i wen to go drive home at about 10 ish after a concert and my head lights would'nt turn on. nothing on the dash iehter, the only thing that works are my running lights. its an 85' gl wagon, and im baffled. checked fuses, got a new head light switch and poked around with a multi meter and they still dont work. so i need help!

 

thanks, wilcox

check the relays under the dash:cool:

ok, so witch one, and what do they look like, and how do i test them?

Isn't there some weird switch or button in the late 80's wagons that does this? I think I have read about others having this problem and if I am not mistaken the button/switch thing is on the steering column or thereabouts.

 

I don't do ea82, so hopefully someone will chime in with more direct experience, but I would hate for you to tear too much apart and fiddle with it if all it is, is a dimmer switch thingy.

the relays are under the dash right behind the fuse panel there is a plastic holder that has four of them on it and they look like this

but as ferox said somtimes it can also be the switch on the column

The thing that bugs me is the dash lights aren't working either. Use your multimeter check the voltage across the battery terminals at idle and at around 3000 rpm. Voltage should be around 13.5VDC at idle and no more than 14.5VDC at the higher rpm. If your voltage reads more than 16 or 17 volts you have a bad alternator (internal voltage regulator is shot) and you've burned out all the bulbs in the dash and the headlamps. If the voltage reads normal, I'd start looking for a bad ground connection under the dash.

 

One last thing, are the fusible links all okay? Look in the engine compartment along the side (driver's I think) and you should see a red, green, and black wire. Make sure none of them is open (use you multimeter again) and the links are tight on the connectors.

...One last thing, are the fusible links all okay? Look in the engine compartment along the side (driver's I think) and you should see a red, green, and black wire. Make sure none of them is open (use you multimeter again) and the links are tight on the connectors.

 

 

+1 on Fusible Links... They're inside a Black Box on the Coolant Reservoir Tank.

 

But also this ~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=90403

 

Link might be Helpful.

 

Kind Regards.

alt is over chaging and belw the bulbs check carging voltage no more than 14.5 running with everything turned off at 3000 rpms

when running im at 15.4 V but it is a brand new alternator, replaced it this year. even in the higher rpm range it does not go above 15.45 v. i tested all the relays with aligator clips and a test light, all of the 4 are good. fuses are good. any other hints?!!! im lost

Same thing happened to my buddies '84 awhile back. It ended up being a single inch or so section of wire that had corroded. I believe it was under his grill somewhere, but apparently it was far enough ahead in the circuit that when it corroded out it killed everything except his running lights and his hazards.

 

Took us about a week to track it down.

ya all i have is running lights and brake lights, no blinkers, hazards, healights, or dash lights.

does the radio, igntion (motor start, ect) and/or warning lights come on? Might be a lazy/bad ignition switch...

 

Also, on the switch on top of the column, is it flicked to the left (can you see a "P" with rays coming off of it? If not, flick it over.. I've seen some Subaru ext. lights systems do this (prevent ALL other lights from coming on if this is switched on).

 

Or you could have a bad headlight switch. try moving it around or flicking on the highbeams and see if that awakens anything.

It would be strange to have both headlight relays go bad at the same time. This leads me to think the trouble is before the relays. The dash lighting power passes through the left side relay so that explains why that doesn't work also. You say the fuses are ok but did you confirm that all the fusible links are ok like someone else already suggested? Sometimes the connections get loose and can cause a problem like this. The power from the link passes through the ignition switch and on to the relay coils to turn them on. The power then ties to fuses 7 and 8 in the dash panel. Check for power there. You need a test light probe at least, to check things with.

when running im at 15.4 V but it is a brand new alternator, replaced it this year. even in the higher rpm range it does not go above 15.45 v. i tested all the relays with aligator clips and a test light, all of the 4 are good. fuses are good. any other hints?!!! im lost

Firstly, is your multimeter digital or analog? If analog it could be off by a volt or so. If digital, I'm back to thinking the bulbs are burned out due to overvoltage. Quick test, replace one headlamp bulb with a known good one. Check the good bulb for continuity before installing it. Check the bulb you took out with the meter and see if it's truly burned out; if it's burned out, I'm back to thinking bad alternator. After you install the new bulb turn on the lights and if that side lights up, we KNOW it's a bad alternator.

 

By the way, how did it go checking the fusible links?

 

In either event, try and find a digital voltmeter for testing in the future.

yeah, all my fuses are good, and my fuse able links work well. yes, the car starts, and radio turns on. i tested with a test light and i have power at the witch so i know that it has already ran through a fuse. no power at the bulb connection though

is it a xt ? they had problems with there funky headlight switch going bad had one turn off the light when i was driving just shut off worked when i held the switch in but whould not stay on check the switch is working have you checked to see if bulbs are good ?

Since you say that all the fusible links are ok and power isn't getting to the lights this means the relays need to be checked next as they are the next thing in the path after the fusible link. If power is getting to the relays then you need to see if the relay coils are getting power that is supplied by the ignition switch to turn the relays on. The relay coils should be tied to a grounded connection on the return side. You might also check the connector going to the ignition switch wiring as that sometimes has a connection problem.

im thinking its a piece of corrode wire cause i went through a big as puddle ( 12" deep ) and i know the head lights and stuff worked before that. i checked there is power at the switch, and at the fusible links and at the relays, and my ignition switch works. so im thinking it is a piece of wire that is corroded or a bad ground some where.

You say you have power at the relays but did you make sure that the power is being switched by the relays? If power is getting past the relays it then goes on to the fuses in dash panel and then to the lights. The fuses (7 and 8 in my manual) are a real convienent test point. Fuses can be good but if they don't have power getting to them the results are about the same as having a bad fuse.

Edited June 13, 201213 yr by Cougar

i figured out what it was, it was a wire that feeds a fusible link, at the bottom it was freyed out, so i soldered it. and they work like new! i hate electrical such i pain in the butt, i spent like 6+ hours looking for the problem. while i was at it and had the dash apart i wired my oil pressure guage light into the factory switch

party on!

i figured out what it was, it was a wire that feeds a fusible link, at the bottom it was freyed out, so i soldered it. and they work like new! i hate electrical such i pain in the butt, i spent like 6+ hours looking for the problem. while i was at it and had the dash apart i wired my oil pressure guage light into the factory switch

Glad you found the problem and fixed it. Thanks also for posting the repair. So often there's a thread about this long and then the OP disappears without a solution never to be heard from again; very annoying.

yeah, i was supposed to post a bunch of pics about all the ************ i did to my car, but never had time. im stoked about how my gauge lights up the rest of my dash lights.

Good job. You're not the first one to have that trouble.