mx5cartalk.com

I was fooling around with the plugs under the steering column and all of a sudden the lights went up and won't come down. Has anyone else had this happen before? Any suggestions?

Thanks, Tim

Try winding them down manually and then see what happens when using the normal switchery.

sounds like what happened to me, I was so puzzled though that I had to take it to my auto electrician...2mins later the car was out DOOHH! forgot that the fog lights are bridged to the headlights!

Electricals are my worst enemy!

yep I tried that, wound them down manually, turned them on and they popped back up and thats where they stay. All I did when it happened is unplug the plugs under the steering column and plugged them back in.

Try re-seating the plug again. Also check that the lights switch above the radio on the centre of the dash is not pushed in.

J

yea did all that. Does anyone know where the headlight relay is located? Or if there is anything else electrical in the line such as a fuse that would cause them to go up but not down?

zoomzoom wrote:yea did all that. Does anyone know where the headlight relay is located? Or if there is anything else electrical in the line such as a fuse that would cause them to go up but not down?

such as the open lights button above the hazard lights? could be related

devolutio wrote:

zoomzoom wrote:yea did all that. Does anyone know where the headlight relay is located? Or if there is anything else electrical in the line such as a fuse that would cause them to go up but not down?

such as the open lights button above the hazard lights? could be related

That would be my guess too. I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a separate circuit for up, and one for down. When I was mucking around installing my sleepy-eye controller (which wires into the retractor button) I stuffed something up and could only get the lights to go up but not down. I think the "down" circuit goes thru the retractor button.

I hadn't touched that plug at all, but I did try unplugging it, plugging it, wiggling it etc. I think the headlights down is a closed circuit and when you press the button or unplug it, the circuit is broked(open) thus taking the voltage away from a changeover relay which switches to the headlights up mode. This is only my assumption and is the only way I can explain the unplugging of the switch making them go up. But I still cannot find why they are up now, I figure the circuit must be broken somewhere along the line but where? And I also did try bridging the plug that goes into the lights go up lights go down button.

Oh someone must have been through similar... please help, I dont want my 5 to be permanently bugeyed

This sounds stupid (and makes no sense to me either) but try this...

Have the headlights always up button depressed when you plug its connector in as opposed to open when you plug the connector in.

I seem to recall that mine did this while i was dicking around with the stereo install for about a week!

Best of luck though..

STV

nope no good. Now this is really strange, even after winding the lights down the pop ya lights up button doesn't work?

I had the very same problem with my ex...

Traded her in on a younger model - problm solved

I am quite happy with the one I have now thanks. She is usually low maintainace and does what I want when I want...MOST of the time. Sure she has a few pitfalls, but I can see past them. And she has a great body

Check the retractor relay connection/function. I believe it is under the dash as shown in this picture.



It is not in the engine bay as in the USA market cars.

Check here for wiring diagrams. Good luck, a few people have had such problems. Post results and photos if you can when you finally sort it.

I had the same problem but my issue was due to the Pivcot headlight controller not being grounded properly. So maybe a grounding issue?