Fog Light Issue

[RO55SJM]

Hi All,

First post here and looking for help with a fog light issue.

I bought my van not too long ago and it has had a 6.1 face-lift, on the way home with the N/S fog light was flashing on/off all the time, looked like a loose connection. By the time I got home the light had stopped working but the O/S fog light was still on.

It seems that my van's fog lights are always on, and so are the DRLs, even with the lights switch in the off position. I'm guessing the fogs are wired straight to the DRLs? Pushing/pulling the light switch in/out makes no difference. I have no warning lights about the fog that isn't working. The fogs are halogen bulbs.

I will get a new bulb tomorrow and see if it works, the existing bulb doesn't appear blown from what I can see which makes me think it is wiring.

I'll get to the point...

1. Any idea where I am likely to find that these fogs have been wired to?
2. How can I install the fogs so that they work properly from the switch?

Many thanks!!

 

[dubber36]

If the van had fog lights originally pre-facelift, they are controlled via the BCM. It is possible to change the coding so that they operate as DRLs.

1. Check the coding using VCDS or similar.

2. Make your own relayed loom using the foglight output from the headlight switch as the trigger. This will allow you to turn them on and off, but you won't have the cornering function.

 

[Sackmycook]

Exactly the above

 

[RO55SJM]

Thanks, not used VCDS before but will have a look at that and as for making my own loom, I wouldn't really know where to start.. That may be a job for an expert

Question though, should DRLs and fogs be on when the light switch is in the off position?

 

[RO55SJM]

I replaced the H8 fog bulb and it is still not working. Is it most likely to be faulty wiring or could it be something else? Are there any particual weak spots in the wiring?

Where does the wiring go to from the bumper? Any connectors up the chain?

- The bulb was flashing on/off the day I bought the van, it had stopped working by the time I got home but the bulb isn't blown (tested on working side) .
- No bulb faults on dash

Thanks again

 

[RO55SJM]

Ok, it has stopped raining and I've dug a little deeper.. found the issue, looks like this was bodged up with tape but I'm not sure where I get a replacement or exactly what this part is called.... any ideas? Cheers!


Edit: From what I've worked out (excuse the newbie) these are for LED lights and to stop canbus errors... should they be there for the Halogen bulbs that are fitted?

Should this get me back in action? Pardon our interruption... Thanks again.

 

[FWhite]

What a f. nice job you got inside your bumper!
Yes, that look like an improvised Shunt resistor for fooling the CAN bus when you install a LED bulb in place of a Halogen.

I think that both :
The broken wire shorting around
and
The Shunt resistor mounted in parallel to a halogen bulb
may (should) have blown a fuse up the circuit.
Or it may have cooked a wire /connector upchain.
If you look in the dowload section there are schematics / fuse maps for most of the models.
But i am afraid you need to subscribe as a VIP member (that is a thing that I would 100% recommend if you intend to keep your Transporter for a while)

 

[RO55SJM]

Thanks! Looks like a top quality job, eh?

Are the fogs fused individually because the other side is still working. I'm guessing the fuse is ok because I checked the voltage at the socket with my multimeter and it was showing 9.5ish volts. I think it's just the ground (or lack of!) causing the issue. I assume the other side is setup the same as this and seems to be working fine with a Halogen.

 

[RO55SJM]

I removed the resistor loom and connected the bulb to the socket lower down in the bumper and the bulb works, there just doesn't seem to be enough length in the loom to get it to the fog holder, or it is cable tied in many places that I can't easily get to. I'll try to knock up an extension using the plug/socket from the resistor loom.

Cheers!