Series 3 Side light fittings

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Rubins4

Rubins4

Well-Known Member
Posts
813
So, MOT failed.... Both side lights inoperable. Strange, they worked when I left for the MOT station about 4 miles away.

Get home, the rears don't work now either. All 4 side lights out.... can't be 4 bulbs gone, shirley? Check all the wiring / switch - fine. Have a look in one of the front lens - bulbs fallen out, so has the other. Rear - one blown bulb and the others also fallen out of its holder.

These are new, unused wipac units. The inner plastic holder is made of cheese. One of the rears won't even hold a bulb in it at all. What a load of rubbish.

I need to fit some replacements this week for a retest on Saturday and I won't be buying wipac again. I also don't fancy britpart. Has anyone tried or can recommend any others which are not rubbish?

Cheers.
 
I've always just bought Britpart side light fittings they are reliable from my experience. The failure you're describing could be nothing to do with the bulbs. Some suggestions; check the wiring at the back of each build holder they get corroded n stiff , check seating of each bulb holder - big squirt of WD40 and a gentle push with a screwdriver to ensure contact isn't sized, check seating of the fuse (unlikely cause) , duh moment to check the bulbs are seating correctly. Possibly sounds like Wipac fittings are sheite. A frustrating situation. Hope you get sorted.
 
I threw in a set of the cheap ones a few years ago with a view to getting hold of some glass ones. Still waiting.

I find the spring that pushes the contact against the poz terminal is a bit cack and the plastic cut outs that take the bayonet lugs very soft. You have to be gentle when replacing bulbs or they chew up in seconds.
As for replacements, there are the Lucas copies with glass lenses but they are almost as expensive each as a full set of the eBay plastic cheapos.
 
Thanks chaps. It's the plastic channels that align the bulbs which are chewed up. I managed to get the fronts working again but just driving around seems to be enough to rattle them loose. One of the rears won't even hold the bulb at all.

Has anyone tried the bearmach versions?
 
I have a front indicator unit that can't seem to hold the bulb securely for more than half a mile. I wedged some bits of a broken matchstick between the bulb and the holder to stop it rattling out. It seems to have worked so far. I've got led indicator bulbs and you can't tell if one is not working from the cab cos the telltale lamp still flashes as normal.

Col
 
I think the bulb quality has deterirorated too. The old bulbs have pins whereas the new ones seem to be dimples with rounded edges that barely grip and I've had some where the "dimple" are clearly in the wrong place.
 
It can be both the bulbs and the holders. As above I have had bulbs where the dimples have been slightly pressed in so do not grip the plastic channel properly.
I use the cheap individual light fittings from paddocks, and have had about a 80% success rate with them, so even factoring that in they are still very cheap, I think they are britart. However as @Bobsticle has said you need to be very gentle when replacing the bulbs. It is possible to fit a brake light bulb the wrong way around despite the channels being different lengths because the plastic is so soft. But if you are careful and gentle they are fine.
 
I can't guarantee I was gentle fitting the bulbs the first time as I hadn't realised the holders were quite so soft, so this might well be the issue.

I think I'll try some more wipac units (at least cost and availability is reasonable) and some different bulbs. I'll look very carefully at the pins.

Thanks for the input guys.
 
Rubins4 said:
Thanks chaps. It's the plastic channels that align the bulbs which are chewed up. I managed to get the fronts working again but just driving around seems to be enough to rattle them loose. One of the rears won't even hold the bulb at all.

Has anyone tried the bearmach versions?
Click to expand...
As said, the springs that push the contact onto the positive lug also lock the bulb into position, stopping it rotating and falling out. Once you fit the bulb get round the back of the fitting and push the positive wire into the rubber gator. I have found this helps the spring back into some sort of tension and keeps the ruddy things in.
 
If all 4 have gone it must be the switch?-mine had a dodgy switch when I bought it which seems to have self cured itself, after i'd bought a replacement. Have you got power to them when the switch is at the first click down. If so maybe an earth issue. All 4 going off isn't the bulb or the light unit I wouldn't have thought. Mines in for MoT Friday and one indicator didn't work (dodgy connection), the brakes flickered (new switch solved that) and a dipped beam didn't work (an earth bullet was loose and had fell out). All solved in 20 minutes (bar waiting for the switch to arrive).
 
FFG said:
If all 4 have gone it must be the switch?
Click to expand...

Like I say, switch and wiring all checked and working. Investigation at each light unit revealed a problem at each one. Unlikely I know.

I happened to be out and about in Surrey today so detoured by Dunsfold. I picked up 2 new wipac brake / rear side line units. talking to the guy he (like you guys) says they don't have any issues with them so I guess I must have been ham-fisted fitting the bulbs. I get some decent new bulbs and see how I get on.

Thanks for the help :)
 
Last summer, I swapped my original 1977 rear indicators and lights for their Britpart, India-made replacements. One of the rear lights was knackered right from the start, because of some ham-fisted native fitting the bulb. However, for £2.96, it wasn't a big deal to order a new one. Everything worked fine for 10 minutes and then they went out... oh, how important it is to make sure they're properly earthed! The original Lucas foldy plinths were rather hopeless, so I got a "hedgehog" and everything worked fine! Come spring, when I freed the vehicle from its winter tarpaulin, the front sidelight and the right rearlight did not work... the rearlight was easily fixed (WD40 + making sure the bayonet connection actually WORKS), but the sidelight is still a no go. So, I have just ordered new sidelights and front indicators, and I am fairly sure everything will soon be up and running. Lesson #1: start fiddling with your Landy's lights, and you will soon be fiddling with everything electric on your vehicle. o_O

On a side note: has anybody any experience of the LED lamp kit available? I am tempted, even if I think that £102 is a bit steep.
 
yeah, it can be a bit of a nighmare.

I just cant imagine that something tat is relatively complex can be made properly and sold for less than £3, just doesnt sound right to me.

What is the hedgehog for?

I dont feel it is morally justifiable to fit LEDs to a series land rover, and for a hundred quid :eek:
 
The hedgehog is a crimp connector earth thingymabob. The centre hole in the bottom is where you screw it to the chassis. The "spikes" of the hedgehog is where you fit the crimp connectors.
The Lucas bullet earth connectors weren't really playing anymore, so I added that one instead.
 
I fitted LED rear light/stop combination (80w) at around £16 a bulb but used them also on the TVR and they are 1) bright and 2) come on a tad quicker which improves safety - important in the TVR and Landy alike.
 
Rubins4 said:
yeah, it can be a bit of a nighmare.

I just cant imagine that something tat is relatively complex can be made properly and sold for less than £3, just doesnt sound right to me.

What is the hedgehog for?

I dont feel it is morally justifiable to fit LEDs to a series land rover, and for a hundred quid :eek:
Click to expand...
LEDs look crap in a series. That is unless you can get the warm white bulbs and just replace those into the standard fitting. With the addition of the correct resistor to turn them down a bit they can look like normal bulbs with the advantage of lasting for years. You can also solder the connections so they run trouble free. ;)
 
This is a good fred that shows the crappy manufacturing standard and the buggeration to fiddle around with the connections.:cool:
 
FFG said:
I fitted LED rear light/stop combination (80w) at around £16 a bulb but used them also on the TVR and they are 1) bright and 2) come on a tad quicker which improves safety - important in the TVR and Landy alike.
Click to expand...

But ... LED's are cold so they stay frozen and covered in snow .. it's the same with LED headlights .. think about this if you live in an area where snow or ice is an issue ..
 
Fitted LED bulbs in std fittings, mostly a waste of time, thiey either got water i and failed. Also the stop tail ones only work with a live on the stop or tail, if they get a live on both they go out. fine in modern cars where the stop switch cuts the tail but useless on a series and cost me hours of trying to work out what was going on.
 
Simon Perks said:
But ... LED's are cold so they stay frozen and covered in snow .. it's the same with LED headlights .. think about this if you live in an area where snow or ice is an issue ..
Click to expand...
Got other cars so don't tend to drive the Landy (or TVR's) in the snow so not an issue.
 
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