xj8 main beam doesn't glow when dip beams on

Most cars that I know of dont allow the dipped and main beams to light up at the same time unless you pull the light stalk to you to flash beams.

Why would you expect the main beams to be dim with the dip beams on ?

The dip beams (the 'outer' headlights) remain on all the time you have the headlights switched on; the main beams (the 'inner' headlamps) only come on when you push the stalk forward for main, high, beam.

The outer lamps have dip and main, the inners are main beam only. On my car, which has the xenons the outer lamp has a solenoid-operated flap to switch between dip and main.

It's important that readers have some idea as to what year and model you have and anything related to your problem that would narrow the focus.

In your case does the car have the HID option headlights, the std. halogen, or some other after market set-up.

If you're talking about the small and not very bright "position" light that's mounted in an upper part of the high beam then yes that should still be glowing with the low beams on as they're the very first lights to come on when you turn on your light as the first position, at least in my '04 plain XJ8 is for those position lights.

Is it even an XJ8 X350 or possibly something else?

Normally a car does not have both its high beam and low or 'dip' beam on at the same time except when you use the pass flash feature as a momentary drain on the system.

As stared in post 4

HID lamps remain on all the time
When high beam is selected a flap moves the HID beam and the second set (halogens) come on

As I have HID's I cant confirm if this is the case with non HID cars but I suspect you dont have HID lamps

Cheers
34by151

I think it's only two lamp systems with twin filament bulbs, eg H4 halogen, where the dip beam filament goes out when the high/main filament comes on.

Four headlamp systems are different; the outer dip beams either remain on, or if they have twin filament bulbs switch to high, when the inner high beams come on.

I very much doubt that the outer lamps go dark when the inner high beams come on; that would make the car look narrower which isn't a good idea (and may not even be legal).

I very much doubt that the outer lamps go dark when the inner high beams come on; that would make the car look narrower which isn't a good idea (and may not even be legal).

Quote from Patrick

In addition the lights are actually aimed somewhat differently internally. The reflector or internal shape of the housing and the lenses so that the low beam doesn't blind oncoming traffic while the high beam is aimed further down the road.

They both use the same halogen bulb so the difference in the distance illuminated has to be in the housing's design and reflector shape.

I do not know what I was thinking of in my earlier post!

Ooh, where can I get one of those big square lights you have in the middle ?

Actually some trucks have them over here mounted just above the number plate. Only just started to see them.