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Old 05-20-2009, 02:58 PM   #1
litowrx
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Default So i clear my headlights... now strange problem! Help please! pics included!

Ok, so to start, please excuse my english... im outside the US and is not my first language...

Yesterday i cleared my headlights.. i started with the right one (left one facing the car)... everything went smoothly.. i took all the wiring and bulbs to do it, when i finished the right one.. i went ahead and started with the left one, again everything went smoothly.

Once finished, i re-assembled both headlights. First, i installed the right one, started the car and everything was working fine, blinkers, driving lights and high beam too (i have burn out daytime runing light bulbs in both lamps, i hate DRLs so i never changed them).

When i installed the left one, it didnt work as it should...

Let me show you guys some pics to explain myself better...

This is the position of the lights: driving lights



i dont understand this, even tough the position is not on high beam, the light on the dashboard lights up (barely as you can see)



and this is how the healights light up: only the right side driving light works, and both high beams are on, but not fully lit, what i dont undestand is wy do they lit? the position selected is: driving lights NOT high beams!






and when i do select high beams, the light on the dashboard fully lights up like this:




and then, only the right headlight lights up as it should and the left one turns off.






Facts:

I do have aftermarket HIDs,

Both ballast are ok because i tested the right ballast on the left headlight and it didnt lit up...

both blinkers work, and the leveling motors work too
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Old 05-20-2009, 05:01 PM   #2
litowrx
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Please help me
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Old 05-20-2009, 05:29 PM   #3
DirtyBanana
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What I would do is try the original headlights in the lense that doesn't work. If the original light works then you know its the Hid light. If it isn't, then its probably a wiring issue. Hope I helped.
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Old 05-20-2009, 10:57 PM   #4
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do you have your drls disabled?
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Old 05-20-2009, 11:42 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdubya301 View Post
do you have your drls disabled?
^+1 you gotta disable those drl's and make sure you disable the module under your glove box not the part(i forgot what its called) in the engine bay!!!
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Old 05-21-2009, 12:48 AM   #6
litowrx
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no, i dont have them disabled...

i'll search for the thread about disabling the drl's, would that help?

Funny thing is that they worked just fine before doing the clear mod :S
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Old 05-21-2009, 11:09 AM   #7
litowrx
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i tried to disable my drls last night...

My sti is EDM, i dont know if theres any difference, but i cant find the DRLL module
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Old 05-21-2009, 12:20 PM   #8
Cougar4
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Check your fuses under the hood and under the dash for blown one. I think the fuse for the left side head light is blown.
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Old 05-21-2009, 01:13 PM   #9
litowrx
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cougar4 View Post
Check your fuses under the hood and under the dash for blown one. I think the fuse for the left side head light is blown.
No sir,

i alredy cheacked that, i put a new fresh one... and the same problem

Is it possible that my battery is discharged?

The battery is new, but i havent used my car in like 2 months (i do start like 3 time a week)

The battery has a 'hydrometer' ( i dont know if its the correct word)

if its green: the battery is charged, if its black: i need to be recharged, if its white: the bat should be replaced...

It black

is this the possible problem?
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Old 05-21-2009, 01:55 PM   #10
PolarisSnT
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I had the "high-beam" indicator on my dash light up faintly like that, turned out to be one of the harnesses worked its way off the bulb.

Everything plugged in the way it should be?
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Old 05-21-2009, 02:43 PM   #11
litowrx
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PolarisSnT View Post
I had the "high-beam" indicator on my dash light up faintly like that, turned out to be one of the harnesses worked its way off the bulb.

Everything plugged in the way it should be?
Yes sir,

Checked and double checked that!

Im kinda hopping its the battery...

Im charging it right know...

im really bummed about this
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Old 05-21-2009, 03:58 PM   #12
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When you have the trouble you describe it is usually due to power not getting to one side of the lights. That is what causes the high beam indicator to glow dimly. Power isn't flowing like it should and the left side isn't working due to that. You are going to need a test light to verify power is getting to the fuses and the lights. Somewhere, power isn't getting to where it is supposed to.
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Old 05-21-2009, 04:16 PM   #13
EdHilario
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Whenever something like that happened, it was usually just a fuse. This was with the DRL's disabled as well.
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Old 05-21-2009, 04:18 PM   #14
WaynO 247
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+1 for a test light

I'm pretty sure that the faint high beam light is from a blown fuse (from experience).

In my case, it turned out one of the wires in the headlight plug was shorting itself on a contact, causing the fuse to blow and that headlight to dim. I would double check the fuses under the hood.
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Old 05-21-2009, 05:38 PM   #15
litowrx
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UPDATE:

like some of you guys told me to check the fuse...

i went ahead and just like you guys told me: the fuse was blown...

So i put a new one, and i blew as soon as tried the lights again...

so now im out of fuses, i'll go an buy some more...

question is: why do fuses blow? a short?

Now that i remeber one of the wires from the hid bulb was peeled and i used some black electrical tape to avoid problems... i guess it didnt worked right?

how do i know is not the relay? or how do i know the relay is in good condition?

let me guys know, im a noob at electrical problems... and i want to learn!
Thanks guys!

Last edited by litowrx; 05-21-2009 at 06:02 PM.
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Old 05-21-2009, 05:57 PM   #16
krambte79
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check for a pinched wire this is very easy to do when reinstalling electrical parts...sounds like a short and your moving in the right direction
this would be my guess
Mark
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Old 05-21-2009, 06:38 PM   #17
Cougar4
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I assume that the fuse you found blown was for the left side head light. A short or very low resistance on the line after a fuse will cause the fuse to blow out. The fuse is there to protect the wiring and the equipment. A relay is basically an electrical switch that allows a low current to control a high current line, usually. Relays can go bad but very rarely do they short out. The short problem is most likely near the light itself but could be elsewhere. You could pull out the relay and see if the short goes away then. If so, the problem is after the relay.
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Old 05-21-2009, 06:50 PM   #18
litowrx
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cougar4 View Post
I assume that the fuse you found blown was for the left side head light. A short or very low resistance on the line after a fuse will cause the fuse to blow out. The fuse is there to protect the wiring and the equipment. A relay is basically an electrical switch that allows a low current to control a high current line, usually. Relays can go bad but very rarely do they short out. The short problem is most likely near the light itself but could be elsewhere. You could pull out the relay and see if the short goes away then. If so, the problem is after the relay.
Yes left side was blown.

I'll try the right headlamp on the left side harness, im pretty sure that the wiring is in perfect condition on that healamp... just to rule out the possibility of a bad hid wiring on the left one (wich i think is the most probalbe cause of the problem)

Thanks!
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Old 05-21-2009, 11:29 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by litowrx View Post

I do have aftermarket HIDs,
that's the problem. the harness is letting some voltage bleed back into the highbeam relay.
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Old 05-22-2009, 02:26 AM   #20
Cougar4
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I doubt the light is the trouble and to verify it all you need to do is disconnect it. If the fuse still blows then it isn't the light.
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Old 05-22-2009, 12:37 PM   #21
litowrx
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Thanks everyone for the kind support and letting me know your opinion!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Handsdown View Post
that's the problem. the harness is letting some voltage bleed back into the highbeam relay.
I just need to add, ive had this car for well over 2.5 years now...

the original owner fitted those HIDs and ive been running them without problems until now.

I guess i never changed them, because im 30 kms away from the city, and the last 5kms to get to my home, is just a straight road without ANY lights haha, in my DD i barely see anything on the road.. a few people have died because of no lights and animals or ppl crossing over

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cougar4 View Post
I doubt the light is the trouble and to verify it all you need to do is disconnect it. If the fuse still blows then it isn't the light.
Todays UPDATE!

I did this! and put a new fuse, disconected the ballast on the left side and the fuse didnt blew up!

I guess is just the wiring on the hid bulb, that got peeled..

or is it possible that the bulb itselft is touching the housing? that might be the cause of the short?

Thanks!
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Old 05-23-2009, 11:22 AM   #22
Cougar4
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I would suspect the problem is with the ballast transfomer rather than the light itself. If the wiring was damaged after the ballast then that is a good possibility for trouble.
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Old 05-25-2009, 07:10 PM   #23
litowrx
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cougar4 View Post
I would suspect the problem is with the ballast transfomer rather than the light itself. If the wiring was damaged after the ballast then that is a good possibility for trouble.
Thanks for the imput... the problem is in the bulb wiring... i tested the ballast on the other side and it worked fine!
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