Vehicle & Technical > Defender

Dim lights

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muddyweb:
If your system voltage isn't right, adding more batteries, etc. won't cure the problem.

Dim lights could be caused by a number of factors...

Tired Battery
Low output from alternator
Very old lamps
Poor or under-rated wiring

or e) All of the above ;-)


Before you chuck any money at it or get too carried away adding things, first thing is to take some readings so you know what is going on.

Check the battery voltage with the engine (and all loads) switched off.
Start the engine and check the voltage at the battery.  Watch it for a couple of minutes to see if it changes.
Turn a load of lights on and see what the voltage does

This will give you at least some idea of what is going on...  let us know what you find :-)


In terms of the specifics of Defender headlights... as mentioned they are at best poor.   You can often improve things by uprating the cable which feeds them, since the stuff in the loom isn't up to much.  You can also put different lamps in there which will increase brightness, but again on standard wiring, these will likely just cause more problems than they solve.  The general condition of the headlight units will make a big difference too.  As they age, the refelctors become less efficient, and quite often loose the silvering.

timberdog:
Thanks for that i will have torun it to a Garage as i do not have a meter of any sorts but what you speak is very good Common sense thank you

Berliner Beer:
alot of garages are advertising free winter checks on batteries etc. Motor serve in MK are not sure if they are around your neck of the woods?

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