So ive noticed that my passenger side headlight and side lights were not working.
Have had the bulbs changed but this did not fix them.
Can anyone think why both of them would stop working?
Having had a closer look I seem to have found the culprit… now how on earth did that happen and what is it?!
Is your car an NC1 / NC2 / NC3 - & is your photo of the fuse box / connectors behind the trim on the passenger side of the cabin?
If so then it’s likely that the culprit is shorting caused by water ingress through the scuttle grommet (the fastener which retains the plastic trim at the base of the windscreen, beneath the small black oval clip). This is a known issue with all NCs & can cause all sorts of electrical issues…
The grommets themselves are cheap & easy to replace (did mine as a precautionary measure when the car was 4 years old). Unfortunately it looks like your multiplug’s knackered though…
Ah Sorry, should have said.
This is a 2006 MX5 NC - and this is a photo of a multiplug in the fusebox in the engine bay near the battery.
Water ingress would make sense, not sure how it would get in however, although it has been very very wet here recently and I’ve had a lot of snow/ice.
What would be the best move forward from here to fix it?
Thanks for the clarification Foxcompaq.
I haven’t heard of any water ingress issues with that particular fusebox - it definitely looks like the plug’s overheated though which is worrying as that’s likely to be caused by a short somewhere.
“Back in the day” when I started driving & cars were a lot simpler (8 fuses in total) faults like this were relatively easy to trace & fix. However now unless it’s something obvious it’s often a case of a visit to an auto-electrician, unfortunately.
Please do let us all know how you get on with this fault - thanks!
Hi, I asked a similar question some time back as I found what looked like a burnt connector in the fuse box but it turns out its some sort of grease and is normal. See the thread below. So it may not be the cause of your problem.
D
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst85196_Connector-in-fuse-box.aspx
Ah! Thanks Combemartian, if it is grease as was the case with yours then I guess that rules out any shorting at that location.
In which case I’d go for a loose connection somewhere (follow the wiring loom back from the headlamp unit & check that all plugs are tight) - or, alternatively, an earthing point (cable fastened to bodywork) which needs cleaning?
A bad earth would be the first thing I think I would look for.
Good luck
D
I’ve just popped outside to have a look and you’re completely right! Glad I’m not the only one to have made that mistake then!
Hopefully it’s a far less serious issue than that. I’ll take it in on Thursday and fingers crossed they can find the issue.
I’ll leave electrics to the professionals… I’ll let you know when I find out anything.
Just had a phone call from the mechanics.
Issue was 1 of the bulbs had blown, the other hadn’t but the connection was apparently dodgy. Described down the phone as “pins” needed repositioning to make a good connection, could be the reason why the 1 bulb blew as well, but made sure connections were good all sorted.
Charged 1/2 Hour labour and the price of 1 bulb.
Glad it was a easy fix in the end!
Glad it was an easy fix and not too expensive.
Now back to happy MX5 motoring.
D
So turns out they didn’t “fix” the problem as such, just did a massive shortcut.
Basically I noticed the light was pointing in completely the wrong direction, and my other dipped light blew so decided to investigate myself.
I bought some bright dipped bulbs and changed the one behind the water bottle fine - learnt a few things.
Then decided to do the other side only to discover what they’d done was just plug the bulb directly into the wired socket, no bulb connector to make sure it stayed in the right place - it was rattling around like mad. No wonder the light was poting in the wrong direction.
Doesn’t have to be said but I’m not taking my car or my wife’s car back, also told friends who will no longer be using them.
Ordered the part from MX5 Parts and fixed it all myself!
Have to say to anyone reading, you can change them yourself, the one side is easy, the other however by the fuse box is a dog, but I managed to do it without removing the wheel arch lining, with a lot of shouting and bruises.