L300 headlights gone wild--'92 Chamonix

[rfahren]

I came out of the mall yesterday to find my headlights were on, and no, I hadn't left them turned on. These are the fish-eye low beams, not the DRL/high beam lamps. I fiddled pointlessly with the ignition, the on/off switch and the handbrake to no avail. The only way I could shut them off was to pull the fuse (#7, the 15A fuse marked in transliterated Japanese as "Head Lower"). What's going on?
My guess is that there's a short somewhere in the switch, but electrics are a total mystery to me. How easy is it to get into the steering column/switch lever to have a look?
I replaced one of the factory amber fog lamps a couple of weeks ago--is there any chance I could have exposed a wire there that would now be affecting my low beams? I don't see the fogs on my wiring schematic, but they're certainly not on the same fuse as the low beams.
And on the issue of fuses, I also noticed that I'm missing a 15A fuse from the #5 slot in my panel (again, in transliterated Japanese it says something like "Head Upper 'Inside'(?)". My schematic seems to show it going to the "Headlamp Relay". Isn't a missing fuse the same as a blown fuse?... Why have all of my lights been working okay up until now?
Ron

[LeeHammy]

Replace your relay. The contacts on your relay that complete the circuit for power to your head lights when you switch them on have welded shut and will not open the circuit when you turn them off. Every time a relay or contactor closes it can have a small arc as the electricity jumps to the contacts as they move closer. The older the magnetic coil on your relay gets the slower the replay closes meaning there is more time for this arc to form. These arcs cause carbon to form due to the plasma created much like an arc welder. Over time these contacts get pitted and eventually weld shut thus keeping your lights on even though they are off. umm so yeah.. change your relay.

[rfahren]

Thanks. Much appreciated. I'll give it a try. As long as I don't have to remove the engine. I don't have to remove the engine, do I? Seriously, though... where's the relay located? I can't tell a whole lot from the schematic.
Ron
Oh, and about the cheese thing... Moonstruck from Saltspring makes a great ash-ripened brie.

[LeeHammy]

Mmmm Brieee.....

I am not to sure where this relay is located, I would assume it is located behind the dash where most the wiring harnesses and fuses are. You might want to ask around to some Delica owners. I can have a look at where mine is located but I think when it comes to things like this the Pajero and Delica are very different. I am sure there is something in the archives of this site if you search for it. Or try following the wires from your light switch off the right arm by your steering column and follow them back until you find the relay. That's a crappy way of doing it but if you have to find it its definitely one way of finding it.

[LeeHammy]

?????????anyone know where he can find his light relay?????????????

[mararmeisto]

In an L300? Not sure there is one - that's why the circuit board in the steering column keeps frying. L400s and second generation Pajeros, they have a headlight relay.

[Firesong]

This all so dejuvu except the specifics.
There is no relay in the L300. I purposely put a relay system into mine just
to prevent problems with the light stalk.

So you either have a short somewhere in the system due to corrosion.
or
Your light stalk is dying
or
your alternator is doing weird things.

Check your wiring at the lights and make sure the attachment to the
bulb is ok. Then check where it grounds.

Further reading : a relay you can put in:
http://www.delica.ca/forum/headlight-re ... -7815.html
http://www.rowand.net/shop/tech/images/ ... iagram.jpg
http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/headlight-simple.htm

[TardisDeli]

Been there done that got the T-shirt to prove it. At the end of the headlight switch stalk is a tiny plastic lever which pushs back and forth a slider swtich. Its probaly broken and now the switch is stuck on. If you are very handy you maybe able to fix it but be aware the headlight switch assy. is built like a Chinese jigsaw puzzle and is not for the faint of heart. Good luck Jay Tardis Deli.

[rfahren]

And if someone were, say, "faint of heart", what would the alternative be? (Late last night, I think I saw a sick set of photos that were taken in your backyard, Jay--ugly ugly.)
Oh, and while I have your ear... This morning I saw an L300 running the projector lamps as DRLs. My projector lamps are set up as the low beams; the DRLs run off the high beam lamp (on dead low, of course). I'm a little confused
Ron

[nxski]

There are many different ways of setting up the DRL's. It all cones down to the importer / sellers preference.

[TardisDeli]

The fix would be to replace the headlight/wiper combo switch entirely ,you would need to remove the steering wheel to do that. But first you need to find a replacement switch try Butch at CVI or Mardy at amazing Auto or Max Over drive. Cheers Jay Tardis deli

[rfahren]

Something has just occurred to me. There are 100W H3s in the projector lamps... has that fried the switch? Ron

[mararmeisto]

Something has just occurred to me. There are 100W H3s in the projector lamps... has that fried the switch? Ron

Probably.

[jessef]

and possibly the thin gauge wiring.

55w max to be safe

[rfahren]

Ouch! A question, though... if the switch is fried, why do all the other light-stalk functions still work?

As for running 55W H3s in the projector lamps--I did that the first time an originally-installed 100W burned out, and I actually had a cop at a roadblock tell me my lights were too dim. Not to mention the terror of night driving on the highway. I'm starting to think those should have been wired as the DRLs... Ron