Ooh, that's dark.

[shorty943]

It happened the other night, returning from a visit to friends. Driving down the road, all Okay, on coming traffic round the bend, dip the headlights. Road clear again, return to high beam. NO WAY. No high beam anymore. Back to low beam, not a problem, try the high beam flasher, all Okay. Only bung in the main switch somewhere. Will rip it apart to investigate tomorrow (saturday), till then, any suggestions? Dropped a wire off or some such, I hope.
Don't like the prospect of having to obtain the unobtainium to "make a bastard" as my old Engineer Officer used to say.
Lieutenant Commander Jack "make a bastard son, make a bastard" Markham. You can learn a lot from a man like him.

Shorty.

[cookiesa]

Had the same issue in the Disco. When you pull the switch apart you will find it has melted so no longer making contact. I was able to fix mine up enough to get it all working again. Thinking of putting in relays near the headlights to 1) save having the high current running through the switch and 2)improve the light performance with less voltage drop

[LandyAndy]

Hi Shorty
YEP FRIED HI/LO SWITCH.
Caused by the headlights draw a full load thru the hi/lo beam selector.
The fix a new switch around $80 from any non genuine dealer.
The real fix,buy that new switch stick you need,then get onto Drivesafe and get a headlight upgrade kit,the factory switch will only then be supplying a trigger current to your new BRIGHT lights.At the same time replace the standard sealed beams with H4 inserts.
Andrew

[shorty943]

Thanks Andy. Probably the H4's that killed it. Back to the drawing board. Off to the wreckers tomorrow, find any switch that will fit in place, and mod her to hell, again. Some nice new relays, chunky wireing, you know the score. I had intended to upgrade anyway, just not right bloody now. Oh well, que sera.

Shorty.

[UncleHo]

G'day Shorty943 :)

Yes, High beam wire on the switch, the Blue and white tracer one, if you are lucky you may be able to rejoin it, Selly's metalic cement is supposed to work OK but may be able to solder with small iron and low melt solder;) then fit a relay up near the battery near the Radiator should be room, Blue and white=High, Blue and Red= Low beam, wire as per instructions enclosed. The amperage from the H4's would have been the culprit;)

cheers

[lokka]

Put in a holden floor mount dipper then dip with ya left foot instead

[shorty943]

Thanks Unca Ho, already have a nice big twin relay. And some nice chunky 24V marine wire, and a cold chisel and half a brick. Should fix it?

Blue with white trace = high
Blue with red trace = low
Got it.

To Lokka, NO WAY MATE. (with a grin) Just like the old Falcon, I drove many years ago? Had to keep kicking the damn thing to make the lights come back on.
Stick to plan A. Wreckers in the morning, find any switch that I can make fit, can opener, big hammer, crow bar, I have the technology. ( more grins ) She'll be right mate. She's a Series model, she can cope.

Shorty.

[lokka]

2 toggle switches mounted on a plate riveted to the dash pannel 1 for high 1 for low beam 2 easy
Hows things down the bend as its been a good while since i was there last :D

Cheers

Chris

[shorty943]

Yep, I had thought of that one as well Lokka.
Being a Marine Engineer, I am a great believer in the jury rig.

Let me see, one for the dashlights, one for the headlights. one for the interior light, one for the-- damn run out of room. I gonna need a Jumbo Jet liscence for this thing soon, what with some engine guages to tell me oil pressure, amps, volts, gearbox and t\case oil temps, which way is up, etc. Just as well the previous owner fitted a full width overhead thingy above the windscreen, might have to move some things up there. Hey, I just realised, I have a place to fit some wireless gear. Beauty, more money to spend. Now all I need is a visit from the tooth fairey.
Thanks for the tips, Landy Andy, Unca HO and Lokka, I'm now logging out, and I'm off to do some electrickery, see you on the flip flop.

Lokka, I see we share the same first name.

Same old, same old, in the Bend mate. People still don't even come here to die. At the moment it is hot dry and windy, same old same old.

Shorty.

[shorty943]

Listen to everybody, use a little from all, last thing to do is replace the temporary rocker switch, for high beam ( looks too jury rigged even for me ) with a new toggle item from the local autoelectrician tomorrow morning. A couple of piggyback spade connectors, a couple of jumper loops, found the source of the elusive dash light problem, combined dash lights with parkers via a piggyback, all good there now as well. Nice big Bri-law CR12-2B double sided relay, one for each beam, and I still have indicators and horn in standard function, the new triple tone air horns are also relay switched, all relays being located in place of the old u\s horn, now in the bin.

Thank you very much all, for the tips on where to look in the first place, and why. And thank you once again for sometimes amusing ideas for a fix. I combined the lot with a touch of my own, and now all is good, and it all still looks absolutely stock standard. Well, it will tomorrow.

Shorty.:;)

[Sandtoyz]

When my headlight switch failed in my defender, I chopped off the switch and soldered the 3? wires together..(yay it always happens on dark!!!)
and just plugged it in as required for the trip home, for short stops didn't bother unplugging as turning key off turned off main headlights, leaving parkers on.
Bought a replacement when I got home, but my emergency 'spare' lives in the console, and takes about two minutes to fit.
(oh.. and this failed with standard wattage lamps too..)
Relay upgrade in the plan..

[shorty943]

Oh yeah. I've used fenceing wire to lock up a slipping Triumph gear shifter, a Valiant coil resistor to fix a Honda Goldwing, and a victa lawn mower tank bolted to the left front guard to get an old Mainline ute home after her last big party. Just as long as it works man.

Shorty.:D

[Blknight.aus]

If its any good to you, provided It survives the trip to whereever the hell I will eventually be you can have the old headlight switch out of bug 2.0 it was working when I pulled it out.

[shorty943]

Much appreciated Dave. I thought I had an old Datsun 1200 unit left over from a dirt racer conversion, thought wrong. The jury rig works a treat, but to have the original, especially now with the relays in the system, would be the prefered option. Considering the cost of NM's new box of what the --- happened, via COD tyo the local, if I PM my address to you, would that suit you?

Shorty.:)

PS. I've figured out emoticons. Silly little toys aren't they.:D

[Quiggers]

Forget all that stuff, shorty. Just put a great big spot light on the roof, you know the type - you've probably used them for semaphore on a ship!

(And you can signal while driving!)

Cheers, GQ

[UncleHo]

G'day Quiggers:)

Yup ! can picture it now Series 3 with roof mounted ALDIS lamp:eek: morseing away to traffic at the rear DIM YOUR @**%^&&# LIGHTS :eek: :D :D :D :wasntme:

[Quiggers]

Thank you UncleHo, i have a better idea for shorty as he's into bush engineering, mount two on the roof and hardwire to the battery via a switch to be turned on at vehicle start (this will save on pesky relays).


mount one on the left and one on the right of the roof

the semaphore flaps can then be used to dim the lights (for oncoming traffic, don't want to break the hibeam law;) ) or used as turning indicators (and on rotational heads, for spot light shooting and melting annoying tailgaters).:D :D :D

GQ

[shorty943]

How the bl&%dy hell did you know. Looks like the hidden 50w Halogens (look strangely like reversing lights ) are working then.:twisted:

By the way, what is the next small thing I can expect.:( Now that good old Unca Ho, has managed to remind me, these things are the technology I did my damn time on and in.:cool: Thanks Unc. The fixing is sweat and simple, know what bit went bung, find out why, MAKE IT STRONGER.:p Don't need pretty, do want reliable.

Done the brakes, new water pump, fitted relays to high and low beam, and horn, plumbed the dash lights in to parking light circuit, now they work to. I do have a Lovely old Prince of Darkness (Joe Lucas) 6 inch 100w landing light to find a spot for, and I have taken a liking to the 50w halogens used in downlight sets in the home. 12v, with small bullet type connectors, just need to fit them in some form of mount or frame, nice little lights. I like the new LED's the truck industry are starting to use as well, nice and bright.

It's called agricultural engineering, Quiggers, and we have branches in every tree.

This is taking a while. New keyboard, feels weird, and is bloody lysdexic, half the time.:D


Shorty.:D

[Quiggers]

Shorty: Superthng auto were selling something that looked like a 100w landing light (with a ditzy grille) for $19 a pop recently - lens double rubber mounted, too! So I got 2 of em and they work quite nicely, painted the grille black. A very small version of the ALDIS light.

GQ

[shorty943]

This light of mine, Quiggers, is the only Lucas thing I've seen to actually keep working. I've had it bolted to 3 Bedford trucks, a Honda 750 with sidecar (called the Bush Pig), my Trumpy T100T (called the Feral Bitch), a classic Datsun rally coupe (now sadly bent and twisted, but her spirit lives on in an offroad rip snorter), and now the Landy. Still in sturdy British steel shell painted some colours, I think black originally, and now I've probably jinxed it.:(

Actually just arrived home at about 21:50, from test drive of lights tonight. I think I'm going to need a bigger alternator now, the Landy struggles to keep up to her lights, got to go faster to keep them bright.:twisted:
I can do that.:cool:

Shorty.

[Bigbjorn]

Check out www.unity.com for Unity manouverable spotlights. Unity make police gear in the USA and their modern high tech stuff gives you an idea of what highway privateers are coming up against. Many Kenworth trucks made and sold in Oz have been fitted with Unity spotlights. Whilst you are at it check www.grote.com another USA maker of lights and electricals. I have two (Grote) Perlux 200T foglights on my County 110.

[shorty943]

Well, fog lights are the next requirement, on the nose. We get some good sudden cold spells, really localised fog patches and occasional black ice out of nowhere, during late winter and early spring.

With the H4's in the headlights, the Lucas on the Bull Bar, a couple of 50w Halogens for spread beam, and a pair of 55 or 75w foggies, plus a hand held or two, Look like some bordello special rolling across the plains.:p

That's it! I've been thinking of ways to "indiviualise" her, maybe I could make her look like a Fillipina "Jeepnee"? Lots of chrome, lots of lights, lots of colour.:cool:
All them multi coloured reflectors on the massive mudflaps, nah, I'd only have to keep it clean and shiny then, nah.

Shorty.

[Quiggers]

Do it shorty and put up some pics!

GQ