OP
fletcher23
i will change the bulbs in the morning and see how it goes but i'm doubtful. thanks for the advice much appreciated.
Discuss can anyone help me out with some advice? in the Auto Electrician Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net
i have a renault clio 172 and am having a few electrical problems (i know my fault for buying french)
first one is that i have no full beam what so ever, not even the blue light on the dash, its just stopped working all other lights work fine, so far i have changed the headlight stalk as this seems to be the common suspect but no joy, checked all fuses, checked both bulbs. also made sure all relays were seated correctly. but now i don't have a clue what to look for.
my other fault is that the stereo lights don't go off (standard headunit), even when i take key out and lock the doors and this is flattening my battery so i have to disconnect the battery to save it from going flat.
Does it use a single bulb which combines both the dipped and full beam elements in one bulb? Or does it have a separate dipped bulb and full beam bulb?
Get an electrical diagram showing the complete supply run from the battery to the connector at the full beam bulb. This will show the path of current through maybe a fuse, then maybe another fuse, then maybe a relay, then maybe the headlight stalk, then maybe a relay again, then maybe a connector, etc. etc. Obtain a test meter or test lamp and work out how to use it (bear in mind the black/ground/return lead will need to be connected to battery negative, or another suitable ground such as bare metal on the chassis - the outer shell of the cigarette lighter socket is often a good one to go for). Then switch the car and lights on (probably don't need engine running) such that the main beam should be on. Then find points in the supply run which you can get at, and test them to see if they have 12V on. As soon as you find a point in the run that doesn't have 12V, you need to work your way back from there to the battery to find the first point which does have 12V on - and just after that point is where your fault is. The bad news is that car wiring is generally a sod to get at. Have fun....
Connector to the stereo which should be being supplied from the switched 12V (goes off when key removed) is being supplied from the permanent 12V (direct connection to battery via fuse(s), never gets switched off). Pull the stereo and check the connection. If you're lucky it's ISO standard connections, the connection diagram/colour codes for which you will find easily via Google. Your challenge will be finding a switched 12V point to supply the stereo from. Often the cigarette lighter supply is suitable but sometimes these are unswitched, so check first.
Hi bud,,wiring on these and other French vehicles is poor.Inadequate contact area on multi-plugs and track connectors,and small csa cables that can wick moisture 4 meters straight into ECu's. If you get an electronic test lamp (MAC tools do a good one) that can test wiring along its' run,you lessen the risk of damaging any sensitive equipment. Use this and "line-trace" your live TO the relay,and then FROM it,to the light unit.Remember you will be doing this to and from the light stalk as well. Note,or mark cables colour/ID No. and be prepared to loose a day,weight and the will to live...Good luck fella.
i tested all the relays today, with car battery and multimeter and they all clicked and showed the correct readings, so thats bulbs, and relays out the way. i'm going to try a mates headlight stalk this weekend as i know that definately works on his car, if that fails i give up and will be taking it to an auto electrician because i have absolutely no clue whatsoever on how to test the wires etc, even though you have just described what to do it just confuses me haha.
Why are you testing *all* the relays (and how)? I suggest you try what I said - get wiring diagram, put lights onto main beam, work your way back from the bulb until you find the first point with 12V on, your fault is just downstream of that.
Can of petrol and a match is your best bet
Renaults not worth a w**k
why not? i suspected a bad relay so i tested them.
and have you tried getting a hold of a wiring diagram for a clio?
ok so i have narrowed it down to before the fusebox, high beam fuses are not getting any voltage at all so it has to be the stalk or a broken wire/bad ground somewhere near the stalk right?
how can i actually test the stalk with a multi meter when its plugged in?
its strange that the one stalk i picked from the scrappies would have the same fault as the last one
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