One headlight comes on with parking lights...(now BOTH)...

dhaavers · Last edited by dhaavers on Thu Mar 28, 2013 3:53 pm; edited 2 times in total

<DISCLAIMER: I just searched on this for an hour & found nothing quite like it.>

ISSUE: The right low beam always comes on with the parking lights.

Switch through to full headlights and no problems at all - I'd just like to
be able to run the parking lights by themselves, as they were intended. Rolling Eyes

We've owned the van about 5 years and it's been doing this all along.

I've cleaned grounds, (especially when installing Jay's headlite relays),
fixed issues with incorrect/poor connections on the right parking light,
and will soon upgrade to new ceramic sockets for the 9004 bulbs.

Otherwise, all lights operate correctly - no other issues, ever.

As it hasn't seemed to be a critical issue, I've remembered & subsequently
forgotten about it every single time I get in the van...until now. Wink

Any suggestions?
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

dhaavers · Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:19 pm Post subject:

BUMP.

Just lookiing for ideas here. I'm not really an electricity guy,
but I might have sounded like one for a minute...

Smile

...Anyone?
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

Terry Kay · Banned Joined: June 22, 2003 Posts: 13331

You've got a power wire to the headlamp wired wrong.

Check the back end of your Bentley for the scematic.

You've got a hot wire at the turn signal circuit feeding the headlamp.
_________________
T.K.

thatvwbusguy · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 4:48 am Post subject:

Did you install the 7" round headlights in your '86, or did you buy the van that way? If a previous owner installed the lights, there could be some creative wiring that needs to be addressed.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

dhaavers · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:01 am Post subject:

It's all stock before I got it, but I did cut out a set of broken fog lights he
had bolted to the bumper. Could it be they were on the headlite circuit?

There was a pair of relays doing nothing when I got there with your kit, Jay.
Must have been for the fogs...I guess you could say it was mildly molested?

Still not sure what to look for. Gotta get out there & but it's gonna be -10
before I can get to it...

Rolling Eyes

_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

insyncro · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:28 am Post subject:

Fogs usually only have one relay.
I would double check all the wiring versus the stock configuration per year...than check over the headlight relay wiring versus vender instructions.
May turn out to be a dropped ground at the non functional light.

Terry Kay · Banned Joined: June 22, 2003 Posts: 13331

Dylan,

He's got one head light working with the turn signals only--the Popeye look.

That one headlamp is picking up 12 volts from the parking lamp circuit somewhere.
_________________
T.K.

insyncro · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 8:05 am Post subject:

Ah ha....my bad.
Creative wiring for sure.

thatvwbusguy · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 8:19 am Post subject:

Unless your van is a very early '86 it should have come with rectangular headlights from the factory. VW is infamous for using whatever was kicking around on the assembly line in transitional years, so you could have a mix of '85 model year and '86 model year stuff in your van.

What style is your fuse block? Does it take standard ATO blade fuses, or the older ceramic GBC style?

There is really no way to know what sort of hacks a previous owner could have pulled off without digging in and doing some investigating. 12V electrical stuff is pretty simple, so it isn't that hard to get something to function without actually being wired correctly. Pull the upper grill off and see what is in there. If the wires for the headlight sockets don't have any butt connectors/wire nuts etc. it is possible that your van came with the round lights.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

dhaavers · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:00 pm Post subject:

I don't have round lights...stock rectangles.
Newer spade-type fusebox.
Build date is 1/86, so about mid-year.
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

thatvwbusguy · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 2:12 pm Post subject:

Sorry, on my tablet the van in your avatar looks like it has round headlights.

It is probably still worth pulling the grill off and looking for any obviously non-stock connectors. If the yellow low beam wires are tapped into anything else, that would most likely be the culprit.

When you say that your headlight comes on with the running lights, do you mean that it comes on when you turn the headlight switch to the 1st position, or does it come on when you turn the key on? Your location appears to be right on the US/Canada border. Is your van a Canadian model, or US spec?
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

dhaavers · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 3:55 pm Post subject:

dhaavers · Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:21 pm Post subject:

Finally got into this today. I put in new ceramic sockets (per your
recommendation, Jay) & new local grounds at the bucket brackets on each
side. The headlights are now perfectly bright. Now the only problem is...

...BOTH headlights now come on at the same time w/the parking lights @
headlight position 1 (nothing changes if I switch to position 2). I even pulled
the parking lamp, disconnected the ground & jumpered to a known good
grounding point to make sure it was isolated it from the headlight...no
change/same difference.

So now here's my question:

Is this possibly a failure mode for the headlight switch? I know the PO
replaced it but it was a while ago for sure. It seems like the switch does turn
things on & off, but the headlights are shorted to position 1 on the switch
with the parking lights.

Should I just throw in a new switch? Everything else seems to check out...

Rolling Eyes

_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

shadetreetim · Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:28 pm Post subject:

Before you replace the switch, pull just the headlight feed off the switch. Do they still come on at the first setting? If so, not the switch. If they now don't come on, bad switch.
_________________
Tim Potts

Doing my best every time I drive it to dispel the myth these Vanagons have to be slow!

'89 Vanagon Bluestar/Country Homes 1.8T & .77 4th
'74 Jeep CJ5

dhaavers · Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:32 pm Post subject:

Great - very logical tip. I'll try that tomorrow. Thanks!
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

danfromsyr · Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 10:58 pm Post subject:

I dunno why this thread made me think of this holiday song...

and ya know "Christmas" can be swapped with "Westfalia" pretty evenly...

Link

dhaavers · Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:30 am Post subject:

_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

dhaavers · Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 3:57 pm Post subject:

dhaavers · Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 6:45 pm Post subject:

So after straightening out my windshield washers this weekend,
I went to check into the headlights again. I turned on the headlights,
hit the high beams once and the wipers came on for a swipe or two.

Turned lights off & tried again...no more wipers, but still both headlights
come on with the parking lights.

Makes me think it might be the first symptoms of an ignition switch on the
way out. Could this explain the original headlight/parking light issue?

I do have a spare in the glove box - maybe I'll just swap it in & see...
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

thatvwbusguy · Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:48 pm Post subject:

Another possible suspect would be the windshield wiper switch, since the high beam switch is actually part of this assembly.

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_63_157/windshield_wiper_switch_-_black.html
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.


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