No Flash When Lights Off

[TaffyTim 6]

When my lights are off and i pull the stalk towards me I get no flash from the headlights. Are they supposed to? Will this fail an MOT?

 

When the lights are on then it will flick to main bean from dipped. Although my lower spots/driving lamps dont work these day so im not sure if this has anything to do withthe issue??

[Anthony 1,003]

When I've seen this before, a replacement light stalk has fixed the problem.

 

As for the driving lights, it's probably unrelated - check the 2-pin yellow plugs that connect them to the main loom, as in my experience these are prone to corrosion and damp and usually respond well to a bit of WD40 and a wiggle. Failing that, check that the driving light relay is working.

[welshpug 1,666]

mine does this, thought it was a 205 thing

[samthornton1990 23]

I thought it was just a 205 thing too, different from my 306 for sure

[TaffyTim 6]

When I've seen this before, a replacement light stalk has fixed the problem.

 

As for the driving lights, it's probably unrelated - check the 2-pin yellow plugs that connect them to the main loom, as in my experience these are prone to corrosion and damp and usually respond well to a bit of WD40 and a wiggle. Failing that, check that the driving light relay is working.

 

Ta

 

Do you know where abouts this connector is?? Is it on drivers side, passengers side or does each lamp have its own?

 

As whenever i get my head under the car Ive always jacked up the wrong side!!

[welshpug 1,666]

one for each side, they'll be under the headlamp somewhere, easiest way to trace and fix them is to pop the headlamps out, I chopped my plugs off and fitted superseal ones.

[sensualt101 31 1 Cars]

i had almost the exact same problem 2 weeks ago at MOT time and cured mine with a known good indicator stalk/light switch. i am pretty sure the driving lights are a seperate issue!

[TaffyTim 6]

ta

 

so will it be an mot issue?

[welshpug 1,666]

nope

[sensualt101 31 1 Cars]

welshpug i beg to differ my mot man said if the flash when lights off didnt work it was a fail which is why i had to change stalk!

 

however if you mean the lack of driving lights? they are not included in mot so if not working it wont fail you.

Edited February 11, 2012 by sensualt101

[welshpug 1,666]

well my car has always been like this since I bought it, and has never been picked up at 3 different testing stations

[sensualt101 31 1 Cars]

strange? my mot station are really hot on beam alignment and include checking full beam? i didnt mean to offend you by posting what i had found to be true in my instance and hope that hasnt been the case!

[Anthony 1,003]

Reading the MOT manual, there doesn't look to be any requirement for a "flash" function that I can obviously see - only dipped and main beams, that switching between the two works, and that the high beam tale-tale illuminates correctly.

 

MOT manual on headlight operation/illumination

 

Thinking about it, this makes sense - early MX-5/Eunos's like mine can't flash the lights unless you manually pop the headlights up (or more specifically, they do flash but you can't see it as the headlight is retracted) and they would never have passed type approval like that had it been an issue. Later cars automatically raised the headlights when you flash the stalk, and I keep meaning to do the mod to mine as it's infuriating

Edited February 11, 2012 by Anthony

[TaffyTim 6]

ok im no no rush to fix it then, i'll pop it on the to do list. Makes me wonder how long its been out for?? ta

[dave richards 26 1 Cars]

mine did this and i couldn't engage the high beam when the lights were on unless i was twisting and pulling back the light stalk from side lights to having normal lights on, to flick back i had to go back to sidelights and then switch my lights back on, needless to say the stalk got replaced very quickly