I have a headlight issue on my 2002 X-Type 3.0 Engine with Automatic Transmission. When I pull on the bright lights switch, the brights come on but fall off as soon as I let go of the switch arm. The dims are really very dim, way too dim to drive by, but they both come on. The dims are just very faint. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

 

akejama, sounds like you have 2 different issues. The easier fix is putting in a new turn signal switch to get a good latch so the high beams remain on. Granted, I guess I should ask a more simple question. When you make the high beams come on, are you pulling the stalk back to you or are you pushing it away from you. Pulling the stalk towards you will only activate the "flash to pass" circuit which will cause the high beams to only be on for a second. If you push the stalk away from you, is it remaining away from you or is it returning to the center position? If it is returning, then you have a bad stalk. If it is staying and the high beams are still going off, then we need to do some more looking. Let me know.

As for the low beams being too dim, I need some more info. Are you running the standard halogen bulbs or are you running HID bulbs? Are the headlights properly aimed? (or do they shoot at the sky/ground, this is a common problem with our X-TYpes). If the headlights are properly aimed and you are running halogen bulbs, then I would say to try swapping the "DIP BEAM" relay with any other relay that you can access that is the same size. Does this help your situation?

Let me know what you find and we can take things from there.

 

Also, are your headlight lenses all cloudy and yellow? If so, get one of those headlight restoration kits at the auto parts store. There are a number of them out there. They work very well and for not much effort and money you can get the lenses crystal clear again. Makes a noticeable difference with the headlights on. There are a number of threads on here about how to clean them.

 

The regular low beam headlights are the major issue because I need them totally functional. To address the kind response on the clarity of the lenses, they are fine and clear. Really my headlights were working perfectly, well aimed, no problem, they just suddenly lost about 90% of their power and it is the same on both sides. I'm using the same recommended Halogen bulbs I've been using all along and they have performed admirably. I replaced both bulbs in the last 6 months, first left and then right about three months apart. They worked fine until they didn't work. This is just a sudden issue that happened much the same as a fuse just suddenly failing for no apparent reason. This looks more like we aren't getting adequate power applied to the circuit. Right now they don't supply enough light to read a newspaper, but they do glow and that's about it.
I'll have to say "doh" to the suggestion I change out the dip beam circuit, I'm not sure exactly how to accomplish that. If you can give me a better idea of what I need to do, I'll sure be good to go give it a try. I do so appreciate the help. So far with the help you folks afford me, I've kept this wonderful little car performing quite well. It's nice to have friends with knowledge. thanks, Tom

 

akejama, open the hood of your car and in the bottom right corner of your engine bay, you will see a fuse box. Open it up. Nearest the headlight, you are going to see 2 black boxes about 1.5x1.5". Switch those two boxes with each other. Now, attempt to start your car and then turn on your headlights. Finding it hard to start the car? Are the headlights burning brightly? If the car is hard to start and/or the headlights are burning bright, then the relay furthest from the fuses is bad of the two that you swapped and you need to replace that relay (new ones are available at your local auto parts store, ensure it is rated for 20 amps min).

If this did not help things, then I want you to remove fuse F1 (upper left corner of the fuse box, it will be a 1/2" x 1/2" square looking box and I want you to swap it with the box at the opposite end of those fuses (F10 - this is the power to the windshield sprayer pump). Did this help your headlights to come on bright? If so, then you need a new fuse in the F10 spot.

If you are still having issues, then I need to know how comfortable you are with a multimeter. I can walk you through anything as long as you can get your hands on a multimeter. I am just trying to figure out how detailed I need to be.

 

One last question, when your headlights are on, are the headlights very yellow in color or are they pretty white in color (the standard white for a halogen bulb)?

 

Umm... what car are you talking about? I don't know if they changed high beam stalk in US or what but over here in EU you have to pull it towards your to activate high beams. First step is "flash" and pull it a bit more then second is high beams and if you let go stalk returns to the centre position, to turn high beams off you pull the stalk towards you again 2 steps and high beams are off.

 

Since the lights do come on albeit not bright, I would be looking for a faulty grounding connection.

 

I had something simular happen and it was the ground for the lights. It was
Under the lights on the right side. Also the inside of the bulb ground was loose.


Good luck,
The Dr!

 

3lvis, yes, you are correct. I am getting my Ford Fusion mixed up wtih the Jag. That will teach me to go from memory. I don't use the brights in the Jag all that often. So, not one of those things that pops into my head right off the bat.

 

I got caught up helping a neighbor cut firewood since a cold spell is upon us next week. So, I'll get to the Jag today. I am following all the suggestions. Thermo I will check as per your directions and follow up. I'll also test the ground at various points and see if that delivers any result. To answer the question on light color, the lights are quite white when you hold on the high beam switch, but right now the dims just glow, so there really is no way to accurately describe the color other than to say its just kind of a yellowish glow. I do have the correct bulbs installed if that is a concern and the lenses look like they just came off the assembly line except for a couple of bugs I need to wash off. I'll follow up on the suggestions today or tomorrow at the latest and then report back. Bear with me, I do so appreciate your kind efforts to help me get this solved. Thanks my friends, Tom

 

akejama, if the dip beams are yellow in color, then they are running low on voltage (ie, the bulb is not getting full power to make the element get white hot). That would indicate that you have a high resistance somewhere in the circuit. If the light is bright white (standard halogen white), then your low light output would be indicative of the headlights not being properly aimed and the light going off to places it shouldn't be.

 

Ok Thermo, I did as suggested and switched the two relays and the car wouldn't start, so as you directed, we had found the problem on the first go. I picked a new relay up at Autozone for under $18 and changed it out and all is well. Thanks Thermo your advice was on target with great instructions. Took me about 20 minutes to locate the problem, buy the relay, and push it into place. One note for your future reference; the problem with the dims and the high beam switch were both resident in that relay. When I installed the new relay the high beam switch also functioned properly again. So, another great day for me here on Jaguar Forums. Thank YOU Thermo, and thank you to everyone else that jumped in to offer help. These forums are a Godsend to those of us with a tight budget that struggle to keep our Jags on the road and running in good shape.

 

akejama, good to hear that all is good. I guess there is some sort of interlock between the dip beams and the high beams inside the instrument cluster. Guess you learn something new each and every day.