Headlight/switch/wiring Issue on 1985 Defender 90

Hi,

Ive had a headlight out for quite some time now but the bulb is not at fault, as it worked on full beam but not dip.

It now comes to my attention that the headlight doesnt work on dip or full beam, but instead the front and rear indicator are on constant instead,

A friend reckons it could be bad earth, but when i built it i avoided the electrics as i haven't got a clue..

Any ideas?

In the first photo the drivers indicator is on it just cannot be seen well in the light..

Matt Poiner said:

Hi,

Ive had a headlight out for quite some time now but the bulb is not at fault, as it worked on full beam but not dip.

It now comes to my attention that the headlight doesnt work on dip or full beam, but instead the front and rear indicator are on constant instead,

A friend reckons it could be bad earth, but when i built it i avoided the electrics as i haven't got a clue..

Any ideas?

In the first photo the drivers indicator is on it just cannot be seen well in the light..

Click to expand...

Headlights can be a pain and a regular problem. I know you don't like electrical stuff, but do you have a multimeter? You can get them very cheaply these days and are a very hand bit of kit if you are looking after your own vehicle.
With a multimeter you could easily test to see if you are getting any current to that bulb, which would be a good thing to check as a starting point. If there is current getting there then the feed back to the battery (the earth) would be suspect. Other issues with Defender headlights - the full current for the headlights travels through the headlight switch.Over time this causes the switch to deteriorate and then it can melt internally. All sorts of strange lighting combinations can then occur. I think yours will also have a main/dip relay in the circuit which might be at fault.
LINKY TO SWITCH check compatibility for your vehicle.
Once sorted you might want to consider fitting a boomslang harness which takes current more directly from the battery. This means the headlight switch no longer carries a large current and your headlights might be brighter!

As only 1 side is on I would say bad earth/fuse Take the front wheel spat off & clean the earths and refit.
Normally left & right lights are on different fuses.
+1 on the boomslang wiring