Headlight mot failure

[John Simister]

No problem with my LHD low-headlight S2. Headlight height doesn't seem to concern the MOT man, only dazzle and correct dip direction. I have RHD outer lights, unfortunately not single filament H1 items as per original because I couldn't find any with a RHD dip pattern. So I use just the dipped filament in the H4 bulb, and when I switch to main beam the outer lights don't change but the inner ones illuminate on their high beam.

On my last car, same headlamp configuration as this one and also a low-light LHD S2, I wired it so the outer main beam filaments also came on, which meant that the H4 bulbs had both filaments going on high beam to make a total of six light sources. I did fear for the wiring, though, and the outer lights got a bit hot. So I haven't done it this time around.

John

[John Simister]

All of which makes me wonder - in original UK spec, with the outer lights doing both dip and main, does the dip filament go out when the main beam comes on? And which filament does the flasher activate? It activates dipped beam on my car rather than the usual main beam. Clearly the wiring is different between my originally Italian-market car and a UK one, but how different? Is the dip switch the same?

John

[thecolonel]

Twin Filament bulbs are usually wired via a changeover relay and switch between dip/main,
if you have single filament then inner and out lamps should illuminate together on main beam (main & dip)

Geoff
 

[Neil]

John, I replaced my H1 units to Cibie H4 outers (RHD) when the original units became unserviceable as you have had done and as one was LHD and the other RHD.  I wired the main beam filaments of the H4 units to the the inner mains, new H1 units, with suitable relays, in fact wired in a new relay for each pair of beams with a good earth to ensure 12v at the bulb which makes a great improvement.

The flash operates the dip beam only (I think!).