passenger headlight issue

arashi

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Aug 17, 2011
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ok so first off i want to say i know its a ground issue. with that said lets begin.

well i got my car from a friend and it had a BHG, and now since the bhg the passenger headlight has been dim as hell ever since. i pulled out the headlight and someone previously changed the headlights to whatever the hell brand that takes bulbs. so i looked at the bulb (h4) and it looked like one of the arms on the inside was burnt. i ran to the parts store and bought a $10 bulb and that didn't solve it.

i then used a voltmeter and tested all the plugs and figured out which was which, and the pos's was fine, the neg on the other hand was showing up as anywhere from 5-6. im not that good with electrical shit but im pretty sure it should be 12 right? well my dad said that i should splice into it cause i might have a bad ground and i did. i connected the wire to the body and it jumped the neg to low 11's. i tested the light, and its still dim but not as bad as bad. but no where near living with.

another thing i've noticed is that when i switch from low to high beams it dims out then comes back slowly. is this cause of the bad ground?

also its dim when the car is on and off, and the battery is good (cause why would it just be one light and not the other). i also checked the fuses in the fuse box under the hood.

i'm thinking of just cutting the neg instead of splicing into it with the 12g wire i have attached to it right now. or will that not work?
 

arashi

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Aug 17, 2011
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so the 15 fuse that is under the hood needs replaced even though its not blown? and i thought fuses was for power (+) to go through not not the neg. the fuse is to prevent a power surge to blow something. but ill try switching the fuses around to see if that changes anything cause the driver side is fine.

also are you saying that the red/white wire is the positive and the other two are the ground wires?
 

Poodles

I play with fire
Jul 22, 2006
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I've seen fuses corrode and look fine but be bad. Only way to really know is to test them with a meter.

Yes, that wire is the positive and it's connected to the fuse. Usually when the fuse blows the light is very dim.

It's probably a wiring issue, but you'll have to hunt it down.
 

arashi

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Aug 17, 2011
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I didn't know about the two grounds in this car, and i thought that the actually + was the ground, so i spliced into that and connected it to the body. it upped the volts on it surprisingly (but at the time i thought it was the ground as stated). Well i went out there and disconnected it from the body and turned the head lights on and it was still dim as hell, i touched it to the body and it became less dim.

i switched the fuses around, but forgot to turn the lights off, they both turned off when i pulled the LH fuse, but not the RH fuse. i switched it up and tryed with the other fuse in the LH fuse spot and it did the same thing. both lights turn on when i put either of the fuses in the LH fuse plug, and neither turn on when i plug in the RH fuse plug.
 

arashi

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Aug 17, 2011
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is it suppose to be like that? i don't think so. sounds like they are both hooked to one fuse....
 

arashi

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Aug 17, 2011
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also, why does it have two fuses if there is one power cable? cause i've tried different ways of doing it but nothing has worked. biggest thing is why does it get brighter with a slice wire to the body help the current....

*sighs* this car is awesome but i hate having to deal with previous DUMB ASS owners....
coolant hoses we're all fucked up, causing not no heat for the car, this caused a coolant leak and heating issues. sensor in the intake wasn't even hooked up and turned the wrong way....weild a huge ass IC and its to low so it can scrap if im not careful everywhere....
 

arashi

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Aug 17, 2011
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i did that not knowing that wire was actually the positive, but dude it made the light brighter some how....how that works like that is beyond me. reason im asking. but what i did i can easily reverse with ease.

and once again another douche bag saying something that doesn't help out what is being asked....just bashing....*sighs*
 

jetjock

creepy-ass cracka
Jul 11, 2005
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Redacted per Title 18 USC Section 798
arashi;1771826 said:
...how that works like that is beyond me...

Well, I know one douche bag who knows exactly how that works but he still can't help you. Not because you called him a douche bag but because of your lack of electrical prowess. Said douche bag suggests you find someone local who knows what they're doing...
 

IBoughtASupra

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Mar 10, 2009
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arashi;1771826 said:
i did that not knowing that wire was actually the positive, but dude it made the light brighter some how....how that works like that is beyond me. reason im asking. but what i did i can easily reverse with ease.

and once again another douche bag saying something that doesn't help out what is being asked....just bashing....*sighs*


:slap:

jetjock;1771850 said:
Well, I know one douche bag who knows exactly how that works but he still can't help you. Not because you called him a douche bag but because of your lack of electrical prowess. Said douche bag suggests you find someone local who knows what they're doing...

Jetjock has helped me solve a 7M problem that NOBODY else had an ideal on and no other thread had any suggestions. Remember that Jet, the fan blowing air directly to the AFM causing it to get wrong readings?

Anyways, he has always since, and I have always repeated, "Teach a man to fish so he can feed himself."

Unfortunately, he is a douchebag to you, and you are an electrical genius after initially posting you are electrically inclined.

Neaten up the attitude my friend.

Here is a tip. Remove whatever you did and go through each wire coming from each headlight to make sure it is not shorting out on anything. It will take a while but you will find the problem.
 

jetjock

creepy-ass cracka
Jul 11, 2005
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Redacted per Title 18 USC Section 798
I do remember and yours wasn't the first case I'd seen when it happened.

The OP needs to get competent help if for no other reason than to prevent further frustration. Also because the words "electrical fire" come to mind...
 

arashi

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Aug 17, 2011
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ok so i should just hunt down the power wire and follow it?.....cause like i said they are both being controlled by just one fuse it seems....rather one fuse for each headlight
 

arashi

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Aug 17, 2011
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fixed it. once again stupid PO's. the guy crimped the wire in a spot for whatever reason and did a shit job at it and the wire was half way out. the "butt connector" was becoming black, so its a good thing i caught it before any other wires was damaged or worse a fire. thanks to anyone that tried to help.

noticed that the power wire on the driver side didn't have the white strip like passenger side did.