• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

Wedge TR 8 headlights problem

Share this page

PATR8

PATR8

Jedi Knight
Offline
I have been fighting the lights on my 8 for years now. Initially it was just with them popping up but now one headlight doesn't light and the drivers side side markers have stopped working. I think it may be a grounding issue but I can not find where the headlight loom grounds. Some help?
 
Don's idea is a good one. (Hey! Even a blind squirrel... :jester: )

But from my poor memory, maybe up where the loom runs above the radiator...? I'm sure someone who knows for sure will be along directly.
 
Ground wire is a bundle of black wires crimped into a circle connector. The circle connector is ridged to make contact with the body. It is bolted to the body inside the engine compartment just below the cluster of headlamp multiprong connectors. One on each side. Look below the headlamp mounting bolts. Remove the 10mm bolt, clean body and circle connector. Be careful thou. There are two 10mm bolts there. Only remove the one with the ground wires. They serve not only as the grounding spot, but also serve to secure the horns which have captive nuts to receive the bolts. Undo both and the horn will drop out. Then you will need to have a friend hold the horn while you try and fish the bolts back in from above. Clean the multi prong connectors as well. Check for crimped wires up near the moving parts of the headlamp lift mechanism. Check the headlamp switch. There is a white plastic piece in there that wears down over time and fails to apply enough pressure to the contact strips. Follow the electric path till it ends. Sometimes I think a test light and an ohmmeter are a wedges best friend.
 
I would suggest you pull the switch from the dash and have a look inside it.

If the small metal tabs get bent or corroded, they will cause the issues you are describing. They are pretty easy to clean and tighten once the switch is out of the dash.

On mine the headlights would pop up, but they would not stay lit. wiggle the switch and tada! light...then hit a bump and no light. The side markers are controlled by the center stage of the switch. If that internal tab is not making contact, the side markers will not light.

They come out & apart pretty easy, but as you tug and pull remember you are playing with 30+ year old plastic :smile:
 
You mean they're not like a TR6's wiper switch?
 
I've cleaned the switch, swapped it out, swapped the relays out, cleaned the grounds, swapped the motors. I am beaten. It has to be the loom
 
If the headlight and the side markers that are out are on the same side, I'd bet its a bad connection on the fuse panel... Put the lights on and poke around on the lighting fuses...carefully. The clips that hold the fuses in can be a problem on my tr7s
 
Back
Top