Headlamp problems again ....

[nutter69]

My girl friend is having problems with the head lamp on her car.

The car is a K reg Nissan Micra. She says that it is a 950cc with the L trim. I think that this makes it a late K10 model.

Whilst driving home (on the M4) Saturday night the lights started 'playing up' .... she was driving, I'd had a few beers !

The symptoms are:
1) With the control stalk in the 'side light' position there was buzzing noise (caused by the relay 'chattering') from the headlamp relay box close to the battery. But, both side lights worked.
2) With the control stalk in the 'dipped main beam' position, the buzzing stopped but the blue 'main beam lamp' on the dash was lit indicating that main beam was on even though it wasn't. Only the near side headlamp was working (both side lights still worked).
3) With the control stalk in the 'main beam' position, only the near side head lamp was on main beam, the offside head lamp was still dead (both side lights still worked).

When I looked at it the next morning I could see that the near side head lamp has had a new connector wired in. I assume this is as a result of the connector melting problem I have read about. The replacement connector looked in good condition.

The off side head lamp connector and bulb also appeared in good condition, with no obvious signs of melting.

The two 15A head lamp fuses just below the bonnet release handle have not blown.

I've read a few posts on here (and other places) that suggest different causes (ie the connector on the side with no light, the relay box or the stalk).

Which one do I try changing first (connector, relay box or stalk) ? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Dave O


PS

I disconnected the relay box a couple of times and now the headlights work again .... but I know the fault will be back given a bit of time !

Also, looking at the workshop manual (linked here: http://www.micra.org.uk/showthread.php?t=13800), the wiring for the headlamp did not show the head lamp relay box, so perhaps this changed on the later K10 cars. Does anyone have a wiring diagram showing the relay box connections ?

 

[Arnold]

I'd first of all check the connections on the back of the lights. You say they're good but sometimes they come a little loose and just need wiggling about, or even replacing if they show any signs of damage / melting. This happened to me quite alot until i replaced one of them, and worked fine after that.

Also whilst the relay was buzzing, the full beam light was faintly illuminated on the dashboard.

 

[curtis]

First of all the engine is a 988cc and it is a late model as K was the last reg of the k10 iirc....

I would start by pulling off the connectors on the bulbs as it could be melting underneth, thats where mine went lol

if they are fine, then its not that expensive to replace the stalk and the relay, go to your local scrappies, cost around £5-£20 depending on where you are....

 

[Arnold]

K10's went up to L reg, and K11's were launched on a K reg lol.

 

[nutter69]

Thanks for the replies .....

Curtis, sorry I got the engine capacity wrong but it's an easy mistake to make since it isn't identified on the boot lid and she has no hand book (car was bought at auction 3 years ago). She will be pleased to hear that she has an extra 38cc than she previously thought.

Will get down to the scrap dealer for a connector, the relay box and the stalk and change them 1 at a time, starting with the connector. Will post the results.

 

[Arnold]

The connectors vary so make sure you get the same type.