No Head lights or front parking lights

[Certified Lotus]

I’m totally bewildered. Everything was working fine when I finished rebuilding the car. The headlights went on with the switch and the steering wheel stalk for high/low beams worked perfectly. The blue indicator light on the dash showed when high beams where on. Same with the front parking lights, went on at first switch point with light switch and stayed on when headlights switched on. Turn signals and 4 way flashers all worked perfectly.

All of a sudden no headlights and the front parking lights and turn signals don’t work. The rear parking, brake and flashers work fine.

When I turn the left signal light on via the turn signal stalk, the front lights both flash. The rear flash left side only. With the parking light switch on, rear parking lights work and the front lights are both on and blinking slow. With the headlight switch on, no headlights, no turn signal blinking in front but very slow in rear.

I’ve checked the connections behind the dash as well as from the steering wheel stalk as well as the fuse box. Everything get power when it’s supposed to but once the wiring harness goes thru the front of the car the power to the headlights stops. No voltage at the headlights and the turn signals and parking lots act like the wires are crossed somehow.

No sign of melted or burnt wiring. It just went from working to not working.

All I can think of is unwrapping the front part of the wiring harness and checking each wire for any damage. Anyone have any ideas?

[BDA]

Do you have the rocker switch for the headlights? In other words, is this your wiring diagram (http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/electrical/tcfedc.gif)?

That being the case, I think I would look toward the DB10 and the hazard switch.

[Gary t]

I'm sure you have checked but odd faults are often ground related. Since the back stuff seems ok maybe the ground at the front.

Just applied voltage to 54-1173 for first time in 25 years so I expect to feel your pain.
Gary

[Arizona]

Not exactly the same, but I once had a similarly strange set of symptoms that turned out to be a bad ground.

[Certified Lotus]

I do have a rocker switch for the headlights. (BDA your link doesn’t work). I’m going to go through every ground wire in the boot (there are lots of them). The DB10 relay might be the culprit but that doesn’t explain the headlights not working.

[BDA]

Don't know what happened. Try this one: http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/electrical/tcfedc.gif

[dakazman]

  Process of elimination. Where are you losing your 12 V  to your headlights? Follow the power to a known good ground to the headlights . The loss of two grounds is possible . Two separate problems? Possible. Your harness is new so a a kinked wire is unlikely.
  Jumper your grounds . DB 10  a possibility with the turn indicators .
Dakazman

[Certified Lotus]

I’ve got power to the headlight switch but nothing at the terminal end that connects to the headlight. Power at the fuse box on both sides. Just can’t figure it out.

[dakazman]

What do you have on the br on dip switch? And out of the headlamp switch same wire?
Dakazman

[jbcollier]

What exact model do you have?  Stock electrics?  What are you using to test for voltage?

Some of the front issues are obviously a problem with the ground circuit.  All of the front ultimately grounds to the chassis at the brace for the console.  Get a long jumper wire and hook one end to a known good ground.  Attach the other end to the various light's grounds.  Keep back tracking until you find the issue.

[Roger]

The issue with parking lights and turn signals certainly sounds like a grounding problem, but not the missing headlamp power. I guess it's missing on both high beam and low beam? That points to something amiss around the switch on the steering column.

[EuropaTC]

Welcome to my world of Lotus Electrics   

Joking apart, I get the frustration and having been in similar places I'll throw in a few ideas on the off chance.  My wiring is UK spec so quite different from yours but there might be a few comparisons we can draw.

1. Bullet connectors - I have them in the front & rear compartments and wonder if they could be the cause of power out of the fuse box but not at the headlamp ?

2. Looking at the later federal diagram there's a connector block marked just after the column switches which is different from my car. It might be worth checking for 12v out of that connector if it's under the dash, it might have been knocked during final assembly.

3. But my biggest problem on any of the old Lotus cars has usually come down to earthing which works ok until you load it up and then it unreasonably goes AWOL.  I've slowly added separate earth leads from every light, front & rear, all grouped together to form an earthing loom.   No multiple bullet connectors, wherever it's been possible it's a single wire to earth with no connectors other than either end. 

In the front I use a stainless bolt where all the front leads gather and that earths directly to the chassis through the front closing plate (also stainless) and hence to the front cross member. That main earth also carries the electric fan and headlight/fan/etc relays which are also located in the front compartment.

At the rear it's under the luggage tray and bolts to the chassis leg for an earth. It's been so long now that I can't remember if that's standard or not but I do recall adding lots of extra wire and relays (weight !) to the car.

Brian

[Nero]

I’ve got power to the headlight switch but nothing at the terminal end that connects to the headlight. Power at the fuse box on both sides. Just can’t figure it out.

Do I understand you correctly that you have power going into the switch but not out of it? Have you measured the switch on it’s own? Do your self a favour and measure to the next connector and not directly to the headlight. The with bullet connectors it best to measure resistance and not continuity these connects like to play tricks on you(ask me hoe I know)

[surfguitar58]

Do your highbeams light up when you flash them? The "Flash Highbeams" switch (on the stalk?) bypasses the dash switch and fuse. Might be a clue.
Tom

[Certified Lotus]

What exact model do you have?  Stock electrics?  What are you using to test for voltage?

Some of the front issues are obviously a problem with the ground circuit.  All of the front ultimately grounds to the chassis at the brace for the console.  Get a long jumper wire and hook one end to a known good ground.  Attach the other end to the various light's grounds.  Keep back tracking until you find the issue.

72 Europa TC. All stock electrics except Pertronix distributor and coil (as well as modified tach). I’m using a Snap-on EEDM5030 manual ranging meter to test for voltage (been using it for years, it’s very accurate).

After checking all the grounds (took each and everyone apart, cleaned with small wire brush, treated with contact cleaner). Nothing changed. I would have been surprised if that was the issue, I know to make secure and well grounded ground wires attached to chassis bare metal.

Then by chance I removed the horn connection inside the steering wheel and the front turn signals started working again. Clearly something is causing a feedback loop, but not enough voltage to burn wires. I’m fairly certain the head light problem is in the high/low/flasher stalk. Will have to dismantle the steering column controls to figure this out.

I’ve got a very busy weekend that doesn’t include Europa trouble shooting. Added this issue to my small list of things to complete on this car.