Help...Headlight Is not working

[alaskansubaru]

Help I have a problem with my headlight, its dim on low beam and goes out on high beam. It's a new bulb and a new fuse.

[Ross]

I Would start by looking for a bad earth. I presume it is an ea82 style (you said new bulb), in which case i have no idea where that earth is!

[Snowman]

Do both headlights do this, or is it just one?Start with the simple stuff....check the ground connections first as I think that's the most likely culprit. Just look around at the wiring going to the lights to see if anything looks old, corroded, or otherwise problematic.

[alaskansubaru]

Do both headlights do this, or is it just one?Start with the simple stuff....check the ground connections first as I think that's the most likely culprit. Just look around at the wiring going to the lights to see if anything looks old, corroded, or otherwise problematic.

Its just right headlight. I couldnt find any problematic wires.

[Snowman]

Hrm, do you have a volt/ohm meter? The next step is to start checking stuff with one of those to see if you're getting good power and if the ground circuit has minimal resistance.

 

If you don't have a meter, you can get cheap ones that work fine for stuff like this for around $20. Probably the most worthwhile tool you'll ever buy.

[Skip]

Sir, your headlights work on a ground control configuration.

 

In laymen's terms this correlates to

 

The element you want to light

is provided a ground or negative power reference

via the lighting hi/low control on the steering column.

 

The common terminal on the lamp is provided the positive reference via the lighting relay.

Which for safety reasons are divided

left and right, each having their own relay.

 

 

 

This is opposite to what "normal" American cars use.

 

These provide the positive reference to the beam you want to lite

and ground the common terminal of the hi/lo beam lamp.

 

If any of this makes sense to you.

Please reply .

[hops]

check your relays.

 

 

Klaus

[alaskansubaru]

It took a bit but I got it fix. It was two problems, 1. bad ground 2. bad relays. I like to thank you all for helping me out.

[incognito]

If you don't have a meter, you can get cheap ones that work fine for stuff like this for around $20. Probably the most worthwhile tool you'll ever buy.

 

Stay away from these.

[MilesFox]

yo my car does the same thing, but dim on both hi and lo. been too lazy to check it out. ol skip saves the day. where are the relays? you think i would know already being miles fox, but like i said im lazy..like a fox

[Frank B]

I agree, it's your relay(s). When they went south on my 86 hatch it affected all the lights, I had no taillights.

 

Also, I found a match out on the shelf in Autozone that were a Pilot Driving light replacement relay that was a 30 amp, instead of the stock 20 amp. They wanted $9.99 at the counter for the OE replacement, the Pilot relays were $3.69 each. Same plug, same size, and works great.

[Skip]

I agree to disagree

 

If both headlights are affected.....

 

I find it hard to believe both relays went south simultaneously.

 

I would put my check mark beside the ground point for both headlights or the "R" fusible link connection

(this FL feeds the headlamp current to the relays.)

 

These points are common to both headlights

and if one of them

is not making the trip, both headlamps will be dim.

 

Plus they are both much easier to access than the relays are.

[Frank B]

well, I had no taillights, no liscence plate lights, no parking lights, on low beam the left side lamp low beam lamp would be on, the right lamp was very dim. On high beam all 4 lamps were on, but very dim. After replacing the relay's, it all worked fine.

[Skip]

Frank, I am sorry I did not mean to "dis" your fix

Well done and I am glad it solved your problem.

 

 

I guess what I was intending was that I would

adopt the KISS principle before condemning the relays.

 

Once again I'm sorry it was not meant as an affront.

 

 

 

incidentally the parking lights (including the license plate and dash illumination)

 

are fed their positive battery voltage from the right hand headlamp relay

[hops]

Frank, I am sorry I did not mean to "dis" your fix

Well done and I am glad it solved your problem.

 

 

I guess what I was intending was that I would

adopt the KISS principle before condemning the relays.

 

Once again I'm sorry it was not meant as an affront.

 

 

 

incidentally the parking lights (including the license plate and dash illumination)

are fed their positive battery voltage from the right hand headlamp relay

 

Skip, is it the parking lights or the taillights? When the problem arises on my loyale and I flick the parking light switch my rear parking lights come on.

Klaus

[Skip]

Klaus, the "parking lights" I mention include the tail lights.

 

As for your flicking of the light switch fixing the problem

 

possibly the contacts in the lighting switch are

going bad and the on/off/on sets them to a full contact position.

 

 

It must be noted that the these lights (parking, tail ect.)

are controlled by a separate set of contacts in the lighting switch.

 

These lights are controlled the "conventional. way"

 

By this I mean one leg of the lamp is grounded

 

and to illuminate the lamp the switch provides the positive voltage.

 

This is not the case with the headlamps, see above.

[hops]

Skip,

 

You may have misunderstood my reply.

 

The dim headlight, no taillight and no dashlight problem is related because they all are on the same circuit. Naturally, when you turn on the lights (as in driving lights) you're not turning on the parking lights. The parking lights are turned on by a separate switch. When you have the "dim light syndrome" flicking the parking light switch on is not a "fix", it's merely a way to get you home safely. Therefore, the parking light circuit must be different from the driving light circuit. Possibly because the parking light circuit bypasses the headlight relays. Now, you may turn on the same light bulbs in the taillights when turning on the parking lights, but you're still supplying them with electricity thru a different circuit.

 

I have had the "dim left headlight syndrome" twice and both times the problem was in the relays.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Klaus

 

Klaus, the "parking lights" I mention include the tail lights.

 

As for your flicking of the light switch fixing the problem

 

possibly the contacts in the lighting switch are

going bad and the on/off/on sets them to a full contact position.

 

 

It must be noted that the these lights (parking, tail ect.)

are controlled by a separate set of contacts in the lighting switch.

 

These lights are controlled the "conventional. way"

 

By this I mean one leg of the lamp is grounded

 

and to illuminate the lamp the switch provides the positive voltage.

 

This is not the case with the headlamps, see above.

[Skip]

Klaus

We are both saying the same thing I believe.

 

I was replying to Miles's post - both lamps dim

(please see the subject I put onto the reply)

 

Not the original post that had one dim lamp.

 

The parking lights do have a separate set of contacts and

therefore you could say a separate switch, inside the headlight control..

 

But the voltage for both come from the RH headlamp relay.

 

Maybe this diagram will explain what we mean

[Frank B]

Frank, I am sorry I did not mean to "dis" your fix

Well done and I am glad it solved your problem.

 

 

I guess what I was intending was that I would

adopt the KISS principle before condemning the relays.

 

Once again I'm sorry it was not meant as an affront.

 

 

 

incidentally the parking lights (including the license plate and dash illumination)

 

are fed their positive battery voltage from the right hand headlamp relay

 

Nor was it my intention to reply as if correcting you Skip, just wanted to share the knowledge, and describe the symptoms.

[hops]

Hey Skip,

 

We're getting closer. My experience comes from a '90 Loyale. It seems that in my car everything is hooked up through the left headlight relay, but that is not important. I could also be wrong, I haven't looked at my wiring diagram in a while. However, If you follow the lead from the parking light switch, it goes directly through a 15 amp fuse and a fusible link to the positive terminal of the battery. Also, the parking light switch is a separate unit from the headlight switch. At least in my wagon it's a little rocker switch on top of the steering column. Now an interesting question is: What makes the relays go out? Is it a bad ground? If so, where is the ground for the relays located in the car?

 

Frank B. mentioned that he bought a 30A (?) relay at an autoparts store that fit. Is that a smart thing to do or would you put a lot of strain on your harness if you do that?

 

Interesting thread.

Thanks,

Klaus

 

 

Klaus

We are both saying the same thing I believe.

 

I was replying to Miles's post - both lamps dim

(please see the subject I put onto the reply)

 

Not the original post that had one dim lamp.

 

The parking lights do have a separate set of contacts and

therefore you could say a separate switch, inside the headlight control..

 

But the voltage for both come from the RH headlamp relay.

 

Maybe this diagram will explain what we mean

[hops]

[quote

I was replying to Miles's post - both lamps dim

(please see the subject I put onto the reply)

 

I think Miles just said that he has a problem on low and high beam, not both lights.

 

Klaus

[royboy159]

It took a bit but I got it fix. It was two problems, 1. bad ground 2. bad relays. I like to thank you all for helping me out.

I like to thank you for coming back to post your solutions. I'm wondering though - did you use a meter to check out the circuits?

[Cougar]

To Hops:

 

In answer to your question about replacing the 20 amp relay with a 30 amp relay and causing an extra load to the system. The higher value relay should have better switch contacts to carry the load current but that current will only change if you add more load to the circuit the relay is controlling, like more lights. The amp rating refers to the contacts in the relay. The relay coil, that operates the relay, only requires a very small amount of current to make it operate.

[alaskansubaru]

I like to thank you for coming back to post your solutions. I'm wondering though - did you use a meter to check out the circuits?

I found that the ground wire was bad I fix it then I did something and BAM both headlights dim on low then out on high, realy bad for driveing in Alaska at 5:30am (Its realy black with out headlights) so when the cop pulled me over (I had my hazards going) I had to take it the shop (it was going there any way but I ended up with a cop ecort; not the way I wanted to start off my Monday) and they said the relay was bad but that I did good on fixing the bad ground. This all cost me $50 shop time and a $50 fix-it ticket and a $20 cab ride to and from work. What fun!