Headlamp switch wiring

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 3:26 pm

I'm trying to wire in a new headlamp switch, but I've forgotten which wire connects to which bit of the switch.. haynes manual is a bit useless, because all of my wire colours are different to the ones it lists. If anyone feels really helpful, could you either just take a photo of the back of the headlamp switch (the switch just pulls straight out of the dashboard, no screws or anything), or make a note of which colour wire goes into which socket (they're all numbered, next to the sockets it says things like '58L' etc. It'd -really- help me if someone could do this, as I tried just wiring it in how I thought it should go and ended up shorting one of the leads out and melting the insulation along it's entire length.. which isn't a good thing to be doing...

Cheers for any help.

86C · Post by **86C** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 6:42 pm

The wires should be in a multiblock plug kinda thing which just pulls off in one go. Why isn't yours?
If you give me a list of the numbers you have on the back of the switch, I may be able to identify them for you. 58L for example is sidelights left, which is a thin grey wire with a black tracer.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 7:07 pm

It was.. the plug melted with the headlamp switch, and I wasn't going to give the stealership another Â£20 for a lump of plastic when I thought I could just wire it in myself

The wires I'm after are:
56
58
58L
58R
30
58b
x

Thanks for this, huuuge help

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:25 pm

I'll hazard a guess at least that 58R is sidelights right

If the switch works the same way as the mk3, then if you push very carefully (a finger on each end for balance) you can make one light come on, and then the other

probably something associated with the parking light circuit that works with the indicators?)

(another one of them is probably the take-off for the foglights - as i've also found you can hit a point in-between "side" and "headlights" where neither will come on, but the fogs will work... and though it won't latch in that position, it's easy enough to hold in place at 15-20mph in 3rd... perfect for fog driving and means i wont have to fart about rewiring them

)

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 12:17 am

Personally if I had front foglights they would be wired to the middle position of the foglamp switch (currently has three positions, off-off-rear fogs), rather than the headlamp switch which would just confuse me

As it is, I have my spotlights aligned and wired in as main beam headlamps..

Personally I'd say your lights are wired in a bit dodgy

D4V1D · Post by **D4V1D** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 12:08 pm

hey, does anyone know what wire would control the dash lights and dimming switch? as i got some guages i want to wire in to come on with the dash lights.
thanks

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 2:39 pm

Nah, the foglight switch itself is a take-off from the headlight switch. That's why usually you can't turn the fogs on without at the dipped beams.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 5:54 pm

hey, does anyone know what wire would control the dash lights and dimming switch? as i got some guages i want to wire in to come on with the dash lights.
thanks

The dash light wire is a grey cable with a blue stripe, you'll be able to tap into it easily either at the back of your radio or behind your cigarrette lighter. It runs at 0-12v when the side / head lights are switched on, depending on how far you've got the dimmer dial turned (which is simply a variable resistor in line with the cable to sink some of the voltage)

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 1:58 pm

k if you want me to give you a reasonable idea on where your wires should at least be going, i've traced em thru with the haynes (assuming the lighting circuits we'rent altered significantly in the facelift)... can tell you what goes where. Even if i can't give you the wire colours, if you can work out the positive and the earth wires, nothing will blow - it all works off 12v after all!
Then you just have to trial and error it

There's a wire for each of:
left and right sidelights / parking lights
foglight activation *before* the foglight switch (possibly separate for front & rear?)
dimmed headlights (ignition-on sidelamp)
full power headlights (dip/full beam being separate switch)
numberplate light
instrument lights

possibly the taillights are on a separate circuit, i'll take another look if you still need the info

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 4:00 pm

Cheers for that.. the problem is that I don't know which terminal on the switch is meant to turn on which circuit, so even if I know what the wires do I don't know where to put them

Plus, although it's only 12v the car battery puts out a huge amount of current.. I've already managed to melt the insulation off the entire length of one of the wires by putting it in the wrong place through trial and error

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 6:15 pm

86C, any luck with identifying those cables for me? I'm getting a bit desperate now, I'm swapping cars with my dad for the weekend and he could really do with some lights.. not to mention I've got to get home at about 10:00 tonight somehow

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 11:39 pm

Wahay.. a bit of trial and error and a bit more foul smelling melted plastic later and I have lights

It turns out that the wire that was melting was the one that controls the backlight for the switch.. of course, there isn't actually a backlight there without the plug thing that I'm bypassing, which may well be why it kept trying to blow itself up.. All I've got to work out now is why I can't turn my lights on if the ignition's turned off, although I think that's a bit of a blessing considering how often I forget to turn my lights off..

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:46 pm

good to hear you got it (mostly) sorted. when you mean they wont turn on with the ignition off - you mean just the sidelights / parking lights? mayhaps you've missed a wire or a fuse

can still give you the terminals that correspond to each thing if you like em. even if the switch changed its likely the numbers would stay the same as it seems to refer to what wire needs to attach where, and where it ends up (eg the headlight switch and foglight switch both have a "58" on em (?) )

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 8:55 pm

The parking lights work with the ignition off, but whereas usually if you leave the lights on and turn off the ignition it'll switch to sidelights, now they just turn off completely. Also, for some reason if I turn the right hand side parking lights on the numberplate lights come on, but not if I turn the left hand side parking lights on. That confuses me.. but anyway, as long as the lights work when I'm actually on the move, that's the important thing

It'd still be great if you could give me the terminals that correspond to each wire, but don't worry if it's going to be a hassle, it's not urgent anymore

Thanks anyway

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 4:34 am

no hassle at all, i'd just grab the ol' manual and spend a couple minutes tracing with my finger on the left hand whilst typing with the right. what i'm more concerned about is that they match up with your model, it being a different revision and all