Head lights dont light the way...

[Mike C.]

Finally got the new front calipers on, bled out the brake system and went to take the car for a spin.

Parking lights - check

headlights - not so check

Low beams do not engage.

Obvious things, check fuses, none popped. Pressed headlight switch - can hear click in the relay compartment for the parking lights, press a second time - heard the click for the headlights, but no headlights.


According to this:
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=84&d=1306264501

From the switch, the signal should go to the dip switch, then to the relay (which is clicking), on to the #14 fuse, and then to the lights.

I have high beams. If i turn on the headlight switch and activate high beams, all 4 lights work. If i activate only the turn signal switch, all 4 illuminate.

Pulled #14 fuse again and swapped it with the "i know it's working" #15 fuse. No difference. Took out the multimeter and pulled #14 fuse.

Turn on headlight switch, i have 12 volts solid. Turn switch off, 0 volts.

Eliminates the relay, switch, and fuse. Now inline going to the headlights themselves, are there any connectors that can come un-done? What am I missing? Anyone know the location of the ground for the headlight system?







Any suggestions?

[Bitsyncmaster]

The low beams use the high power elements. High beams switch to the low power in the outer bulbs and put the inner bulbs (high beams) on. My guess is you have both low beam low power elements blown. Does your low beam indicator come on in the dash?

Your click you hear could be just the high beam relay clicking on and off.

[Mike C.]

Went and checked, no headlight indicator on the dash illuminating. When I select high beams, that indicator illuminates.

[Ron]

Can you check and see if the 12V at fuse #14 will handle a load...say, with a jumper and bulb?

Or feed the fused side with something else?

[Mike C.]

Can you check and see if the 12V at fuse #14 will handle a load...say, with a jumper and bulb?

Or feed the fused side with something else?

Rigged up a bulb socket I had and a pair of alligator clips. Hold for a second...



Edit: Result:
Lit up just fine.

[Elvis]

I had a bad connector in the fuse box once.
It looked great from the top, worked great for years, but the wire itself
suddenly didn't touch the connector anymore. crimped badly by the owner (me).

Is the fusebox melted ?

Try to get that pin out or at least push and pull the wire a bit and see if it
starts to work. of course with fuse installed.

[Ron]

Hell...just saw your edit...

Either you suddendly have 3 bulbs w/o ground, 3 bulbs blown (inc indicator), or the wire/connector on the fused side is bad like Elvis said...

Jump 12V directly to the blue-red wire (fused side), bypassing the connector.

[Mike C.]

I had a bad connector in the fuse box once.
It looked great from the top, worked great for years, but the wire itself
suddenly didn't touch the connector anymore. crimped badly by the owner (me).

Is the fusebox melted ?

Try to get that pin out or at least push and pull the wire a bit and see if it
starts to work. of course with fuse installed.

Elvis,

I had replaced all connectors and fuses about a year and a half ago. Took your suggestion to heart and pulled up on my fuse box to check the wires on 14 and 15. Both appear to be secure in their clips. There is no play in the clips. The new fuse box is un-melted. I am going to try to pull the blue/red wire free from the fuse box and send 12v directly into it and see if it illuminates the lights.


Hell...just saw your edit...

Either you suddendly have 3 bulbs w/o ground, 3 bulbs blown (inc indicator), or the wire/connector on the fused side is bad like Elvis said...

Jump 12V directly to the blue-red wire (fused side), bypassing the connector.

According to the colorized wiring schematic for the entire car, it would seem that AFTER fuse 14 leaves the fuse box, it should go up to the headlights, T off to the dash to illuminate the low beam bulb, while illuminating the low beam lights.

I would go nuts if it turns out all 3 bulbs have blown, but according to the wiring diagram, high beam bulbs and low beams share a common ground. As stated, when the high beam switch is activated, I have power to all 4 bulbs, so im not so sure it's that ground.

I am still uncertain as to what the hell is going on with this circuit. Knowing my car, it will magically start working on its own again, but I want to find a root cause.

[Ron]

According to the colorized wiring schematic for the entire car, it would seem that AFTER fuse 14 leaves the fuse box, it should go up to the headlights, T off to the dash to illuminate the low beam bulb, while illuminating the low beam lights.

I would go nuts if it turns out all 3 bulbs have blown, but according to the wiring diagram, high beam bulbs and low beams share a common ground. As stated, when the high beam switch is activated, I have power to all 4 bulbs, so im not so sure it's that ground.

I am still uncertain as to what the hell is going on with this circuit. Knowing my car, it will magically start working on its own again, but I want to find a root cause.
You're right about the 3 grounds...two would have to be bad inside 1/2 of both outer bulbs, so it would still be "the bulbs" LOL sorry... Anyway, that or 3 bulbs would be really odd, which leaves the wire/connector on the fused side... If you can't get the indicator light to burn by jumping to a bare spot on the blue-red wire itself (or at least at one of the headlights), I'll find you a padded room.

[Mike C.]

You're right about the 3 grounds...two would have to be bad inside 1/2 of both outer bulbs, so it would still be "the bulbs" LOL sorry... Anyway, that or 3 bulbs would be really odd, which leaves the wire/connector on the fused side... If you can't get the indicator light to burn by jumping to a bare spot on the blue-red wire itself (or at least at one of the headlights), I'll find you a padded room.

hahaha! I appreciate it! I have a feeling im going to need it. Going to jumper from the bat to the blue/red in the morning. Man I hope I just have a screwed up connection somewhere. Im still confused as to why the dash light lost power. I keep thinking there's a ground or connector im not seeing.

[Ron]

hahaha! I appreciate it! I have a feeling im going to need it. Going to jumper from the bat to the blue/red in the morning. Man I hope I just have a screwed up connection somewhere. Im still confused as to why the dash light lost power. I keep thinking there's a ground or connector im not seeing.Don't see it being A ground. If it's a connector, AFAIK it is undocumented and will be in the blue-red wire (before it branches, of coarse).

Good luck.

[Mike C.]

Don't see it being A ground. If it's a connector, AFAIK it is undocumented and will be in the blue-red wire (before it branches, of coarse).

Good luck.

im praying once i pop that wire out of the fuse block, i find a busted wire right there or a bad connector...

If not, this car is going to become an F150 and a bass boat...

[Ron]

im praying once i pop that wire out of the fuse block, i find a busted wire right there or a bad connector...

If not, this car is going to become an F150 and a bass boat...LMAO! ...We can put it in the creek behind the house. I have about a 1/2 mile so we can get tosted and tell them all where to go...

I Elvis nailed it and the crimp is bad/burnt/etc.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Check your low beam relay pins. I had one bad ground crimp on one of my relays. It looked like a good crimp and never found out why. But when I measured with and ohmmeter it was 150 ohms to ground. Like I said, the click you hear may just be the high beam relay.

[Mike C.]

I pulled the fuse box up last night to check the connections. Pulled the fuse, check both leads on fuse 14, all looked completely secure. Put the fuse back in and for the hell of it, decided to push the headlight button.

Headlights illuminated. Inspected both connectors going into the fuse block, and they are both tight and secure. Weird. But, I have headlights again....


The car had only sat in place, and had not really moved since July. Finicky finicky...

[Bitsyncmaster]

Check your relay for a non-seated pin.

[Mike C.]

Check your relay for a non-seated pin.

Im definitely going to pull the relay panel out on my lunch break to see if that did pull and the shifting of the fuse panel just made it make contact.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[Ron]

Check your relay for a non-seated pin.How could it be the relay if power is getting to fuse 14?

[Bitsyncmaster]

How could it be the relay if power is getting to fuse 14?

Did it start working before he tested voltage on the fuse?

Intermitantants can drive you nuts.

[Ron]

Did it start working before he tested voltage on the fuse?
He had 12v to the fuse last night and I assumed it didn't work since he said he removed the fuse this morning...


Intermitantants can drive you nuts.
+1

(Even the word is kicking my arse today ;-)

[Mike C.]

With the switch on, i def. had 12v feeding from the relay to the fuse block. It was from the block to the lights that I didnt have voltage.

Im just going to monitor things to see if maybe it was just a freak thing, and maybe now that I've re-positioned the fuse box again, things will stay all happy and working.


Thanks again everyone for all your help with this screwy thing. I was starting to like the idea of the bass boat though.... lol