Headlights won't go down?

Hot Rodders · Postby **Hot Rodders** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:18 pm

Never had this problem with my NB :mrgreen:

zoomzoom · Postby **zoomzoom** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:36 pm

Thanks hot rod

Thanks JBT, I have been doing some testing with a circuit tester and was very sus on that relay. Now that you have mentioned it I am even more sus. There are 6 wires on it which I think I have identified: +ve, -ve, pop up signal in, pop up signal out, downd signal in, down out. by applying a current to the 2 I have isolated to be the down circuit one makes them go down(signal out) and the other nothing happens except for what sounds like the relay trying to switch but not doing it properly(signal in). So this may be my problem.

Also in my testing aroun I could not find any +ve going to the back of the up down switch over between the vents. Does anyone know if there should be a +ve there?

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:26 am

zoomzoom wrote: .....I could not find any +ve going to the back of the up down switch over between the vents. Does anyone know if there should be a +ve there?

It has 3 wires:

red/blue - 12V power in via the 30A "head" fuse in the engine bay;
red/yellow - power out direct to the up side of the headlight actuator/motor; and
red/green - power out to the retractable headlight relay for the down path.

The diagrams I have for the retractable headlight relay show 5 wires:

white/black - 12V power in via the headlight relay;
black - earth;
red/green - power in from the up/don button between the vents;
white/red (might be red/green for Oz cars) - power out to the down side of the headlight actuator/motor; and
red/yellow - power out to the up side of the headlight actuator/motor.

Can you get me a better photo of the retractable headlight relay at some stage?

zoomzoom · Postby **zoomzoom** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:41 pm

Ok Im pretty sure its the relay. The missing 12V signal at the up/down switch should be coming from the relay from what I can find by tracing the wires back. Genuine mazda want >$100, think I might try to find a used one

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:17 pm

No, the power to the up/down button switch comes from the \"head\" fuse and then goes to the retracatble headllght relay or direct to the motors depending on which way it is switched.

The relay may indeed be stuffed but it does not provide power to the button switch.

Have a close look at the wiring diagram.

zoomzoom · Postby **zoomzoom** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:30 pm

I wonder how similar the circuits are in the US models considering the relay is in the engine bey not under the dash. Also these diagrams onlyhave 5 wires, mine has 6.?

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:51 pm

I think you may have the wrong relay. Have you checked the wire colours with the colour coding I posted?

zoomzoom · Postby **zoomzoom** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:36 pm

yes Im sure I have the right relay. I checked with mazda earlier today, up until the 92 model they used the same 6 pin relay as mine and then they changed to another part number which is in some way different, and evidently the US models are different again. I am fairly sure my +ve to the switch comes from the relay because when I put power to the wire on the bottom of the relay which I traced back to the switch I can put the lights up and down with the switch therefore it is feeding both circuits. So I figure there must be a problem with the relay which is stopping it from feeding that power. I can only guess as I dont have a wiring diagram specific to my vehicle.

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:44 pm

Have you got a photo of it? Where is it actually located?

zoomzoom · Postby **zoomzoom** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:54 pm

I don't have a photo but it is in exactly the same place as the one in your photo, right next to the flasher relay

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:06 pm

Oh well, I have difficulty believing that Mazda would change the complete pop-up wiring architecture just for our market.

What are the wire colours on that relay and what is the wire colour that you say powers the centre console switch?

NA8s have a 6 wire unit.

zoomzoom · Postby **zoomzoom** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:17 pm

There was a white, black, green, white/red trace, red/yellow trace, and red/blue trace. I really don't know the exact function of any of these and they dont match up to any diagrams. I think the next step is just to get hold of a 2nd hand relay and try it.

zoomzoom · Postby **zoomzoom** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:24 pm

Oh yea sry, to answer the rest of your question, I followed the red/blue trace wire from the button on the console down to a green plug that it goes into and comes out white/red trace which I followed up to the relay.

Ther is constant power on the red/blue wire which get cut when the head fuse is removed

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:36 pm

It looks like it is an NA8 system then. According to the Haynes diagram for the NA8 retractable headlight unit, colours are:

red/blue - 12v normal power in from \"head\" fuse
white/black - 12v power in from headlight relay
red/white - high beam 12v in? (flash to pass?)
red/yellow - up side of pop-up actuator
white/red - 12v to centre console button switch
black - earth

If you're putting power on the white/red and then the centre console switch works, that would then make sense that the retractable headlight unit has died. The white/red should always be powered AFAIK.