Headlight crapped out on me, and Ive tried everything.

[CanuckQx4]

So I noticed last night my driver side HID was out when I pulled up to the garage, sucked but I figured the bulb just blew.

So this morning I put in a new bulb, and it still didnt work. That sucks

Then I started checking fuses, both fuses in the box by the battery were good, and I even swapped both "headlamp" relays in the relay box on the drivers side and still only the passenger one lit up.

Then I took the whole drivers headlight out and swapped it with another drivers headlight that I have, and it still didnt work.



I was going to swap ballasts, but the connectors arent the same so I figured it wasnt worth it since it probly wasnt that anyways.

Newer style driver headlight I bought


OEM 2001


So what would you guys do from here?? I never thought to try plugging the passenger side headlight in on the drivers side, but I dont know if it would anyways.

I need some advice!! Thanks guys

[CanuckQx4]

well swapping driver and passenger doesnt work, connectors have to go in backwards and the right power wires wouldnt be in the right place. I also tried jumping my old drivers headlight and the newer one that isnt working with straight 12V power from the battery with a piece of speaker wire. The old one headlight lit up, not the new headlight....

I dont get why the OLD headlight wouldnt run when I plugged it in though??

This isnt making sence to me

[donald]

wow - this is expensive.

you've already done most of the troubleshoot.
The only 2 you can't do were the ones I was going to suggest (swapping bulbs, swapping balasts).
That totally sucks that the balasts AND bulbs are unique to one side. That doesn't make much sense right there...

I'm just going to ask anyway - are you sure that the HID bulb won't fit the passenger side? When I go online, they only show me 1 bulb available for the low-beams...
Maybe I misunderstood... but I'll try to get a look at my balast and bulb-wiring to see if they're different.

[asnorton44]

I had my drivers low beam go out and I tried new bulb, then ballast, etc. It turned out I need a new switch for the lights on the steering column.

01 QX4

[Wkz1gg0a]

There was a recall for PATHFINDER headlamps awhile back

[CanuckQx4]

wow - this is expensive.

you've already done most of the troubleshoot.
The only 2 you can't do were the ones I was going to suggest (swapping bulbs, swapping balasts).
That totally sucks that the balasts AND bulbs are unique to one side. That doesn't make much sense right there...

I'm just going to ask anyway - are you sure that the HID bulb won't fit the passenger side? When I go online, they only show me 1 bulb available for the low-beams...
Maybe I misunderstood... but I'll try to get a look at my balast and bulb-wiring to see if they're different.

No the bulbs are interchangeable, but the drivers side still didnt light up

The ballasts are probably interchangeable between sides aswell atleast for a temp setup. The problem was that the spare set of headlights I have are 2001 style, and the new ones I bought that are installed on the car must be from a different year, and the ballast wiring is quite different, thats what the pic shows.

What I was saying I did was swap the whole headlight assembly with another known working drivers headlight that I have. And the headlight still didnt light up

I'll figure something out tomorrow, it was sketchy driving with only one light trying to make it to the backroads to avoid the police lol

Dont quite know what Im gonna start with though

[CanuckQx4]

I had my drivers low beam go out and I tried new bulb, then ballast, etc. It turned out I need a new switch for the lights on the steering column.

01 QX4

Expensive?? Very hard to swap it out? How did you come to that conclusion?

[Chuck Tribolet]

I'd be thinking the switch on the steering column. Left and right headlights have separate circuits through there. Also check to
see if you are getting battery voltage to the ballast.

Are these aftermarket HIDs?

[CanuckQx4]

Naw there factory, how do you diagnose the switch at all??

Happen to have a part number??

[CanuckQx4]

Swapped the ballasts and still only the passenger side bulb came one (proving the drive ballast I swapped over must be good)

Is there anything else I can check before buying a switch??

Would this one work? Stalk looks identical, but the year may be different??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... MEWAX%3AIT

I wonder if this is another 01 specific problem

[CanuckQx4]

I had my drivers low beam go out and I tried new bulb, then ballast, etc. It turned out I need a new switch for the lights on the steering column.

01 QX4

Did you highbeam go out aswell, I dont believe my high beam for the drivers side comes on either

[Chuck Tribolet]

Check the highbeam so you know.

I'll post some instructions on how to check out the switch when I get home.

[CanuckQx4]

Ya Im an idiot I should have checked that, after doing some trouble shooting this morning, I verified that I am NOT getting 12V at the drivers side plug, but do have 12V at the passenger side.

I decided to simply run a patch 14 gauge wire from the passenger side positive and negative over to the drivers side and the headlight worked. Im going to avoid using it though, I only have a 15 min drive to work and only need to use it on the way home I guess

Atleast I wont get bugged by the police but im going to avoid using the headlight as I dont think splitting the positive was the best idea Ive ever had

Id appreciate the help chuck, ALOT

If you think that switch on ebay I posted would work Id probly buy that one aswell, pretty cheap, but I cant find a part number to compare prices to a brand new one that I could get the same day from the dealer.

[Chuck Tribolet]

This is a Canadian truck with DRLs, right?

Do check whether the high beams work. This is important. Also, check whether the high beam indicator works. Do this check
and report back before you start down the list below. If the high beam indicator works, your combo switch is good.

Start with the lights off. Check both headlight relays. You should have battery voltage on pins 1, 3, and 6 (you can do this with the relay out). If you don't, you have a blown fuse. Measure the resistance between pins 1 and 2. It shouldn't be very large (maybe 100 ohms). If it's large, you have an open coil on the relay.

Now plug in the relays, and turn on the lights. You should have battery voltage on pins 5 and 7. If you do, go on to checking the combination switch in the next paragraph. If you don't, check pin 2. If it has battery voltage, you have a problem with the headlamp battery saver control unit (this is unlikely because the same pin on the battery saver controls both side relays).

Now you need to unplug the combination switch on the steering column. Set it up for high beams. You should have continuity between pins 5 and 6 and between pins 8 and 9. If you don't, you have a bad switch.

[CanuckQx4]

I'll do those pin tests in the afternoon when I wake up, thanks

About where my headlights are from

Thats a tough question, but I'll start by saying I dont think my headlights have DRL's, I can have my car running and all outside lights can be off anyways.

I live in canada, but my truck is from south USA, but the new headlights that I bought used and installed are most likely from canada since I bought them off craigslist locally, but I dont know for sure what year those headlight came from

My highbeam indicator does work

I guess those pin tests will turn up something, thanks again

[Chuck Tribolet]

A quick look at the US wiring diagram shows that the checkout I gave should still work.


Chuck

[CanuckQx4]

Found that the middle relay I believe pin #6 did not have 12V while the others you mentionned all did. So I checked fuses and they all seemed fine, so I guess while I wait I'll check for voltage at the fuses since I figure that info may help

I came back in to print another diagram and get my camera to post a pic or two, I'll come back and verify which pin it was though

[CanuckQx4]

^^^ Completely disregard that post ^^^ I did the test wrong

I mistakenly was measuring the horn relay terminals, the picture made me think I was checking the 1st and 3rd socket on the bottom row.



So heres all the tests I just did though. Getting good use of this multimeter lol

I do infact have voltage at pin 1/3/6 on both relays

I also checked resistance between pin 1 and 2 on both relays and both measured 70.5ohm, All 4 headlight fuses in the fuse box by the battery had voltage.

Heres a kicker problem though, you said

Now plug in the relays, and turn on the lights. You should have battery voltage on pins 5 and 7. If you do, go on to checking the combination switch in the next paragraph. If you don't, check pin 2. If it has battery voltage, you have a problem with the headlamp battery saver control unit (this is unlikely because the same pin on the battery saver controls both side relays).

But both pin #2 female sockets did infact have 12V with the car and lights off...

You can see what pin in probing in the pins when I got 12V at both #2's. Im going by the little diagram numbers ontop of the relays, hope thats right




And also, you said to then check for voltage at 5/7 but how do you do that after connecting the relay, were do you probe?

Only my passenger headlight HIGHBEAM comes on when I turn the highbeams on, the dash indicator does work though, which you mentioned saying meant the steering column switch was good.


Whats all that mean? That I have a problem with the headlamp battery saver control unit ?

[Chuck Tribolet]

Two ways to check pins 5 and 7: work the relay up just a little so you can slip to probe underneath, or probe the bottom of socket.
But since the high beam indicator works, we know that the relay is good, at least on the high beam side. And the combo switch
is good, at least on the high beam side. And most everything else is good, at least on the high beam side. Check the high beam bulb. You can do it by measuring the resistance between pin 1 (Red with white stripe) and pin 2 (red with blue stripe) at the
head lamp housing. It should be relatively small (single digit number of ohms).

As I dig into this, I'm finding that the left and right sides are pretty independent, and the high and low beams are pretty independent.

The high beam indicator light is in parallel with the high beam bulb. So that leaves us with a bad high beam bulb or a wiring
fault, or a problem in the headlamp housing. I'm ignoring the low beam problem for now, hoping that the simpler high beam
circuit will shed some light.


Chuck

[CanuckQx4]

Is it not a big problem that I had 12V at pin #2 on both relays??

Anyways I did as you said and pulled the connector from the drivers headlight and measured between the red/white and red/blue pins. It measured 19.5 ohms with the lights on and off

I only checked the passenger side as Id have to remove the passenger headlight to check that side and I forgot to bring my 10mm ratchet wrench I needed to work. I can check it if you say to though.

I forget if I mentionned, but I jumped the big red wire from the passenger side to the drivers side to make the low beam work, but still only the passenger high beam works. Both foglights function fine aswell

[Chuck Tribolet]

Did you check high beam bulb resistance on the driver's side or the passenger's side? You definitely want to
check it on the driver's side.

[CanuckQx4]

I checked drivers side, the headlight that doesnt work.

I just thought though, I checked the female pins from the harness going TO the headlight, was I supposed to check the male pins of the wires that go from the headlight connector to the bulb??

[Chuck Tribolet]

You want to measure the bulb side.

[CanuckQx4]

Damnit! I'll go check again, back in 20

[CanuckQx4]

.3 ohm

[CanuckQx4]

I swapped the highbeam bulbs for the hell of it, no change

[CanuckQx4]

Highbeam indicator is not functioning aswell now

I noticed when I was flicking off a car coming at me for 20 seconds with there highbeams...

I guess Ill go ahead and pull the combo switch off the steering wheel if I can figure it out in the morning and do the test you posted.

That sucks

[CanuckQx4]

Now you need to unplug the combination switch on the steering column. Set it up for high beams. You should have continuity between pins 5 and 6 and between pins 8 and 9. If you don't, you have a bad switch.

I pulled the combo switch and I do have continuity at 5/6 8/9 when its in the highbeam position

[CanuckQx4]

Any more love?? Im lost on where to proceed

[CanuckQx4]

Chuck, can I E-tempt you to help me a little more with this

Appreciate it alot, thank you again