So it seems that neither one of my headlights are working right now except for my high beams. Checked the bulbs, they are fine. The DRL's have a short so they dont work either. We were getting them to work at times by switching them on and off a couple of time but then it just stopped working all together. We replaced the relays with the ones off my 97' but that didn't fix the problem either. Do we need to replace the wiring or is there something else we can try? Also, my 97' had 4 relays but my 98' only has 2, did they change it that year or something?
Thanks in advance for your help!!!
Erin
-Erin
headlight switch maybe?
HONDAS ARE LIKE TAMPONS…EVERY PU**Y NEEDS ONE!
its the switch bet my life on it!~
i just replaced one two weeks ago had the same problems as you!
beer is like a chick.. well not really its just beer, it be cool thou huh?
seems alot of J's have problems with headlight switches..
HONDAS ARE LIKE TAMPONS…EVERY PU**Y NEEDS ONE!
connector under battery?
1979 Impala Sport Coupe Aeroback
headlight switch definatly....
55 dollars at auto zone 10 mins to install
do you have power at the head lights?
you should all of the time,
if you have no ground it could be the switch. I would do some testing before you throw a switch at it.
1979 Impala Sport Coupe Aeroback
I'm with Jimmythekid. I'd check the plug underneath the battery. These things are notorious for being corroded. Its one of the worst places to put a plug.
Well my battery is located in the trunk so that's probably not it. I'll try replacing the switch. Luckily I have a 97' Z parts car that I can take the switch off of so it wont cost me anything.
Thanks for all suggestion and help guys!!
Erin
-Erin
why don't you try checking powers and grounds?
1979 Impala Sport Coupe Aeroback
The dealer mechanic told me one day that '97's and older Cavs have been reported for a headlight switch overheating.
Just try to remember if you noticed abnormal heat in the emergency switch zone at the time your headlights were on.
Also, this becomes worse if you replaced the bulbs for a powerful ones
i also bet hard on the switch. For anyone else who comes across this, usually turning the switch on and then pulling it toward you slightly will cause them to fire up, but you'll need something to hold it in place (like some cardboard to prop it forward).
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I have a somewhat related headlight problem.
The driver's side light works beautifully, both high and low beams operate as they should, with a full 12.4 volts present at the plug (car off). The passenger's side light is the problem. At the light I am getting a lower voltage than I would expect. It is in the range of 9.5 to 10 Volts, which is causing that bulb to be very dim.
I am trying to trace the wires back to find if there is a short or corrosion. My problem is that I cannot seem to disconnect the plug under the battery. If anyone could tell me how to disconnect that plug, I could be very appreciative.
I already checked the DRL relay and it works fine under bench test conditions.
Thanks
We checked the power and both headlights were receiving power just fine. So with that said, we went ahead and changed the switch with the one off my 97' and now both of the headlights work fine! Thanks again to everyone who made suggestions!
Erin
-Erin
I had a smiliar issue that i have resolved. i want some re-assurance that my resolution isnt going to cause any other problems.
Car is a base 1999 Cavalier sedan...no power windows locks or foglights...
DRLs and Low beams stopped working...both driver and passenger side
Highbeams both work fine
i could care less about the DRLs but it seems they are connected to the low beams so by fixing one i inadvertantly fixed the other.
i have power at both light bulbs....both Dark Blue and Orange wires have power for the low beams...Bulbs are good as i have tried replacing them and low beams still dont work
i changed the DRL relay and that didnt help
changed the headlight switch on the steering column and that didnt help
fuses are good but for good measure i swapped both right and left out and that didnt help
Orange wire on the steering column has power
Pink wire at the steering column has power when the high beams are off...and is grounded when high beams are on
Dark blue wire at the steering column has nothing regardless of low beam switch position.
Dark blue wire going from drivers side headlight back to connector under battery has power
from this connector back to the firewall it was too much hassle to get this wire and check it out....im guessing that there is a break in this wire somewhere in this area going back to the firewall....
i resolved the issue by running a new wire from the Dark blue on the headlight switch to the dark blue after the connector under the battery....i spliced it in there and the problem is resolved...the wire is now grounded when the low beam switch is on and has power when the low beam switch is off.....
both DRLs and both low beams work with just this one wire from the switch to the connector under the battery
is this wire bypassing anything important?
BCM or DRL modules?
maybe a relay it shouldnt bypass?
or is this setup fine?
it works for the time being and i dont expect any issue but i'd love a wiring diagram or something to show me if anything is bypassed that shouldnt be....
Thanks in advance!
^^^ the DRL are not connected to the low beams they are the high beams ran in series circuit.
1979 Impala Sport Coupe Aeroback
then im curious as to how fixing my low beam issue solved my DRL issue
is there a way these grounds are connected?
don't know
1979 Impala Sport Coupe Aeroback
Here's another slighly similar problem.
FIrst off at present I have no DRL's, low beams, or high beams in my wife's 01 Sunfire. My father in law replaced the head light switch, or some form of module/relay. Before that there were no headlights at all. After there were low beams.
If you put the car in gear without the head lights on the, service light would come on and the DRL's and the dash indicator would flash like 3 times.
Last night I went to drive it and accidentally hit the high beams lever. No head lights. My wife drove it today and swore it had headlights. I drove it tonight and had headlights when I started, but lost them while I was driving it. Now when you put it in gear, the drl's flash atleast 5 times.
I'm going to check my grounds tomorrow, and check the bulbs. I somehow suspect the problem isn't wiring or bulbs.
Has anyone experienced anything similar? If so what fixxed it and if it's not common, where was the location of the component?
