Swapped the headlight bulbs out - now its broken :(

[Darren S]

Must be something that I've done, but for the life of me, I can't think what. Yesterday I replaced the drivers side xenon bulb after it had stopped working. Naturally I did both headlights to ensure that the beam colour matched.

I did notice that on the driver's side in particular, the secondary lead into the unit was really loose - I literally touched it and it fell out. This is not the main lead at the bottom of the headlight unit that is positioned horizontally.

Before building the bumper back up, a loosely held the headlights in place with one bolt and then tried to switch them on. Both worked fine. I then arsed about refitting the front bumper (I HATE that job!) and all seemed good.

I tried firing the car up and noticed that prior to starting the engine with the ignition turned one notch, I heard a rapid clicking noise from what sounds to be around the headlight area. The car did start fine however and being in the underground parking spot, switched its auto lights on fine too.

Fast forward to this morning and I got to the car. Sat in it, but left the door ajar to see if I could hear the clicking noise with the ignition turned. Again, it was there but would now flatly refuse to spin over as per the attached video.

Strangely, I switched the fan to Off in order to minimise background noise. When I went to crank the car, the fan kicked in again.

Any ideas guys??



Cheers,
D.

 

[R3k1355]

You didn't leave the lights on and flatten the battery did you?

 

[Darren S]

No mate - definitely not. My first suspicion is that it's the battery that's gone - given that it's got to be a good 7 or 8 years old now.

It just seemed to be a coincidence that it 'went' after yesterday's bulb replacement and that clicking noise I have never heard before....

 

[Darren S]

Looks like it is the battery. Got a proper reader on it tonight and it’s barely making 9v.

I’ll nab a new one tomorrow and put it in. Hopefully it’s something as straight-forward as that!

 

[Chris_Beer]

9v is no good. Colder weather will start eating batteries soon. Perhaps that was the bulb issue, voltage not strong enough? Unsure? Did you knock the adjuster or anything?

The only other thing that ticks around the drivers headlight is the carbon canister box valve thing.. but lets see how it goes with the new battery first

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Check your earth straps as well . The one from the battery on mine was loose when I had a similar problem with mine a couple of months ago , it didn't sound exactly the same as yours but lots of clicking and dashboard lights and wouldn't start . I bought a new battery on the recommendation of the breakdown guy, turned out the battery was ok after all ? . I put a new earth strap on the ( over the top of the old one, I left the old one in place as well) gearbox to chassis , even though the original one was in good nick . It's been fine since , touch wood.



In case you do need a gearbox to chassis earth strap . I bought this one from GSF . There's 60% off with code GSF60. It's not exactly he same , but it fits.
https://www.gsfcarparts.com/972vg00...et_url_key##&utm_campaign=googleproductsearch

 

[Darren S]

Thanks guys - @Chris_Beer, it does indeed sound like the carbon canister area. As you said though, happy enough to try the simple option of a new battery first. It's done bloody well to last this long in all fairness.

I'll post back tomorrow...... assuming I actually get into work

 

[Chris_Beer]

Can't beat a new battery, should make it a lot healthier. Does your trip computer reset also when you start it? Mine did when the battery was on it's way out

 

[MRBILLYUK]

When my original battery packed up , that was 8 years old too , I had no lights on the dash , just the immobiliser light flashing . RAC bloke came out , jump started it to get me home. Does your central locking still work from the key fob? Mine wouldn't even lock the doors due to lack of power in the battery.

 

[Darren S]

When my original battery packed up , that was 8 years old too , I had no lights on the dash , just the immobiliser light flashing . RAC bloke came out , jump started it to get me home. Does your central locking still work from the key fob? Mine wouldn't even lock the doors due to lack of power in the battery.

Just. It's normally a solid 'thunk' noise when the locks are engaged. The last two times have been quite laboured.

Assuming this battery does fix it, I'll probably take it for a quick blast on the M65 tonight. The battery might have been sat on the shelf for a few weeks/months?

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Just. It's normally a solid 'thunk' noise when the locks are engaged. The last two times have been quite laboured.

Assuming this battery does fix it, I'll probably take it for a quick blast on the M65 tonight. The battery might have been sat on the shelf for a few weeks/months?

Sounds like it's gonna be the battery then . It's surprising how long they can be sat on a shelf and still hold a charge.

 

[Darren S]

Yep - the new battery fixed it completely.

Grumbled and spluttered for a few seconds as expected when it started, but then quickly settled back down to idle. That Bosch S4 battery that I got from ECP only just fits - literally as in millimetre perfect. With the clamp reattached, it definitely isn't one for moving. Certainly a larger unit than the previous Halfords one that came out of there.

Re-coded the head unit (thanks to the wonders of marker pen that I wrote on top of it) and now just have to mess about getting the radio stations put back in.

The drive out last night (and this morning) has shown a subtle yet quite noticeable difference. It's smoother driving now - the headlights definitely brighter, which is probably a combination of new bulbs and the battery. Even sat idling in traffic feels smoother.

Glad it was a straight-forward fix, anyway. Oh, and that clicking noise on the video above (carbon canister area) stopped with the new battery too. Maybe a weird relay switch or something when it wasn't getting sufficient battery power previously?