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Any electrical gu-ru's out there?


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I have a few gremlins that I believe could all be related on my 86 brat, but may just be a bunch of isolated problems:

 

Headlights will not come on all 4 at once...will switch from inside lamps to outside lamps with the dimmer.

Headlights also will only come on if the ignition is on...Is this normal?

Hazard lights do not function at all, all turn signals are fine

Dome light appears dim?

 

As a side note, the factory radio was hacked out of the dash and all of the harness was cut to install an aftermarket.  I managed to find a subaru manual for the factory radio and re-made proper connections to an original radio, and it seems to functioning fine, but I did see that there was a ground connection on the chassis of the radio that I did not have anything to ground it to. (but could run one).

 

I do have a FSM on the way to me, and I am hoping that some electrical schematics may assist me once I have a starting point.  I know that often times one bad ground can affect a number of different things, but the only obvious wiring tampering appears to have been the radio harness.

 

Any ideas or guidance guys??

 

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FSM should be a big help.

 

I never had a brat, so I can't be very specific.

 

Headlights only on with ignition on is normal, and I always liked the feature - prevents the oops, killed the battery on a foggy morning left the lights on.

 

light system should have all 4 on for high beams. 

 

There should be a 8-10 AWG ground wire from the battery (-) to the chassis, no more than about 10" long.

 

Checking all of the fuses wouldn't hurt.

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82 and older had lights you could turn on/off without the ignition switch. 83 and up had headlights that would shut off with igntion off. I don't know if you've owned one before but when you turn the headlight switch all the way that's the setting for low beams(2 outer lights). With low beams on you push back the turn signal switch for high beams. The hazard switch could be corroded or the fuse could be blown for it. You will have to play with the dimmer to get the lights on cluster or the bulbs are burn't out. The dome light has a ground that gets corroded right on it and if you clean that should help.

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Thanks for all the tips.  I will dig into it some this weekend.  This is my first subaru, so was not aware of a couple of  those things.  I am glad the headlights working only with the ignition on IS normal, and I agree that is a nice feature and maybe even ahead of its time. The dimmer seems to work fine on the dash lights, it does not appear that there is a switch for the dome light on the dash light dimmer dial?  I had thought about attempting to just replace the headlight switch to see if it corrected being able to get all 4 lights to go at once, but its kind of an expensive switch for a gamble.

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I really need to learn to check the simple things first....There indeed was a blown fuse, but that fuse states it is for hazards, horn and clock.  my horn functioned, as well as the clock, but the clock does revert to 1 O'clock every time that I shut the car off and re-start it the next day...maybe it will hold its memory now.  The hazards indeed do work now.

I am still stumped on the head light issue, and am considering just biting the bullet and spending a hundred and twenty bucks on a new switch....Don't understand why that thing is so expensive! 

Edited by 65stangy
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I would buy a new High/Low bulb an atleast check to see if it works properly.

No need to swap the bulbs completely, just un-plug the one that's installed now, plug in new bulb.

 

The fact that your inner high beams works, tells me that the circuit is good, and something is amiss with the outer high beams.

All four high beams are controlled by the same wire at the dimmer switch, with splices/taps for each individual bulb coming off from the harness out front.

 

I have the lighting section of the harness here out of an '86 BRAT, I can check it to see where all of the splicing is.

Kept the harness, as I had the thought of converting my '88 Wagon over to the quad-light set-up. Never did so.

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I am not sure I understand you.  The inner two come on right now with the light switch,  The outer two will come on when I switch it to high beam, but then the inner two go out.  I know all 4 lamps are functioning, just can't get them to all 4 come on at once.

I had not considered perhaps a problem in the dimmer switch, or related harness.  Hopefully my FSM will shed some light when it shows up (Huge pun intended)

Edited by 65stangy
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Okay, confusion on both ends it seems...

 

With the dimmer switch in "Low Beam" position, outer lights should be lit. All lights should be lit in "High Beam" position

 

Outer bulbs are 3-prong, ( l _ l ) with matching 3 prong connector, inner bulbs are 2-prong, ( l l ).

 

Looking at the front harness as I type this;

 

All 4 of the connectors for the bulbs are a 3-prong socket ( l _ l ), but the inner(high-beams) only use 2 of the wiring ports, ( l  l ).

 

Color code is as follows, looking at the connectors as they would go onto the bulbs;

 

Red/Black l _ l Red/Blue  for the High/Low bulb

           Red/White

 

Red/White l l Red/Blue for the inner (High Beam) bulb.

 

I have apparently cut one of the High/Low connections off this harness, otherwise I'd be willing to send it your way.

 

Had issue on the 85 BRAT that TDodge now owns of now Low-beam lights, but could "Flash" the High-beams with the dimmer switch.

Found burnt connection terminal in the dimmer switch harness connection under the dash.

Don't recall wire coloring now, but the bad connection was clearly obvious when I dug into things. 

 

Haven't opened the covering on this harness yet, but will do so if you need it done.

Just to see where the Factory splicing takes place.

Do my best to get good pics with the P.O.S. camera I have.

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From what you say, something may be goofy, or I am wrong on my statement of which lights illuminate in which position.  I am wondering if someone has switched the lamp connections, and/or put incorrect lamps in the wrong positions.  I will dig into it this afternoon and see if there is something obvious at the lamps themselves.  I really appreciate your description above as well as the clear description of wire colors.

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This post is only serving to make me feel like a complete idiot!!  Someone had indeed reversed the headlight plugs so that high beam was plugged to low and vice versa...I plugged the proper 3 conductor plug to the three prong lamp and like magic everything functions properly.  Glad I didn't dump a hundred plus on an un-needed switch.

 

Thanks so much TomRhere and everyone else...

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For the clock issue.There is a bullet connecter under the dash. I think it is by the left side of  steering column, or above the driver side kick panel. I don't remember the wire color maybe white or green. Anyway the connector needs to be connected..

Paul

I really need to learn to check the simple things first....There indeed was a blown fuse, but that fuse states it is for hazards, horn and clock.  my horn functioned, as well as the clock, but the clock does revert to 1 O'clock every time that I shut the car off and re-start it the next day...maybe it will hold its memory now.  The hazards indeed do work now.

I am still stumped on the head light issue, and am considering just biting the bullet and spending a hundred and twenty bucks on a new switch....Don't understand why that thing is so expensive! 

 

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Hi Pksjeep,  Since replacing the mentioned blown fuse the clock has been working perfectly.  I am assuming there must be two different power sources for the clock, one for while the ignition is on, and another to hold the memory when it is off.

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Thank you DaveT, that is what I thought.  It always bothers me some to have a blown fuse and not a reason for why it blew...but it was like that when I bought it.  I will be monitoring to see if I have any other issues, but for now, I am very happy to have everything functioning as it should.

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