The Lotus Grand Tourers

Hi All

No- not them lifting/dropping I just have no dip or main beams. Looking at the circuit diagrams I see a reference to a headlight relay plus a relay for main/dip.

However, the diagrams showing the various component locations doesn't show a main/dip relay. This is for a 89 model I should add.

Is there a relay for main/dip- I've found the headlight relay and it is being fed with current- I wanted to try to follow the circuit thru but am stuck at this point.

Also- is there no fuse for the headlights- I can't see any reference to one.

Finally- hoping- anyone had the same problem?

Many thanks

John

Hi John,
I assume that you have Dim-Dip so you will need to check fuses and relays for that feature. Checking my handbook, the main/dip relay is called a beam changeover relay. In the handbook it is labelled "U" and is in the electrical block in the LH passenger footwell. Pages from handbook below.

Hi John

The dip/main relay is where Alan says it is. You say the headlight relay is being fed with current, (there should be 12v on the yellow wire- terminal 85, and the brown wire- terminal 30) but is it sending that current to the beam changeover relay -i.e. is there 12v on the blue wire (terminal 87) with the headlights switched on?


Pete

Hi- again

Thanks for all the input. I thought the beam changeover relay might be what the manual wiring diagram calls the main/dip relay but wasn't sure.

I'm just about to check if the changeover relay is receiving current but- had another thought- does anybody know if the two relays controlling up/down on the pods also have some role in switching on the lights or is on/off solely operated by the column switch?

Regards

John

Solely by the column switch.

Pete

Hi John

Did you get your headlights working?

Pete

Hi

After comparing thewiring on the earlier cars with that for mine (89 model year) I thought why not simply rewire and eliminatethe dim/dip facility.

Lots of swearing later (trying to physically reach the wiring etc) I've now got them working. What a damn stupid idea- why do manufacturers insist on complicating things when the original wasn't broke? No wonder modern cars aren't "fixable"- the guy who does my mot thinks the only real improvements on new cars are assembly standards, rust resistance and fuel economy. He doesn't think much of electronic plug in diagnostic systems.

Anyway- now I've calmed down thanks to all for your ideas and interest.

On an entirely unrelated note about 12 weeks ago I suffered the breakdown to finish off the camel. I've had this car for 8 years and by and large it's been pretty much trouble free- however the Lucas constant energy system every so often decides to play up- two of the actual amplifiers just stopped working, then the condensor and finally (the last straw) the 3rd little gizmo inside the metal box. The only warning on the last occasion was a slight misfire lasting about a second then another about 10 seconds later then a complete stop.

I know some don't rate Lumenition but I can only go by my own experience and on only one occasion has the system on another car failed in 22 years so I sold the working parts to Peter Musgrove and switched to Optronic.

Now for the question- anyone else done this and if so did you have to reduce the plug gaps from 35 to around 25 thou?.

I mention this because when I first used the car after fitting it was occasionally missing a beat- after a lot of head scratching I had one of my rare brainwaves and wondered if the new system couldn't jump the larger plug gap. Sure enough, reducing it cure it entirely. I then started thinking about what appears to be a weaker spark would do to the emissions at mot time- funnily enough- nothing. The figure came in at just under 3%. Idle quality hasn't altered etc. I should add that this a LC spec engine- maybe the SE versions might show differenr results.

Any comments?

Regards

John