TD5 rear light Electrics and damp?

Ok three questions, two fairly easy I think, one really annoying one. Firstly, it’s a TD5 2004 so it’s got the facelift headlamps. Offside front lamp has an enormous amount of condensation inside it. I’ve removed it dried it out (wife’s hair dryer) refitted, having checked for a split, crack or indication of water penetration there’s none. A few days later full of condensation, any ideas where this water is getting in?

Secondly the roof head lining Driver side at the front corner where the wind screen pillar joins the roof is soaking wet, not damp. Yes, I’ve twin electric Sunroofs, so where’s the water getting in?

Thirdly the off side rear lamp cluster that contains the indicator and stop/tail light, has a problem. With lights turned on the rear offside tail light isn’t working, changed the bulb and still not working. The brake light works, but not the tail light (yes, I know it’s the same bulb) so I changed the whole lamp units or rather switched to see if the unit was defective. The offside unit is fine and all lights work when tested in the nearside, I checked the nearside in the offside and sure enough the tail light didn’t work. So on the process of elimination the lamp unit is fine. I even tested with the tow ball electrics disconnected and still the tail light didn’t work. There’s power otherwise the brake light wouldn’t work (it’s the same bulb) any ideas?

Hi Ralph.....

With regards to your offside rear light....Yes the sidelights and brake lights are the same bulb but if you take a close look at the bulb you will see that it is a double fillament bulb and the base of the bulb has 2 lead contacts and not just 1 like an indicator bulb.If you have a circuit tester/probe you will be able to test whether you have 12v at the base of the bulb holder. Sounds like you have either lost the live to the sidelight or lost the earth.More than likely it will be the live and not the earth as you say that the brake light is working on that side. Hope this helps.

Is your offside front sidelight working? If answer is No..........Check for blown fuse for o/s sidelights
If answer is Yes.........Check for 12v live feed at bulb holder

WolfyDave said:

Hi Ralph.....

With regards to your offside rear light....Yes the sidelights and brake lights are the same bulb but if you take a close look at the bulb you will see that it is a double fillament bulb and the base of the bulb has 2 lead contacts and not just 1 like an indicator bulb.If you have a circuit tester/probe you will be able to test whether you have 12v at the base of the bulb holder. Sounds like you have either lost the live to the sidelight or lost the earth.More than likely it will be the live and not the earth as you say that the brake light is working on that side. Hope this helps

Click to expand...

He's right....if u have RAVE open electric library-connector wiews, u'll see where connectors are, turn on lamp and check as follows(starting from lamp...the problem will be between these....U might be lucky and find it without going along the whole scheme.

1. Check earth on C0121-2
2. Check for +12v > C0121-3 > C0295-20 > C0295-15 > C0286-5 taking in acount that everything else works the circuit is good untill there.

I'm in a right side drive country so I assumed that off side for you is left...If Im wrong then it's an other scheme

For your wet headlining problem:- i had this in the same place (top of drivers a post), i originally thought it would be the sunroofs but searching the web when the roofs leak the water usually comes in around the front switches (but not always). I found that the water at the front corner of my car was getting in around the windscreen seal.
Pull the seal away from the body at the corner and there is a huge gap there. I solved it by going to a hardware store and getting some roof and gutter sealant (this doesnt set hard) and i lifted the rubber seal from the body and put the sealant along the whole length of the seal, putting quite a bit into the corners. Press the seal back down, wipe off what squeezes out and it hasnt leaked in again since.
Hope this helps
Mark

For me, it was the sunroof plastic frame sealing against the roof, so required headlining out, sunroofs out, and scrape off the old sealant, reseal with silkoflex and reseat.

I also flashband-taped the plastic drain hose boxes back into their trays.

Job done

Serious big thanks, sunny evening so no guessing who will be out working on his TD5, cheers all.

Okay, checked the fuse(s) and none have blown, double checked by swaping a working one. Front off side (drivers side) side light isn't working. So working back, if the fuse is okay (it is) and both the rear light and front side lamp don't work, is it a 'live' feed or 'earth' problem?

Hi Ralph, it will be a live feed problem and not anearth problem as the front lights have a different earth mounting point. Check with a probe tester and se if you have 12v at the side light central pin. if you have not please double chech the fuses by swapping the fuse for n/s sidelights with the fuse for o/s sidelights. if the o/s sidelights still do not work after swapping the fuses over strip off the steering column shrouds and check that you have 2 live feed outputs from the light switch when the side lights are switched on.

A quicker way to test if it is the light switch itself that is at fault, without removing the steering column shrouds is

Go to the o/s sidelight fuse and remove it....then switch on the sidelights...............test both sides of the fuse holder............if your tester illuminates in 1 side and not the other thats good.........leave the tester inserted in the side that illuminates the tester...........now switch off the sidelights.......tester should go out....then switch sidelights back on and tester should reilluminate.....this shows sidelight switch is working


Dave

This is the time to shout Muppet at me. Thought that the genuine tow ball and electrics wouldn't need checking, turns out the seven pin socket was duff and had blown the fuse number F33 (10A), didn't occur that was the reason as all had been working when fitted about two weeks ago. Again a big thanks to everybody who offered very sound advice, I will beat myself with Birch for being so stupid! However it still leaves the question why is a genuine 7 pin trailer electrics socket blowing F33 every time I connect it to the socket mounted under the drivers side rear lamp unit? Aaaahhhh, Land Rovers don't you just love em!

Hi Ralph.......its sounds to me as if there is a short between live and earth on the new 7 pin plug you have bought....remove it from the car and check the back of it where the terminals are. keep a look out for a stray strand of wire between the offside sidelight terminal and the earth terminal