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Thread: Need help with headlight issue

  1. #1
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    Need help with headlight issue

    Ok so neither my high nor low beam headlights work. I know what the issue is BUT I don't know why. Both fuses are good but I took out the fuses and took a test light and checked where both fuse 14/15 go and there is no power to either side. So of course with no power going to the fuses, the headlights aren't gonna work lol.

    Here's what I've done so far. Tested both relays and they are good. I concentrated on the low beam headlights for now and tested the following. I know the UR (blue/red) wire has continuity. I originally thought that there was possibly a break in the wire so I took my ohm meter and tested the UR from the relay to fuse 14 and got tone so no break.

    I have power to N (brown) on the relay socket (both low and high btw)

    I know I have a ground on both (how good I'm not sure but I removed the black wire from the relay socket and used my test light to test a known good powered fuse and the light lit up)

    I also swapped out the console headlight switch for kicks and still doesn't work.

    When I press in on the headlight switch, I hear the ac illumination relay click but neither the low or high beam relay click. I took the low and high relay and swapped it with the ac illumination relay and they click so that's how I know the relay is good.

    I'm completely stumped

    Can anyone shed some light on what I'm missing here?

    Thanks in advance for any help
    81 DeLorean w 4.3 Chevy Vortec engine mated to Porsche 915 transaxle

  2. #2
    Senior Member AugustneverEnds's Avatar
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    Does your car still have the original headlight switch? You stated you swapped the console switch. An OEM for an OEM or the DMCH controller?

    Since both low and high beam are on the fritz is it possible all of your filaments are burned out?

    Simplest solution....
    Last edited by AugustneverEnds; 02-22-2019 at 08:42 PM.
    Nick A.

    1988 BMW 325is
    1982 DeLorean DMC-12
    1989 Jaguar XJ6

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by AugustneverEnds View Post
    Does your car still have the original headlight switch? You stated you swapped the console switch. An OEM for an OEM or the DMCH controller?

    Since both low and high beam are on the fritz is it possible all of your filaments are burned out?

    Simplest solution....
    Thanks for the reply I swapped out the OEM switch for the DMCH switch a few years ago. That's how I tested as I put the OEM switch back in place. I don't think it's related to the switch tho bc the OEM switch worked when I removed it (just wanted to upgrade the the DMCH one) Parking lights and dash lights work fine (which I know is unrelated but related to the switch so...)

    I don't think all the headlights are burned out b/c I'm not getting power to either fuse AND neither low nor high beam relays are clicking.

    I'm totally lost on this lol. It makes no sense.

    Technically, could I jumper the dip beam relay's N (brown power wire) to the UR (blue/red) to see if they light up? I know the relay is good but....would this be a good test or possibly 5 alarm fire waiting to happen?
    81 DeLorean w 4.3 Chevy Vortec engine mated to Porsche 915 transaxle

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    If you don't hear the low or high beam relays click my first suspect would be the headlight switch. Also make sure the connectors in the plastic block holding the relays has not backed out and that the ground wires going to the relays is, in fact, really grounded. On one car I worked on a PO had switched relays around. Put the wrong one in the wrong place and smoked the ground wire into a crisp. None of the relays worked. The lights are not going to get power if you can't get the relays to click.
    David Teitelbaum

  5. #5
    Senior Member AugustneverEnds's Avatar
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    I would also investigate the ground wire. I think it's safe to assume the switch is not your problem. You can jump the relay to test it. Either the lights will come on or they won't.
    Nick A.

    1988 BMW 325is
    1982 DeLorean DMC-12
    1989 Jaguar XJ6

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by David T View Post
    If you don't hear the low or high beam relays click my first suspect would be the headlight switch. Also make sure the connectors in the plastic block holding the relays has not backed out and that the ground wires going to the relays is, in fact, really grounded. On one car I worked on a PO had switched relays around. Put the wrong one in the wrong place and smoked the ground wire into a crisp. None of the relays worked. The lights are not going to get power if you can't get the relays to click.

    David, thanks for the reply! That's where I'm lost in this! I know I don't have power to fuses 14 or 15 at all. So is that what the headlight switch does? (ie there is supposed to be NO power whatsoever to fuse 14 UNTIL the headlight switch is depressed twice and then the relay opens up to send power to fuse 14?) Is there a way I can jumper the headlight switch to check?

    It's hard to believe two headlight switches could be bad but I guess it's possible.

    Thanks again!!
    81 DeLorean w 4.3 Chevy Vortec engine mated to Porsche 915 transaxle

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by AugustneverEnds View Post
    I would also investigate the ground wire. I think it's safe to assume the switch is not your problem. You can jump the relay to test it. Either the lights will come on or they won't.

    Thanks! I know just enough to be dangerous at this lol....so what wires should I jumper to test? (I do know the relays are good)
    81 DeLorean w 4.3 Chevy Vortec engine mated to Porsche 915 transaxle

  8. #8
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    ***Update*** Got the high beams working now (jumped the brown power to the blue/white wire and when I did, I felt the blue/white slipping out of the socket) I put the relay back in place, checking that wire was solid and now my high beams work!!!

    HOWEVER, I did the same on the low beams. (jumped the brown power to the blue/red and the lights came right on!!!!) BUT I put the relay back in place and they STILL don't work Swapped out relays to make SURE I didn't have a bad one, but still the same thing.

    Any ideas?
    81 DeLorean w 4.3 Chevy Vortec engine mated to Porsche 915 transaxle

  9. #9
    Senior Member AugustneverEnds's Avatar
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    Glad to hear you're half way back to having all your lights back.

    Are sure that the relay is making good contact with the pins in the plastic socket? The pins might be getting pushed out of socket by the relay's blades. Happened to me before.

    Are you also certain the low beam relay ground is really grounded?
    Nick A.

    1988 BMW 325is
    1982 DeLorean DMC-12
    1989 Jaguar XJ6

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by AugustneverEnds View Post
    Glad to hear you're half way back to having all your lights back.

    Are sure that the relay is making good contact with the pins in the plastic socket? The pins might be getting pushed out of socket by the relay's blades. Happened to me before.

    Are you also certain the low beam relay ground is really grounded?

    Thanks! I'm pretty positive they are as I've pushed up on each one of them and moved them around as much as I could just HOPING the low beams would even flicker but no luck. I even put jumpers in the sockets and ran them to the relay to make sure they were making a good connection but still didn't work. It really makes no sense lol. I swapped out the headlight switch thinking MAYBE that had something to do with it, but no change and I'd doubt I have two bad headlight switches but...at this point, I'm kinda stuck. I'm not sure what sockets to jump at the headlight switch to see if that it's possibly the issue, and I'm not wanting to catch the car on fire either but the bright lights work so I'd THINK that'd rule out the headlight switch?

    Thanks again!
    81 DeLorean w 4.3 Chevy Vortec engine mated to Porsche 915 transaxle

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