Capri headlights problem.

[retro80sboy]

Got a bit of a problem with my 1986 Ford Capri.When the lights are on, the side lights work ok, but the dip beam (driving beam) seems too bright - in fact its as bright as the main beam.If I pull the stork to main beam, then the beam actually reverts to dip beam! - this wouldnt be such a problem but I can only 'flash' the main beam so driving with this on is a non starter.A couple of people have said its a 'switch' problem, other people have said its other problems, to be honest no one ive spoken to is an expert so I need some expert advice on the subject now as the car is undrivable now for obvious reasons and I havent got time to mess about myself by trial and error at the moment. Plus I dont want to buy parts that are not needed - Im an enthusiast, not a mechanic!.anyone had the same kind of thing with theirs?

[Fat_Pirate]

I can't get my head around this, surely the outer pair of lamps only contain the sidelights and dipped beam bulbs? I thought main beam was the centre pair only.

[Mike D]

I thought that too, could it be someone has put dual filament bulbs where there should be single filament?

[ashmicro]

I concur: wrong bulbs. Sounds like the stalk/switch is working.The other very real possibility in a Ford of this vintage is the classic bad earth, but I'm not so sure it would manifest itself in this way.Check the bulbs, I reckon.

[Andrew353w]

Your Capri is one of the 4 headlamp ones (a la "The Professionals") with the 2 outer lamps having both main and dipped beam bulbs and the inner 2 lamps illuminating on main beam only. However, the bulbs fitted are identical (halogen H4 60/55 watt ones) to all 4 lamps; the inner set don't have a dipped beam feed. OK, "this is what you do" (older viewers, familiar with Jimmy Young, will remember....) remove all 4 bulbs from their units and confirm that when the headlight switch is "on" the main beam warning light goes on and off when it should and is on when you flash the headlights. If all this is OK then the switching is OK and there's a fault in the wiring. What often happens is this: The lamps have 2 live feeds; one for main and one for dipped, but only one return (earth). If the return line, or earth, becomes broken or disconnected the bulb will earth through the other live line. This causes both elements in the bulb to illuminate and also to make other bulbs light up when they shouldn't! Try re-connecting the bulbs one at a time, starting with the 2 outer ones, as this is more likely to be where the fault is, and do the above tests as each bulb is re-connected. Eventually re-connecting one of these will cause the fault to re-occur and you'll be able to narrow down where the fault lies. Once you've done this check the wiring of the offending bulb for earth continuity and I suspect that will be the error. Hope this helps!

[retro80sboy]

cool cheers guys!!Ill give that a go at the weekend Andrew and let you know how I get on.

[whitevanman]

Your Capri is one of the 4 headlamp ones (a la "The Professionals") with the 2 outer lamps having both main and dipped beam bulbs

Nah....outer lights are permanently on dip only as it is a single feed to single filament bulb, the other feed wire goes to the side lights on them, inner units are main beam only and come on in addition to the outer dipped ones on full beam

[Albert Ross]

Don't these have a big daft main beam relay on the bulkhead somewhere? Like a multipin bullet connector kind of thing.... I might even have one somewhere.... Wonder if yours has gone tits up? maybe got water in it?

[whitevanman]

Don't these have a big daft main beam relay on the bulkhead somewhere? Like a multipin bullet connector kind of thing.... I might even have one somewhere.... Wonder if yours has gone tits up? maybe got water in it?

they may well have, but I have been running Cortina's with the twins since 1980 and never needed one, so it should be ok to do away with it if yours doesn't sort it

[Pete-M]

Capri has a big silver relay on the n/s bulkhead if memory serves me right. The outers are only side and head, inners are full main beam jobs.I might have a couple of Capri headlights in my stash under the bench in work. I used to fit BMW projector outers.