please help! no dip beam on my 02 x type 2.5. i have changed both bulbs, both fuses, new relay, and finally the whole switch. still nothing! Please someone throw some light on it (no pun intended)

 

Len, I know that this may sound completely out to lunch, but odds are, you are looking at 2 bad bulb bases. The bulb bases for the dip lights are known for causing issues and it is very possible that when you replaced the bulbs, things went wrong. I would recommend you open up the hood and remove the cap off of the passenger side headlight. using a multimeter, measure both terminals going to the dip beam. One should read 0 VDC, the other should be 12 VDC (atleast 12.0 VDC). If you get both of these voltages, then that proves a bad bulb base. If you get 0 VDC on both terminals, then we will need to do more troubleshooting.

 

Hi Chris (thermo) sorry for delay in response, i have today tried the test you mentioned but found no live at all, i even tried the same test on both 20 amp fuses and have come up with the same results! many thanks for your post and hope you can assist further, Regards Len.

 

Len, what I want you to do is access the fuse box in the engine bay and find relay R9. R9 is for the low beams. Remove that relay. If you look on the back of the relay, you will see where the terminals are labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (may even be labeled inside the fuse box too). Using the multimeter, doing a check between terminal #3 and ground. Do you have 12 VDC there? If no, replace fuse F1 (20 amp). Do you have 12 VDC now? If yes, problem fixed, if no, you have a wiring problem between the fuse F1 and the relay. If you do have 12 VDC on terminal #3, take a short piece of wire and short between terminals #3 and #5. Do the lights come on now? If yes, then let me know and we will have to troubleshoot the control circuitry for the lights. If no, then with the wire still installed between terminals #3 and #5, remove fuse F16 and install a jumper across those two terminals. if the light still does not light, then you have a wiring issue between the relay and fuses F16 and F17.

Unfortunately, when it comes to wiring issues, about the only way to figure out what is wrong is to access the wiring and do a hand over hand of the wiring and see what is discolored or broken.

Hopefully this will get you going again and it is nothing more than bad luck with fuse F1 or 2 bad relays.

 

does your car have HID's?
i actually just completed this repair on my gf's 02 x-type
pull out the battery and put it on the ground then use booster cables and connect it back up.
use a multi meter and test to see if a signal is going to the ignighter..if yes then ignighter or bulb is dead...if no signal...then...
test the wires from the balast to the ignighter to make sure they are still good..if they are good then test the power going into the balast.. if there is power going in but not out then your balast is done
i replaced the balast...you have to take the bumper off then remove the headlight assembly ...its not as hard as it sounds but air ratchet or a power scruedriver will speed up the skid plate removal..there are a lot of scrues holding it on.

 

Hi Chris, run the tests as you described and i do get dipped beam when terminal 3 and terminal 5 are bridged so it appears to be a control circuit problem as you described. Any further assistence would be greatly appreciated, many thanks, Len.

 

Len, I will need to to pull relay R9 out again. Now, with your multimeter, verify that you have 12 VDC to pin #2 inside the fuse box. If no, then check Fuse F67 (5 amp), but I bet you will find this good as you are not complaining about transmission shifting issues, or door lock issues. So, this leaves a wiring issue between fuse F67 and relay R9. If you do have 12 VDC at terminal #2, then switch over to doing a resistance check and move the red lead over to terminal #1. Now, move the headlight switch to the HEAD position. Does the multimeter drop to less than 5 ohms? If yes, then you have a bad relay. If no, then you will need to access the back of the headlight switch and repeat the resistance check at pin #13 (Green/black wire) on the back of the headlight switch. If you get less than 5 ohms there, wiring issue between relay R9 and the headlight switch, if you don't get less than 5 ohms, you have a bad headlight switch.

Hope this helps. Atleast for the moment, if you do need to drive at night, I would install a jumper wire between terminals #3 and 5. I know it isn't the best situation, but I feel it is the lesser of the evils.

 

Hi Chris, just tried the test on #2 terminal but had no power, located fuse #76 (5amp) and found this to be blown, having replaced it i had headlamps for around 5 secs before the fuse blew again, tried another fuse but same result. I have had no issues with door locks and the gearbox is 5 speed manual. Many thanks in anticipation of your reply, Regards, Len.

 

Len, first, replace relay R9 with a comparable relay (look on the sides of the relay and make sure you get the same current rating- should be labeled either 20A or 30A). Replace fuse #67 and see if it blows again when turning on the lights. If it does, then you have a problem with the wiring, read below. If the fuse does not blow, then you had a bad relay that was shorting between pins 1 and 3 or 1 and 5.

Now, if the fuse blew again after replacing the relay, you will need to access the back of the fuse box where R9 is located. From here, you will need to remove relay R9 and then remove the terminal going to pin #1. Take a really good look inside the hole where the terminal was and see if you can see any shiny, exposed metal. If so, that is your problem. If you don't see anything obvious, then I want you to take some enamel paint (not latex paint) and coat the outside of the terminal. You are using the paint to insulate the terminal. Cover all the exposed metal surfaces on this wire except for those on the inside of the terminal. Reinstall the terminal and you should be good. If not, then you have a definite wiring issue and the only way to fix this is to run a new wire to terminal #1 of relay R9. Hopefully you don't get to this point. Now, to make things easier, you can use any power source that turns off when you turn off the car. Just make sure that the wire has a fuse somewhere in the path between the relay and the battery.

 

Hi Chris, I had to run a wire from an ignition sensitive source (fused) and i have snipped the original supply wire to relay #1 and at last everything is working again! may i take this opportunity to convey my deapest thanks for your continued assistance and help in this matter. I hope one day i may be of assistance to yourself. Many many thanks.

Very kind regards,
Len.

 

Len, all that I ask in return is at some point when you see someone needing help, you help them. Doesn't need to be big, doesn't have to be small. Find someone in need and help them. It is what I do on a daily basis. IT is called the "Pay It Forward" concept. If more people used this, the world would be a much better place.

Enjoy the ride again.

 

Just to add to this I had the exact same problem as Len was describing, and was following thermos advice which was super, had same problem with fuse #67 keep blowing turned out it was the back up alarm siren which is located front passenger side wheel arch at front getting wet/damp causing the fault no mention in the books that this is linked to that fuse but it is, disconnected it and all is good just means no alarm siren could replace it but not that fussed, but main thing head lights all working again, just thought I would add this as thought it was gonna cost me a fair bit to fix but with thermos advice a new fuse and 5 mins to disconnect alarm siren problem was all fixed, thanks

 

Reviving an old thread, and hope you can help. Thermo?

Anyway, I have a 2005 X Type. Non HID. Same issue as here. Everything works fine except the DIP/Low Beams. All other lights work and the light selector seems to function fine, even on auto. Looks like the 2005 had some changes to the relay and fuse labels. As best I can tell the DIP relay is R11 in 2005, as there are no relay ID's in the handbook but I found this info online. And according to the handbook, the appropriate fuses are 29 and 30. As for fuse 67, I don't have one. Mine only go up to 50's. I looked in the handbook and it does not list any fuse in the passenger compartment as being associated with DIP or relay activity, regardless of amps. So which one should I be looking at?

Fuse 29 and 30 look fine, so I went to local Jag dealer and he let me take a fresh relay out and plug it in, but it made no difference. So I did not buy it - yet. As soon as the engine bay cools I will pull the bulbs and look at them. About 3 or 4 years ago I had one bulb go out so I replaced both of them but I kept the one that was still working as a spare, so I can use it to check the function now. I drive very little at night and only have 44000 miles on the car, so the lights do not get heavy usage. That's why I did not suspect them as the issue, but I could be wrong of course. I will find out shortly.

Also Thermo you mentioned something about door locks. About two months ago I noticed that when I used the fob to lock the car my driver's side was not locking. I also discovered that the auto lock function when I reached 15 MPH was not working. I read the directions on resetting this and used them and this fixed the issue. Then a few nights ago I noticed it was happening again. But this time it seemed to fix itself. I just drove around a while and manually locked it from the inside and it got to where it was functioning normally. It is still functioning as normal so I don't know if there is any relationship or not.

One of my questions is if I install a known good bulb and it doesn't help, could it be that I do have a bad relay and it shorted out and blew both bulbs? In other words should I replace the relay regardless? It will cost me $20 at the dealer and I don't think they will give me a free trial period again. They were kind enough to let me open the package and take it out and pop it in the car to see if it would work before I bought it and if I go back I will probably have to buy it outright.

The parts guy mentioned something about a computer control module that may have gone bad and would cost between $300 and $600 dollars to replace, parts only. Any truth to this?

Thanks guys, as always, for your suggestions.

 

OK, update. I pulled the bulb on the driver's side and it was indeed blown. So I put the old one I had in there, which was a good bulb. Turn lights on, and no DIP beams. Removed the bulb I had just put in and it was blown now. So could this be a short in the relay??? I am thinking I need to get new bulbs and go back to the dealer and get that new relay and try that approach. What do you guys think?

 

tarheel, before you start getting too wild, get yourself 2 new bulbs and toss those in there. See what you have then. Please keep in mind that you want to keep your fingers off of the glass bulb. There is oil on your fingers and this can shorten the life of the bulb.

Based on the fact that the good/old bulb blew, that is telling me that the relay is doing what it should. Now, the question that I have is whether the engine was running or not. I ask this silly question because the voltage can be dramatically different with the engine running and it not. So, I would say to install the new bulbs and just turn the key to the RUN position (leave the motor off) and turn on the headlights at this point. This will ensure that you are not getting anything over 12.6 VDC to the headlights. If the headlights work at this time, then you know the wiring/relays are good. If all is good, then I would say to start the car and connect a multimeter across the battery terminals measuring VDC. You should see the voltage be around 13.7 VDC after about 30 seconds of the engine running (may be slightly higher right after starting). If you are seeing over 14.5 VDC 30+ seconds after the engine has been started, then you have an alternator/voltage regulator issue. Too high of voltage will cause the bulbs to run too hot and this will cause even a very heavy duty bulb to burn out in no time flat.

If the voltage is good with the engine running, then test the headlights again and make sure that they are still working.

If you cannot get the lights to turn on after installing new headlight bulbs, then we will dive into diagnosing the wiring. Just to make sure, you know how to use a multimeter, correct?

On a side note, yes, there are 2 different wiring harnesses/fuse boxes in the X-Type. There is a harness/fuse box for the early 2004 and earlier cars and then there is a completely different set up for the later 2004 and newer cars. If you want a wiring diagram for your car, send me a PM with your e-mail addy and I will send you the correct wiring diagram. It will also list what each relay does and what each fuse does.

 

Oh yeah, there is no computer that controls the headlights. The nearest thing is either 1) the auto headlight module which is not really a computer and 2) the GEM controls the turn signals, the high beams, fog lights, but not the DIP beams. So, the computer that the dealership was trying to sell you was quazi correct, but would not have fixed your DIP beam issue.

 

Thanks Thermo. FYI, all of my trials and errors were done with the ignition switch in the RUN position, with the engine off. So I went back to the dealer and bought the new relay. Then I went to Walmart and picked up a box of brand new 20 amp fuses and four new bulbs. Two cheap ones and two top of the line Silverstar's.

I pulled both blub sockets, inspected all wiring and made sure the connectors were not touching. I installed the new relay, the new fuses, and inserted one new, cheap bulb (also a Sylvania but with same wattage as my old high end Silverstar bulbs) and turned key to RUN. DIP works. Pulled that connection, installed bulb in other light. Worked. Connected both sides, switch to RUN, both lights work fine and have continued to function for two days now. Fire up perfect in AUTO mode with car is started. As stated, the bulbs are 55 Watts, same as ones that were in before. I intend to wait a few more days and then put the Silverstar Ultra bulbs in. Fingers crossed.

I am thinking maybe the relay was bad and the fuses were so old they were failing to trigger and keep the relay from blowing the bulbs? Otherwise I don't know what would cause this to be repaired by replacing the relay and fuses with new ones. As a side note, it looks like my headlights are no longer lined up correctly. I am going to wait until I install the other bulbs to see if that makes any difference, but I see no reason the headlights would have come out of adjustment simply by me installing new bulbs.

Thanks again for your comments and suggestions and I will be sending email to get that info, which may come in useful in the future.

 

Holy Thread Resurrection Batman!

Hopefully Thermo is still on here and willing to give incredible advice?

I bought an 2003 X-Type 3.0 a few weeks ago, but noticed a couple of nights ago that the dip beam didnt work. All other lights and locks work with no issues.

I have followed all the steps outlined above to try and find the fault, up to checking the resistance on Pin13 of the headlight switch. I cannot measure any resistance at all at this pin. I did still have the relay R9 removed, but dont think that should matter? It could potentially be an issue at pin #2 of R9 as I don't have 12V there?

Step by step results of my testing;
I have 0V at both terminals of the bulb base
I have 12V across pins #3 and ground on R9
Putting a short between #3 and #5 does make both lights come on
I have 0V at #2
Fuse F67 is good
Resitiance check of terminal 1. Off ~60Ohms ; On ~80 Ohms
Pin 13 of headlight switch 0 Ohms on and off

Any help or assistance would be greatly appreciated =]

 

Having a look at the wiring diagram, I am inclined to think it must be a faulty relay which is why I am not getting any voltage on #2 or the GB wire to the lighting switch. I'll replace and hopefully it'll sort it

 

Phil, I am still around. Yo ucan momentarily swap relay R9 with one similar to it and see if that causes the lights to come on. Quick check you can do. I would need to look at the diagrams again, but it seems like you are on the right path.