can anyone help me out with some advice?

[dan86]

possibly but from what i understand is that the stalk is know for causing dipped beam and sidelight problems, i cant seem to find another person on the net with the same problem as me.

i would have to be very unlucky to buy another stalk with this rare problem but not impossible i guess.

I've changed the switch before for the same problem you have.
and how did you check the fuses?

 

[Marvo]

TBH if you've checked the right relays and checked the fuses then that's me stumped. If I were you I'd see I could find a wiring diagram and then disconnect the stalk and test the switches in it were working. You can test the bulbs with a multimeter as well but usually if you can see the two filaments are in tact then they should be okay.

 

[dan86]

the stereo has not been touched though the problem just appeared on its on. its still the original stereo. as i have basically no electrical knowledge u can imagine how confusing this is for me.

hmm, I'll need to think a bit more on that one. it's obviously not recognising when the ignition is off. I'll get back to you on that!

 

[fletcher23]

i checked the fuses by pulling them out one by one and looking for any blown/broken ones but they were all fine.

haha well if it has electricians stumped then i am definately screwed. guess i will have to take it to a local auto sparky.

 

[dan86]

I am a sparky, but also a vehicle technician and it has me stumped! hard over the internet mind...

 

[fletcher23]

i will change the bulbs in the morning and see how it goes but i'm doubtful. thanks for the advice much appreciated.

 

[dan86]

I'm doubtful n all, but worth a shot!
no probs bud. sorry I couldn't help anymore. let us know when you work it out!

 

[fletcher23]

if.. i ever work it out haha. never buying french again should have stayed with german cars but couldn't resist a fast french hot hatch

 

[Guest111]

Have you looked for other fuses?sometimes they have an extra set that is not in the main box,on the original mini there was a separate fuse for the tail lights and it was located behind the speedo in the middle of the dash.If it went the front sidelights and headlights worked but not the rear lights,incidentally I had a clio once,paid £300 for it and had nearly 3 years of trouble free motoring,never cost me a penny and went all over the country in it.

 

[Des 56]

I haven't touched much auto electrics since they decided that the 2 pence rectifiers were better sited inside the alternator casing(now I wonder why one of the most efficient machines on the planet had a prone to breakdown two bit rectifier inserted)
Maybe it was to have "reconditioned"(laughs loudly) alternators as a money spinner for the motor trade, anyway I digress



You have changed the stalk
You have checked the fuses
You have checked/changed the bulbs ( lamps) (that is just to stop the anti bulb brigade from having a nervous breakdown)

I would put my money on the relay

You will of course have to identify what does what, but if there is another relay with identical function I would as a temporary measure swop one for another

 

[jon small]

haven't done much on auto electrics in recent years but it certainly seems to me that the most likely cause of problems would be the relays - I would try replacing the dim-dip relay which may have failed and gone to "get home mode" - have had trouble with these in the past on vauxhall's and maybe the high / low beam relay as well, best of luck you'll need it as French auto electrics can be a law unto themselves - have spent countless hours chasing weird faults on French cars ( anyone remember facels? most of the wires on the last one i did were black - a bit like older Honda's) -jon

 

[fletcher23]

i changed the bulbs today but no change as i suspected, ordered a multi meter to test the relays and check if power is getting to bulb socket.

 

[Marvo]

I advise caution when using a multimeter to test inside the lamp holders etc. It's very easy to cause a short circuit and cause more problems so use insulated probes with just the tips exposed. If you get a mulitmeter you could also test the switches in the stalk by unplugging it and continuity testing at the socket.

 

[NickD]

i have a renault clio 172 and am having a few electrical problems (i know my fault for buying french)

first one is that i have no full beam what so ever, not even the blue light on the dash, its just stopped working all other lights work fine, so far i have changed the headlight stalk as this seems to be the common suspect but no joy, checked all fuses, checked both bulbs. also made sure all relays were seated correctly. but now i don't have a clue what to look for.

Does it use a single bulb which combines both the dipped and full beam elements in one bulb? Or does it have a separate dipped bulb and full beam bulb?

Get an electrical diagram showing the complete supply run from the battery to the connector at the full beam bulb. This will show the path of current through maybe a fuse, then maybe another fuse, then maybe a relay, then maybe the headlight stalk, then maybe a relay again, then maybe a connector, etc. etc. Obtain a test meter or test lamp and work out how to use it (bear in mind the black/ground/return lead will need to be connected to battery negative, or another suitable ground such as bare metal on the chassis - the outer shell of the cigarette lighter socket is often a good one to go for). Then switch the car and lights on (probably don't need engine running) such that the main beam should be on. Then find points in the supply run which you can get at, and test them to see if they have 12V on. As soon as you find a point in the run that doesn't have 12V, you need to work your way back from there to the battery to find the first point which does have 12V on - and just after that point is where your fault is. The bad news is that car wiring is generally a sod to get at. Have fun....

my other fault is that the stereo lights don't go off (standard headunit), even when i take key out and lock the doors and this is flattening my battery so i have to disconnect the battery to save it from going flat.

Connector to the stereo which should be being supplied from the switched 12V (goes off when key removed) is being supplied from the permanent 12V (direct connection to battery via fuse(s), never gets switched off). Pull the stereo and check the connection. If you're lucky it's ISO standard connections, the connection diagram/colour codes for which you will find easily via Google. Your challenge will be finding a switched 12V point to supply the stereo from. Often the cigarette lighter supply is suitable but sometimes these are unswitched, so check first.

 

[fletcher23]

Does it use a single bulb which combines both the dipped and full beam elements in one bulb? Or does it have a separate dipped bulb and full beam bulb?

Get an electrical diagram showing the complete supply run from the battery to the connector at the full beam bulb. This will show the path of current through maybe a fuse, then maybe another fuse, then maybe a relay, then maybe the headlight stalk, then maybe a relay again, then maybe a connector, etc. etc. Obtain a test meter or test lamp and work out how to use it (bear in mind the black/ground/return lead will need to be connected to battery negative, or another suitable ground such as bare metal on the chassis - the outer shell of the cigarette lighter socket is often a good one to go for). Then switch the car and lights on (probably don't need engine running) such that the main beam should be on. Then find points in the supply run which you can get at, and test them to see if they have 12V on. As soon as you find a point in the run that doesn't have 12V, you need to work your way back from there to the battery to find the first point which does have 12V on - and just after that point is where your fault is. The bad news is that car wiring is generally a sod to get at. Have fun....



Connector to the stereo which should be being supplied from the switched 12V (goes off when key removed) is being supplied from the permanent 12V (direct connection to battery via fuse(s), never gets switched off). Pull the stereo and check the connection. If you're lucky it's ISO standard connections, the connection diagram/colour codes for which you will find easily via Google. Your challenge will be finding a switched 12V point to supply the stereo from. Often the cigarette lighter supply is suitable but sometimes these are unswitched, so check first.

hi thanks for the reply, i have ordered a multi meter it should be here tomorrow, so i will test all the relative power points u mentioned and go from there. i have cured the stereo problem by removing it and fitting an aftermarket one. must have delevoped a fault within the actual stereo.

will let you all know my results when i do the tests.

edit- its a single high beam bulb, dipped beams are xenon and different style of bulb.