Again thanks again to all who responded to my Headlight / Relay problem.
Cleaning the internal contacts did not help although it was easy to do.
There is an internal “switch” that flips back and forth each time the relay
is closed. The central contact of this switch was not making contact with
the central external terminal. I am purchasing a relay from Hal Rogers.
I spoke with Hella Corp., they would have to order the relay and then ship
it to their distributor etc. etc. Cost $100+. Pep Boys computer shows
nothing. Trak would have to order it at a cost of ~$50. I’ll buy it from
Rogers for about the same because he stocks parts we need.
I had problems with my high beams last winter. I went through everything in that circuit.
Yeah. The relay ITSELF seems fairly reliable. You definitely want to check the electrical out thoroughly before replacing the relay. My problem was oxidation on both the relay terminals and headlight fuses; it made the high beams intermittent. CAIG DeOxit D100 is fantastic stuff for fixing oxidation problems. After you’ve tested power, connections, and manually tripping the relay; then you’re left with replacing the relay.
These Hella relays were also used on some Volvos. It’s definitely worth looking around for a salvaged part.
As a last resort, a similar relay was used on 1970s VW Beetles. It has a plastic case, but otherwise does the same thing. Look for VW 111 942 583; I’ve seen an aftermarket version EMPI 98-9437B as low as $15US.
Thanks Ron that’s helpful. I spent lots of time cleaning everything down there (CRC electrical cleaner etc) and manually tripped but no luck. The main lights are fine, but this is all I can think of unless it’s the dip switch itself at the column. Thanks for the tip on the VW & Volvo applications!
I’ve always got used but tested headlamp relays on hand… I don’t think I’ve added them to my site yet, but have plenty in inventory. If anybody needs a tested original, just let me know…
I would add that, once a working relay is fitted, you might consider using it to drive a pair of conventional headlight relays. The latter are often used to provide more voltage to the lights, making them brighter. But they also reduce load on the headlight switch (or here, the Hella relay).
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The dip switch just grounds the relay coil, Russ - to switch between ‘high’ and ‘low’ beam alternately. Also activating the ‘flash’ function the same way - by connecting the brown to the *blue/white’ high beam if the light switch is in ‘off/park’…
A function test of the dip connection is to ground the blue/black connection to ground - bypassing the dipswitch. If alternately switch ‘high/low’, the relay is OK and the fault is in the dip switch.
Functioning properly, the relay just passes the current from the light switch to the appropriate headlamps - if relay fails to connect internally; either ‘high’ (all four bulbs) or ‘low’ (outer ‘low’) will be missing…
If the fog circuitry is fitted; in ‘fog’ the relay is bypassed, and only ‘low’ beam is active and will not switch with the ‘dim’ switch - though the ‘flash’ function will still work…
Hey Robert…
I still check Jag-Lovers pretty frequently… All of you guys reply so well that most of the time anything i have to say is just repetition… I still hold Jag-Lovers in high regard. Without you guys there would be no EverydayXJ, and I’d probably have walked away from Jaguars after year 1… You guys keep these cars on the road… Kudos for that…
I just looked and there are many UTube videos and other info on the web. Basically, you route the wire that goes to the headlights (high or low beam) to the relay coil instead of the headlights. Ground the other terminal to the relay coil. Then, instead of switching on the high or low beams, you switch on an electromagnet (the relay coil) that draws very little current from the headlight switch (some cars, like Series 1) or from the Hella relay (S3 cars). The electromagnet attracts a relay contact so that it touches another. One of these contacts goes directly (via a fuse) to the battery (connection to the battery, the alternator, the starter relay, or the posts on the bulkhead). The other contact goes to the headlights (previously disconnected from the switch or Hella relay). Some relays are available with a pair of tab connections that are both connected to one relay contact. This is convenient, as one contact can be used for the left headlights (high or low beam) and the other for the right. You need two relays minimum…one for high beams (two filaments on each side) and one for low (one filament on each side)
As I said, the web is probably more clear than I am. BTW, the reason this is usually done is because brightness of filaments is highly sensitive to voltage–increasing voltage by, say, 5% gives a much greater increase in brightness. This because the spectrum of the light shifts so that much more light is in the visible range, and less is in the (invisible) infrared (basically heat).
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As Robert says - the basics are straight forward; one rely operated by the blue/red (low beam), and one relay operated by the white/red (high beam) at the light relay…
However, the voltage drop at the bulbs are caused by resistance in the wires; the thinner they are and the longer they are, the higher the voltage loss. So there are in fact two solutions; replace wiring with thicker wires - or use relays. Ideally, the relays should be as close as possible to the lamps, to shorten the power wires - so you see the problem; 4 relays for maximum befit is needed with the Jaguar set-up. Each relay connected to the respective fuses…
Extra relays close to the Hella, using the original wires from there on won’t do much good, the voltage loss through the original wires will remain. With the relays ‘downstream’ of the fuses negates some of the protection by the fuses - which may be left in place as simple low relay current conductors…and just in case…
The important thing is that, as Robert also says; you need power wires to each relay, fairly heavy duty, to power the bulbs - certainly in-line fuse protected…
It may be easier to just replace the original wires- and certainly to ensure that all connections are clean…
Great info and I’ll look into that. For now, i’m still chasing connection issues after cleaning them in under the l ights fuses and now have a dim low beam and turn signals that quit on the left side to resolve. Steps…i`ll get there.
Besides the usual reason for relays, in this case there is an additional reason–protecting the pricey Hella relay. This was originally proposed by Alex Cannera some years back. I don’t know if Alex had a valid point or not…most of the damage to the Hella relay seems to result from toggling the high beams on for too long, particularly in daytime use. Holding the momentary column switch too long can overheat the coil of one of the relays in the can, IIRC. That problem is not solved by unloading the contacts that feed the bulbs.
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With the symptoms described, Don; relays in themselves is not the solution - something else is amiss…
…fix the problem, and then consider relays.- just out of interest; are your high beams OK? You could bypass the rely by jumpwiring relay blue/red to batt - since both sides are affected; the resistance may be in the light relay. My experience with the Hella is that it is very reliable and designed for the high currents carried, but Robert says - it is not bullet proof…
Likewise, if only one side is affected; jumping to blue/reds at the fuse, both sides of the fuse - to see if the fuse/fuse holder is involved.
The headlights are of course not involved in turn signals…
Great point Frank, and I completely agree. As for the lights, all are on and will not toggle between high and low. One low beam is very dim, so I think I’ve got a voltage bleed someplace. I’ll test on either side of the fuse for that light first, then move toward the light and backwards to find it.
Don
Closure on this thread…it all goes back to ground! After cleaning all connections, everything worked except switching between high and low beams. More research showed i had two ground connections swapped…and now all works. Manual S57 is a godsend!Thanks all!
