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Intermittent passenger headlight - RESOLVED

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  #1  
Old 03-09-2018, 11:32 PM
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Default Intermittent passenger headlight - RESOLVED

My 2007 XK has been exhibiting some interesting behavior. The headlights will often come on, as they should, when I shift into Drive. But every other day, the passenger low andhighbeam do not work for about 4-5 consecutive times. After those 4-5 times, both headlights will work as they should until the next cycle odd behavior. Using auto, or manually turning the headlights on my own makes no difference. The cornering lamp and turn signal do work during these periods of non working projector. It seems to happen in a pattern, so not sure what to make of that. Its a daily driver so it won’t sit for more than a couple of days during the week. Let me know if you guys have any ideas. Bulbs are new by the way.
 

Last edited by GGG; 03-12-2018 at 06:46 AM. Reason: Add 'RESOLVED' to thread title
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Old 03-10-2018, 04:56 AM
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How old is your battery and have you measured the voltage?
 
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Old 03-10-2018, 05:33 AM
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I agree battery is the usual first suspect for all weird electrical behaviour on the XK and other recent models BUT then I'd also expect BOTH headlamps to be affected.

The last element in the circuit prior to the headlamps is the Central Junction Box but the dip and main are separate feeds from it. Nevertheless, a connector or harness fault is a possibility.

The common factor in dip and main is the ground connection from the headlamp unit. This would be the first point I'd check and eliminate.

Graham
 
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Old 03-10-2018, 06:21 AM
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I'd be more suspect of the high voltage module or the lamp itself. You can swap the housings side to side and also swap the HV module from housing to housing to isolate the fault to a component. Of course if the bulbs shine blue or are more than a decade old that may be an issue as well.

Car looks a little funny with the housings swapped but it worked to troubleshoot my lamp problems.
 
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Old 03-10-2018, 11:09 AM
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My adaptive headlights set off their warning about once a week. I go out and pound each of them with my fist, three or four times, lock the car, and then get it, and problem is solved 'til the next time. I suspect a bad contact and hitting it probably makes the contact more solid. You might try this as well.
 
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Old 03-10-2018, 12:27 PM
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Default Suspect the RH headlight ground point G06 - inside RH wheel well

Is this the Right Hand (US passenger) side? If so, I would suspect the ground connection G06 for this headlight.

I had a similar issue, where the main projector on this (UK driver) side was working OK, but the main/dip flap and the fixed turning light were not. Although these share a single ground point, it turned out that some wires were making a good ground connection, the wires from the turning light and the flap were not.

The RH headlight ground point (G06 - see attached wiring diagram) is particularly exposed in the RH wheel well, unprotected by the splash guard.
When disassembled, one pair of wires were completely broken from the eyelet, and none of them were reliably grounded.

Pulled it apart, cleaned chassis and eyelets back to bare metal, and reterminated the broken wires onto a new eyelet and gently retightened with lots of ACF50 grease.
Not sure how long this will last, but it's easy to check occasionally.

Good luck.


Disassembled - Eyelets broken and lots of corrosion products degrading the ground connection.


Repaired - Wires reterminated onto new eyelet. Corrosion products cleaned off. LOTS of water hating grease.

Martin M
 
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Old 03-11-2018, 05:53 PM
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Thanks! The ground was indeed the issue. At least for now, I haven’t had a single instance in which the projector did not come on as it should
 
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Old 03-12-2018, 06:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Brewtech
The ground was indeed the issue. .....
Pleased to hear my armchair diagnosis in post #3 was correct.

I've added 'RESOLVED' to your thread title.

Graham
 
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Old 03-12-2018, 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by ggg
pleased to hear my armchair diagnosis in post #3 was correct.

I've added 'resolved' to your thread title.

Graham
👍👍
 
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Old 03-12-2018, 03:03 PM
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I am surprised at the amount of corrosion on the terminals. Do I assume the car is driven either daily or in bad weather.
 
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Old 03-13-2018, 04:05 AM
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Originally Posted by jagtoes
I am surprised at the amount of corrosion on the terminals. Do I assume the car is driven either daily or in bad weather.
In my case, I think the ground point had been previously repaired with a steel screw holding the (zinc plated copper) eyelets hard against the aluminium shell, making a bit of a galvanic cocktail. I understand the original ground point was an aluminium stud. I've probably made this worse with my new (unknown material) eyelet.

Bad weather? The car has been based in Scotland for 10 years. We get the occasional shower :-).
 
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Old 03-13-2018, 08:03 AM
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Bad weather? The car has been based in Scotland for 10 years. We get the occasional shower :-).[/QUOTE]

Haha , I had been you your country back in the 90's working with a company in Edinburgh . Took few days tour up the east coast to St. Andrews . Great country and for some strange luck no rain.
 
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