Hello all: Just joined, looking forward to using the forum. Just purchased a '85 xj6. It seems the passenger low beam does not work or the marker on that side. It lights with the high beams. the bulb is good. Wondering if anyone knows the wiring set up for them. If the passenger light is wired from the drivers side or separate lead? any info would be greatly appreciated.thanks

 

hi,
there is a fuse box in the engine bay, front driver's side, next to the brown coolant reservoir. There is a black (or sometimes clear) plastic cover over the fuse box; There are 5 fuses, one each for each headlight and one for the electric fan.

pull the plastic cover and check the fuses there; Also remove the fuses and clean the brass contact areas in the fuse box itself with fine emery paper (or your wife's cardboard nail file), then try the lights again.

usually, it's oxidation in the fuse contacts that causes the problem.

 

Been there a couple or more times. The first time, I thought in domestic car mode. Burnt out seal beam. it happens. Installed new one. Oh, oh, no light!!

1. Fix one: I removed each fuse and checked continuity. Domestic mode thinking not enough. Merely looking to see if the teeny wire in the glass is solid isn't always dispositive.

2. Fix two" I removed the fuse holder from it's stamped holder to access the backside. I scrubbed the contacts clean with a stiff little brush and some distillate, specie unrecalled, it was just handy.

3. Fix three: There are one or more black grounds from the harness to the body secured by a sheet metal screw. Found near the lamps. Remove and clean, tighten and lube. (Jaguar mantra).

4. Fix four: Merely use a forefinger to roll the fuses in situ. It reestablishes contact. I named it the "finger roll" after past basket ball great, Wilt Chamberlain. He would just jump a tad and let the ball roll across his fingers into the hoop.

Merely opening and closing connectors has worked on lots of stuff!!

Carl

 

Well I cleaned the fuse contacts. Got the passenger head light working.Now, on to the passenger marker lights and interiors. I believe the marker fuses are located under passenger dash.don't know about the interior lights though. Thanks for your help.

 

yes, the Parking and turn signal lights fuses are at the Driver's side fuse box, when you remove the small "door" or cover, there is a Fuse Legend sticker on the rear side of the door.

 

There are two ways to activate the interior lights as I recall.

1. Fascia switch. As in many switches, merely excercising them returns them to continuity a lot of times.

2. Each door post has a plunger type switch. Each completes the ground leg and the interior lights come on. They are a bit puny and the driver switch is done for often.

I tried to take mine apart and fix it. No luck, side to side wobble too much. No biggie to me. I can get in in the dark and the switches work for my passengers.

Carl

 

Carl,
if by "switch" you mean the dimmer/rheostat located to the right of the trip computer, then yes, those dimmers have a tendency to "fall asleep" and turn OFF the gauge lights when not used in a long time. Would have been nice if Lucas had incorporated a push-OFF, push-ON switch into those dimmers.

Rotating the dimmer from 0 to 10 a good number of times, sometimes "awakens" the gauge lights, (though the dimmer does not affect the fiber optic lights, those are always ON).

some people mod the wiring and bypass the dimmer to try and get brighter lights at the gauges, but the better solution is to go with super-bright LEDs.