Right side only , front side light and rear light not working

Sidbo

Member
Hi all,



A2 1.4 TDI 75 2005

Failed mot as I hadn't noticed right hand side, front and rear bulbs do not light when headlight switch is in side-light position.

I'm confused when checking in daylight as on left side, which works consistently, the spiral housed bulb AND the main bulb light up when switch is in side light position - if indeed the spiral housed bulb IS a side light.?

Could this be the switch? I don't know the wiring layout at all but wonder, as this affects front and rear on only one side, if it could be connected to the indicator switched parking light function (parking lights being those that come on, with ignition off and indicator stalk engaged in left or right position?)



Any help would be appreciated







Thanks
 
I'm not near the car, but will try the fuse (again!) this evening - thanks very much for the suggestion.
I do have a multimeter, but I don't understand your point about testing fuses reliably in place - you mean that a fuse can look good, but be bad?

I didn't mention that last night, while watching a reflection of the (left side working) side light, I did pull each fuse one by one and that left hand front side light, stayed on - no fuse made it go out.
Which was confusing, but I'm not an auto "spark" and I also, don't have any reference/maintenance material yet for my A2.
Thanks again
 
Yes, visual check is not conclusive (a large gap is). I'd suggest you didn't remove all the fuses if you failed to extinguish the left side light. Should be a 5 Amp fuse for sides.
Try this...(Google text 'a2oc fuse list' as our search function isn't great)
 
Only the little sidelight tubes in the headlights should be lit, either with the sidelights set on or when using the indicator with the ignition off. If another bulb is lit that shouldn't be, surely that points to a bad earth?
 
Yes, visual check is not conclusive (a large gap is). I'd suggest you didn't remove all the fuses if you failed to extinguish the left side light. Should be a 5 Amp fuse for sides.
Try this...(Google text 'a2oc fuse list' as our search function isn't great)

Thanks for clarifying and the fuse diagram - which will be enormously useful generally.
 
Only the little sidelight tubes in the headlights should be lit, either with the sidelights set on or when using the indicator with the ignition off. If another bulb is lit that shouldn't be, surely that points to a bad earth?
I am tending towards something unusual (not perhaps a fuse) because as you said, the sidelight switch position, enables the dipped beam AND sidelight bulb on the left side, but NEITHER bulb on the right and no rear light (on the right).
With the switch on main beam, front and rear lights are on left and right and full beam works fine.
One other thing, when the switch is on main beam, should the side-light bulbs turn off?
 
I am tending towards something unusual (not perhaps a fuse) because as you said, the sidelight switch position, enables the dipped beam AND sidelight bulb on the left side, but NEITHER bulb on the right and no rear light (on the right).
With the switch on main beam, front and rear lights are on left and right and full beam works fine.
One other thing, when the switch is on main beam, should the side-light bulbs turn off?
Could a bad relay cause something like this perhaps?
 
I am tending towards something unusual (not perhaps a fuse) because as you said, the sidelight switch position, enables the dipped beam AND sidelight bulb on the left side, but NEITHER bulb on the right and no rear light (on the right).
With the switch on main beam, front and rear lights are on left and right and full beam works fine.
One other thing, when the switch is on main beam, should the side-light bulbs turn off?

The sidelights should still be on when the headlights are on, be that dipped or main beam.
 
Sure? main on its own does not require sidelights. As that would put the rear lights on.... ask me how I know :) I was working with DRLs off of diodes behind those for a very long time.

Personally, I'd be pulling the switch at this point and checking that before much else, along with testing a replacement, as the two sides are most definitely split at switch (and must be if you think it logically when the parking light concept works).

- Bret
 
Sure? main on its own does not require sidelights. As that would put the rear lights on.... ask me how I know :) I was working with DRLs off of diodes behind those for a very long time.

Personally, I'd be pulling the switch at this point and checking that before much else, along with testing a replacement, as the two sides are most definitely split at switch (and must be if you think it logically when the parking light concept works).

- Bret
I'll check the fuse, then check the switch - thanks.

Yes, in my novice understanding of vehicle looms, or indeed anything electrical, I had assumed that as it is possible to switch on the left front and rear OR the right front and rear (front side-light bulbs only) via the parking light switch, then the loom obviously supports that Left/Right isolation.
But I've made assumptions like that before and been wrong!

The issue here of course is that said isolation appears to be occurring with the parking light switch off and the side light switch on.
 
wait, I've re-read this. Switch. Every day of the week.

Headlights push power to the others anyway, you can't do the TFL with just headlights, you get the full christmas tree.
Replace the switch. Push in, twist a little, pull. There are two tabs on the connector.

- Bret
 
Ok, note to self: Pay proper attention to what you are doing!
It was the fuse, it was exactly the fuse that damadgeruk said it would be (how I managed to pull this fuse originally and not notice that it was obviously blown, I'll never know)

Thanks everyone for your assistance and apologies that I posted asking for help on such a basic problem when the solution was in front of me and fairly obvious!
 
Ok, note to self: Pay proper attention to what you are doing!
It was the fuse, it was exactly the fuse that damadgeruk said it would be (how I managed to pull this fuse originally and not notice that it was obviously blown, I'll never know)

Thanks everyone for your assistance and apologies that I posted asking for help on such a basic problem when the solution was in front of me and fairly obvious!
You're not the first and certainly won't be the last. Someone once said 'learn from other people's mistakes, life's too short to make them all yourself'. I'm still trying this though have an ever growing number of my own(mistakes). ?
 
Its an automotive standard to fuse left and right side light independently.....the reason why.....to ensure that at least one side remain lit if a fuse blows......this ensures that a vehicle can be seen at night.
Headlights are also fused independently as in many cases when a headlight bulb blows it draws more current than the fuse rating, caused by the melting filament shorting the supply to the earth inside the bulb.
 
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