Hey guys. I had the low beam light go out (or so I thought) on my passenger side. Just to make sure if was the bulb I switched it out the the low beam on the driver side and it works fine.

Trying to further isolate the issue after seeing the bulb is fine I also switched the module that connects directly to the bulb. That works fine as well.

So at this point I see that it is in fact the housing that has gone out but I cannot leave it at that.

The little idle light what ever it is called works.
The high beam works fine.

What in the housing can go out that only effects the low beam?

I've read that if it goes, it goes but I would really like to fix the low beam without having to replace the entire housing. There has to be some component that is only effecting the low beam that can be fixed. Any suggestions would be of great help.

Thanks

 

I took the ballast seeing if there was anything in there that look disconnected or a cap that had busted. To me everything looks ok.

Anyone have suggestions on checking the Ballast?

 

Yaguarete, looking at the diagrams, the first thing I want you to try is swapping fuses F16 and F17 in the engine bay fuse box. Does your bad headlight switch sides? If yes, then you have a bad fuse (currently located in the Fuse F17 spot). If no, then what I need you to do is to get your hands on a multimeter. Set the multimeter to the "VDC" scale, turn the ignition key to the RUN position (motor can be running or not) and then hold the black lead to the nuts on top of the strut tower and then use the red lead to touch the little silver tabs (both of them, one at a time) on top of Fuse F16. You should get somewhere between 12.3 and 13.7 VDC on both tabs. If you get less than 11 VDC on both tabs, then your problem lies in the fuse box. If you get over 12.3 VDC on both tabs, then your problem lies in the wiring between the fuse box and the ballast box inside the headlight house. You can reperform the test by holding the black lead against the strut town nuts and the red lead being pushed into the plug for the headlights, next to the orange/yellow wire on the driver's side. If you get 12.3 VDC or more here, then the problem lies inside the headlight housing, if you get less than 12.3 VDC, you have confirmed a wiring issue between the fuse box and the headlight housing.

If you happen to get 12.3 VDC or more on one side of the fuse but less than 11 VDC on the other side, then you have a bad fuse.

On a side note, I do not recommend playing with the ballast too much unless you are familiar with electricity and know the correct test equipment to use. The ballast is capable of generating up to 23,000 volts (yes, 23,000). That can make you twitch a little bit. now, this voltage only lasts for a few seconds, but if you are even close to the ballast when that voltage is present, it can jump out and bite you. You think sticking your finger in a light socket hurts....... That is only 115 VAC. I do not want to scare you, but you should know the possible dangers that you are working around too.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks a ton. So checked the fuses and F17 was burnt. Switched it out with a good fuse and tested still the same. When I rechecked the fuse it had also went out. Disconnected the wiring harness and checked to see if it went out, it did not.

So at this point I know that I have something shorting out fuse F17.

It started storming here but once it stops I will finish going through the steps you provided in tracking down where the short is coming from.

Thanks for the warning with the ballast.

 

Yaguarete, I would start by unplugging the harness at the headlight. You might be able to slide your hand down in there and undo the plug. This may even involve removing the battery momentarily to give yourself enough room. From there, re-install a good fuse and try the headlights. If the fuse blows now, then you know the problem is inside the harness in the engine bay. If the fuse does not blow, then the problem lies inside the headlight housing. You don't have to use a 20 amp fuse, you can use a 3 amp or something like that as there will be no load on the circuit with the plug at the headlight housing unplugged.

 

Tested with new fuse with housing unplugged. It does not blow. Went through the checks you recommended and sure enough it is inside the headlight housing.

Just to be 100% sure i took the left assembly and plug it into the right side. Works fine fuse does not blow.

Looks like I'm in the market for a ballast.

Thanks again Thermo for all the help.