can make a permanent fix.

Thanks once again to all members who took the time.

Regards

Bob.

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by pappa on Aug 8^th, 2007, 6:47am

No worries mate, lived through that hell on a dark highway last autumn, so it is great that it pays back saving you from getting gray hair. ;)

Title: Re: Lighting Again
Post by Scultima on Aug 12^th, 2007, 11:27am

Hia Panther, I had the same problem with mine and eventually traced it back to a dodgy fuse and highly carbonized/ dirty contacts on the number 3 fuse in the central fuse box. failing the contacts and fuse, then I would remove the fuse box and look at the terminations underneath