(A31) Faulty Headlight Circuits

[promaori]

My 1988 Nissan Cefiro has recently failed a WOF on the park, tail and license plate lamps not illuminating with the headlights. Hasn't been working for a few weeks but haven't gotten around to looking into it. Figured it could be the headlight switch on the steering column but testing it seems to show that's not the problem. I've looked at and replaced the blown fuses on the interior fuse block and that's not the problem. I've looked at and tested the tail light relay in the engine bay and thats' not the problem. I have looked into the auto light relay unit in behind the right headlight, and have found slight corrosion on one of the relay power pins, however I don't know if thats the right issue. I'm pretty stumped, and it's probably going to come down to a shorted wire somewhere in the circuit... What do you guys reckon?

[Nic_A31]

I've had this problem more than once and it was the switch, to test it, unplug the stalk and bridge the two wires together responsible for the running light circuit, I can't remember off the top of my head which wires but I will check tomorrow.

It's probably a smarter idea to bridge them via a fuse and see what happens, but if there is a short circuit and you bridge it with a little piece of wire you'll know about it pretty quickly (it will get HOT), but then again your fuse should have popped if that's the case already.

It could be an incomplete ground anywhere on the circuit, which was my problem the first time (front left parker globe holder), so check your parkers first, it's very unlikely to be a ground in the interior.

The headlight circuit will run fine without that brown box plugged in, so don't worry about that.

I'm using an S13 switch at the moment while I source a working A31 switch, the running lights only come on when the headlights are on (second click), they don't come on with the first click, not sure if that's because if a different design to the A31 stalk or what, but an S13 stalk should get you out of trouble in the meantime.

[promaori]

I've had this problem more than once and it was the switch, to test it, unplug the stalk and bridge the two wires together responsible for the running light circuit, I can't remember off the top of my head which wires but I will check tomorrow.

Sounds like a plan. While I had the stalk out, I used a screwdriver to bridge the center contact with the contacts on either side of it and the system worked fine, so my assumption was the switch worked fine but there was something further along in the circuit that wasn't bridging it properly.

EDIT* Although now that you mention things popping... I had my left hand headlight die around, if not at the same time, as my running lights failing... but my headlight fuses are perfectly fine. Possibly a bad earth around the headlights?

Edited December 1, 2013 by promaori

[promaori]

I've just bridged the contacts. seems to be working. will go and get my WOF with the fix in place, but I might look into another stalk.

[Nic_A31]

my left headlight globe went a few months before I had some drama's as well, so yeah something sketchy in the design in that front left corner I think...although headlights are on a completely different circuit so they should be unaffected

[promaori]

So it turns out that the park lights didn't come on because the internal circuit in the stalk. Replacing the stalk itself fixed the issue completely!