Hello,

 

the exterior light on my mk2 Octavia are playing up and I have been to a car electrician twice and can’t find the problem. One day all lights will properly work and the next only some of the lights work, for example only one headlight, 1 side light, some of the indicators and no number plate lights etc. The lights go out at random points of the car and sometimes work properly.

 

 Has anyone else had this problem or heard of this problem or could have any idea as to what is causing this problem ?

 

many thanks! 

The was a problem with some MK2s with the green fuse that is in the fuse box in the engine bay. it is the one near the screen I think once the cover is off. it was caused I think by crosion on the contacts, it causes very odd problems a bit like you have.

 

John

Hi John,

 

many thanks for your reply.

 

could you tell me the name of the fuse I need to replace as I wouldn’t have a clue!

Also is it just one fuse that controls all lights as I thought most like headlights, number plate lights etc have separate fuses? In that case would it be the whole fuse box that needs replacing? 

Hi,

 

the fuse is green and in the engine bay fuse box, have not got a MK2 any more so cannot be more precise. Not sure what it powers but I think it is one of the control modules and if the contacts corrode it causes very odd problems, I lost the front offside headlight and one of the tail lights plus some other odd things were happening. After cleaning the fuse all the problems went away, though some people did have to replace the fuse box as it dammaged the connectors. Just pull any green fuses and look at the blades.

 

John

There will probably be two fuses for most the external lighting, the idea being that you'll still have one headlight/taillight if either pop.

 

I think JJC is suggesting you inspect the fuse box in the engine bay. Basic checks first such as making sure all fuses are good and no evidence of shorting/overheating. You can also remove the top to check for corrosion underneath, IIRC it's one large bolt to get inside.

 

Might be worth adding where you are as a VCDS scan should have some fault codes if there is a bad fuse.

Thank you all for your help. Attached is a photo of a green fuse closest to the windscreen. It looks burnt! Will simply replacing it sort and fix the issue? 

It's overheated for a reason, just replacing is likely to result in the same issue and potentially a fire...

 

Given the plastic fuse box has also melted, I'd be looking to replace it. While it's apart you can get for signs of water ingress or any other faults that may have caused it.

All lights seem to work fine now... I did have LED side lights that didn’t have canbus so the “change lightbulb” dash light was on constantly, I have since changed back to halogens side lights since the problems started. They possibly could have been the problem? I will keep a close eye on the new fuse. 

This issue is caused by faulty parts at manufacture and was common on MK2 models. Providing you have cleaned up the socket in the fuse box you should be OK the overheating was caused by the original corosion creating a restive connection and therefore heat. After I fixed mine I had no more issues. Glad it was the same problem and we found it, though I would have thought your first two automotive electritions should have found it

Give it a couple of weeks and check the blades on the fuse, if they look OK then you should be OK

 

John

I’m glad you’ve all helped me diagnose the problem! How would you suggest cleaning the socket? I guess it’s just a waiting game  

a small dab of vasalene is good to stop any more corosion, a very small rat tail file can clean up the contact and then insure that the "socket" bit grips the fuse tight by bending it in a bit if needed.

 

John