K11 headlight problem

Hi all,

A friend asked me to look at her K11, 1999 Micra which is having headlight problems.

She had a headlight bulb on the driver's side replaced by Halfords, who advised her that the (almost melted) connector should be dealt with asap.She appeared 2 weeks later at mine with a bulb and new connector, needing both replacing.

When I checked, the main beam light was on on the dashboard, with it looking like a new bulb being needed on the driver's side. I took it apart, replaced the melted connector (as it was knackered) and new bulb, but still have a problem..
On dipped, it looks like only the 2 main beam filaments are on along with the blue indicator on the dash. When you pull/push the stalk, you get a second filament coming on , on passenger side, but the driver's side (only 1 filament) goes dimmer.
I've cleaned the 2 earths near to driver's side headlight, but still no joy.

Any ideas please?

Thanks,

Pete
 
do the obvious check the fuses ,when replacing the connector did you solder the wires or use a scotch connector ?? when this happened on ours it was because of the melted connector once replaced no issues with it again.
 
OP
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Hi,

I soldered and covered with heat shrink. I'd read somewhere before that someone had the same problem, but the new connector had cured it for them.

My plan next is to check the fuses and fusable link box, but I thought that any fuse-type probs would result in no power to the whole headlight....
 

Low Rider

Poindexter
Founding Member
Moderator
Club Member
A new connector can fix the problem for some. However, in some cases there are corroded connections within the fuse box located in the engine bay in front of the battery where both left & right headlight fuses are contained, (15amps). In our case we had to re-wire the end connectors there and install new fuses to fix the problem, as they were heavily corroded.

I'd recommend taking a look in there too, pulling both fuses out and seeing if the fuse terminals are corroded.
 
OP
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Well, this one's got me stumped...........

I've checked the fusebox near the battery and all was ok. Took the fuses out and had the box upside down. No corrosion, fuses are ok, nothing disconnected or broken, in fact it all looked in pretty good shape.

The only thing I've noticed was that with the driver's side connector disconnected from the headlight, the main beam indicator goes off (finally!) on the dashboard.

So, would this indicate a short on this side? If so, how best to trace it?


Pete
 

Japi

Site Supporter
Our cars may have some differences in electrics (Mine´s -95), but I had corroded fuses. Cleaned them, didn´t work so I changed the connector. Light still remained dimmed, checked connections again. I had tinkered wires wrong way after all, helped alot to tin them right way. :)
 
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?Tin? them.......do you mean like when u tin the tip of a soldering iron?

You tinned the fuses?

I've never heard of this..............o_O
 

Japi

Site Supporter
Sorry my English is not so good :oops: . I made soldered joints to head bulb connector´s wires and only cleaned the fuses.
 

funky2nite

Ex. Club Member
I had and still have the same problem, from experience I connote this happening to when I first changed the low beam bulbs to led ones (the white LED's). It's only since then that I've been having the damn connectors melt over time. I've already gone through buying used connectors of a breaking micra from there in the UK, replaced one connector and after a while same happened....Interestingly the LED's do kinda melt out too in fact they've been replaced and still wouldn't last long until I find them blackened...

The other connector I didn;t replace I just cut off the cables from the headlight connector and crimped flat slider connectors that slides into the headlight's three pins.....Dammit! over a longer period of time, on one of the three sliders I've still had melting with the copper slightly showing from where it is crimped and the plastic is kinda bubbly... It's crazy I've given up!!

just sharing guys!
 

funky2nite

Ex. Club Member
for your ref here are current photos of my prob:
201120122390.jpg

201120122391.jpg


201120122396.jpg



201120122397.jpg




no corrosion or anything but still the same darn prob...now i've removed the low beam bulbs which were previously LED's... I have a slight idea that if I had to plug back conventional car bulbs into the low beam the prob might improve as these would dissipate the overall current draw...but..Now I've given up....my K11 has just turned 17...and you know... :/
 

SirChris

Educated Bodger
Mine had this issue if I recall and I got rid of her though, not cause of this issue lol! But I remember that there was corrosion on the contacts on a board somewhere, it was further down the loom. Like an circuit board for the lights.
 
OP
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Thanks for the replies,


I've checked all connections, fuses, fusable link box (connections & fuses....no corrosion) and the melted connector was replaced by soldering and heat shrink covering, but that main beam indicator just doesn't go off!

So, given that when the r/h headlight connector is disconnected, the main beam indicator does go off ...........would there be a best way to test for a possible short circuit or earth problem? I have a decent multimeter, but really could do with a few pointers on how/where to test. Sorry, but I'm just still struggling with this


Pete
 
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Still not sorted.......

But, does anyone know what the realys are for in the small box next to the battery? There are 2 blue ones which seem to be the same, I wondered if they're for the headlights although I'm sure one person siad that the relays are in the dim/dip unit under the steering column. There is no mention of these relays in either the Haynes manual or the vehicle's handbook....



Thanks,
Pete
 
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Finally.................It's sorted! So I thought I'd better pass back the info.


After having checked and rechecked everything, I was beginning to wonder just how to go about testing to locate the problem. I thought that now I had a short circuit on the r/h headlight connector.

Get this.............my neighbour works for BAE as an engineer. He came outside in his dressing gown and asked what I was doing. He took my multimeter and looked at the Haynes then started testing voltages with the bulbs removed from the headlight, but then plugged back in.....enough for the lights to work, but leaving enough of the bulb connector out to be able to get probes on to them. In 5 mins he told me that it looked like 2 wires were mixed up on the r/h connector. So we cut them both & used scotchlocks to quickly reconnect and presto!..........................this guy's amazing.

So, rather disappointingly, it looks like when I changed the melted connector on the r/h side headlight, (even though I wrote down the wiring colours/positions in the connector) I managed to mix 2 of the wires up.:( which resulted in the main beam indicator problems. Doh!



Thanks to all who replied previously,


Pete
 

r-reg-sr

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Site Supporter
yep you messed that one up goodly :)

on the bright side your friend'l be happyer .. any plans for the car ? hows the heater on him ?
doing any joy riding later,,which ends you at ?
 
D

Deleted member

Guest
acually i have a prob to lads ye might help me,

when the car is off and i turn on the parks the parkers come on ok
but when the engine is running and i turn on my parkers my dipped headlight bulbs come on/o_O

any help with this would be appriciated:)
 

r-reg-sr

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Site Supporter
do you do that often ? or is it your mates doing it when you turn your head ? i know cause i used to flick my friends autobox into neutral on the motorway slystyle :) he thought he blew his gearbox up :)
 

r-reg-sr

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Site Supporter
while we wait, the headlight story go,,,,,one minute your their the next your not, who gone told this little bulb to go ahead an pop. same sort a noise i get in toilet looking flys to swat,, and never could of guessd that lil flys the local cop,,:) driller r-reg ha
 
D

Deleted member

Guest
Yurp, stopped the dim headlights appearing when sidelights were on.

AFAIK it is an MOT failure but I don't think they ever check (or notice) I had no problems.

mite grab my balls and give it a try..:eek:
 
Hi, new to the forum, I've got a 2001 with a similar issue, but it's not dimdip, LH beam works, RH doesn't, but, put full beams on and the working headlight swaps! Can't find the connector on mine skymera (so safely assuming that's the dimdip variant?) Or the M95 connector which the yellow connects to M89 or M90, as per the service manual? What I can't find is the driving lamp relay (but I don't have daytime running lamps) the only issue I have had is the aim motor on the LH go a bit weird. Fuses are okay, as are the harnesses and connectors by the look of it. Maybe it's time I dig out my multimeter?

Sent from my B1-730HD using Tapatalk
 
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