Dim dip relay
Can anyone offer help and advice as to how the dim/dip relay works in my 1994 Mayfair?
The other night, when I started the car, the headlights were dark. When the light switch was on sidelights, the sidelights and reduced headlights were on. Switching to dipped beam reduced the lighting down to just sidelights (very dim). Switching to mainbeam worked fine (although I have driving lights too, so they blinded everyone coming the other way). So as I drove along, I ended up driving on sidelights with reduced dipped lights, and then pulling on the flasher when I couldn't see anything!
I temporarily fixed it by taking the dim/dip relay out and shorting the light power feed at the relay socket directly to the light feed. This means that I don't get the 'dim/dip' function when on sidelights, but sidelights, dipped headlights and main beam work fine (although obviously sidelights are quite feeble without the dim/dipped headlights). I'm relatively comfortable that if I can't fix the relay function, I'll just make a more permanent short fix, and just go with that.
Anyway, my local garage, which deals with a lot of minis, had a spare dim/dip relay. However, when we tried that, it made no difference - the same fault appeared. So it seems like it may not ba a fault with the relay, (thinking about it, I could prove that even more by swapping the relays between the my mini and my wife's - although she will never forgive me if I break hers!).
So anyway, I get the feeling that there is another electrical condition on one of the other pins going into the relay which may be awry, which is causing the fault.
Does any of what I've just said make any sense to anyone, and are there any suggestions about what I might check/do to fix the problem (other than just going with shorting out the relay)?
Many thanks, Eric
Posted: Nov 25, 2013 09:20 AM