Time Delay For Interior Lights

[AgeG]

Boys i need some help.

Passenger side interior light no longer comes on with doors, drivers side still does. The light still works manually at the switch but i was wondering whether a wire could have come loose from the time delay switch. Only problem is i dont know what that looks like or where to find it.

Any help, directions or pics would be greatly appreciated.

Also to buy into the headlight issue i saw at Autobarn a H1 headlight globe upgrade kit for about $300. Are these any good, the guy there said that they would be a simple plug in job, sound right? Trying to avoid the whole removing lenses and replacing light scenario that i have read.

Cheers People,

Age

[AgeG]

Anyone help me with locating this switch?

Cheers

[Al Campbell]

Age,

When you say the light still works manually at the switch, do you mean the switch on the passenger's side light fitting itself or the switch in the door frame next to the hinges?

Not knowing which one you are talking about, the most likely candidate is the switch in the door frame, these switches are prone to making poor contact with age in a lot of cars. Not fun as you will need to go in through the interior trim in the foot well. It's a job on my list to replace mine as they are both broken.

I'm not sure where the delay timer itself is mounted (my car doesn't have one), but I'd think it is near the fuse panel. My manual doesn't list it as one of the relays on the fuse panel. My wiring diagram shows both door switch wires (green) going to the same terminal (No. 87)  - so I'd think both wires would be crimped into the same contact i.e. the passenger side can't fall off at the timer on it's own.

Lights: I think the Corello driving lights/high beam were H1, but the low beams were something else and unusual. I'll try to remember to have a look on the weekend.

If you are going to replace any globes, particularly higher wattage, you'll have to put in relays as the ALFA doesn't have any. What's in the kit if you aren't getting new lenses? $300 sounds like a lot for some globes, relays and wire.

AL.

[AgeG]

Al,

The drivers side door switch still works, but when the door opens only the drivers side light comes on, the passenger side light used to come on too. I know the passenger side light still works as you can turn it on via the switch on the actual light so the only reasonable explanation seems to be that the time delay mechanism that feeds the passenger side light is faulty, disconnected or has a bad connection. I would imagine that it would only be the one time delay switch.

[Al Campbell]

O.k. the circuit diagram only has one wire coming from the delay timer to the courtesy lights. It goes to one light first and then continues on to the other. I think maybe the second light is the passenger light and the wire has either been damaged or fallen off the light itself - probably when the globe has been changed, as there isn't a lot of room in the pillar and getting the fitting in and out can pull the connectors off. You could try pulling the passenger side light out and having a look. Try first tracing the wire across the cabin, I think it would go across under the dash coming out from behind the trim on the door frame near the ECU, should be either grey-black or red-black (they should be a pair anyway).

Caution!!! The clear plastic on these light fittings is very brittle. The switch on my passenger side broke just using the switch gently. Do the following very, very gently.

First carefully prise off the chromed plastic trim - the "Chrome" flakes off easily. The trim just pulls off. Then carefully lever the clear plastic fitting out - there aren't any screws at all. My driver's side comes out in seconds, but the passenger side is much tighter and took me about 20 minutes of sweat. There are three spade connectors and you might drag some off as you lever it out. The padded vinyl trim wraps around the edge of the hole in the pillar and reduces your clearance. I had to very carefully bend some of the terminals that the connectors go onto to get the light out, but these are supported by the brittle plastic. Careful not to disconnect all the spade terminals and drop the lead down the pillar. If you get it a little way out you may see if one of the wires is disconnected. The terminals on the switch may also have stuffed up too. As this is where the plastic on mine broke, destroying the switch mechanism and dropping a small ball down the pillar.

These lights are pretty useless anyway. I leave a small torch down the side of the driver's seat.

Good Luck,
AL.

[Al Campbell]

Checked my old Corellos on the weekend. Whoops sorry, they are H1 globes in both high & low beam .  I had 55W globes in my low beam and if I was driving in traffic at night with street lights I had trouble telling if my lights were on, which is what prompted me to change the reflectors. The originals have a pretty impressive shroud over the globes to makes sure that only downwards directed light off the reflectors and lens/glass goes on the road, which is normal but only works if the reflectors are any good. Corellos are appalling. I wouldn't put a stronger globe in without putting in relays. Mind you the high beams also had 55w H1 globes and they light up the road well.

If you have a good multimeter, preferably digital you could try measuring what voltage you get directly across one of the low beam globes and compare that with the voltage between the 12v junction box on the firewall to a good ground to see if you are getting a voltage drop through the system. With the engine off so you have a stable voltage. Don't think it'll help though, the existing wires should be good enough for 55W globes, the fix for any drop through the column switch is relays, and the lights all go to a ground under the ignition coil.

[AgeG]

Thanks Al,

The kit i saw was for H4??? globes with relays, cant quite remember now but i was assured it would make a massive difference. I am not that great with electrical so the thought of cutting open the lights to change the reflectors scares me.

What is the cost in parts for doing changing the reflectors as per in previous posts about this and is anyone willing to do it for me for a fee? (i am in Melbourne)

Cheers

Adrian

[Al Campbell]

Adrian,

So is it the modifying the old reflectors, the wiring or both that worries you?

AL.

[alfagtv152]

If you want the whole story on headlight o/hall go to page 6 of this section and look for GTV6 Headlights by BRAD GTV.
Cheers
Andrew

[AgeG]

I have read the post about changing cones and have no confidence in undertaking such a task so if someone else could do it would be a bonus

[AgeG]

I ended up buying the best set of Phillips H1 globes i could find, they had made a reasonable difference along with aligning the headlights correctly.

At some point in the future i may look to upgrade the light assembly.

I fixed the interior light, as expected when removing the light assembly from the pillar, the plastic brackets crumbled so that provided me with another task to complete. I managed to get it fixed so now the passenger side light does come on with the doors.

Job Done!

[Al Campbell]

Adrian,

Sent you a Personal Message.

AL.