I CANNOT get my high beams to work on the 53, the dimmer switch is good, the headlights and sockets are brand new. The high beam indicator comes on, headlights turn off. They come back on when you click it back to dim. It's been like this since I got it and there are too many damn deer around here to drive at night with Low beams only. I wanted to see if anyone had suggestions before I just start breakin' ****....
I tried them about everyway I could think, the wires were all black on the new sockets so i put different colors of electrical tape on them so I wouldn't get so mixed up trying different combinations. I was thinking they were wrong, Guess I might have to pull those damn buckets out again which ****s since you have to take the wheels off and get inside the fender to get them out now!
I think I'd get the old multi-meter out and start checking what is hot and when. Then wire accordingly. Pete
did that already too, I know which ones are high and low coming from the dimmer, it just seems screwy either in the wiring or the sockets. It's most likely that the sockets are wired wrong, they never worked since I got the car but I figured it was the dimmer switch so i wired them back up like they were. But seeing as how it's NOT the dimmer now it has to be on the socket end. My next day off I'll have to get these right and try to get this thing running smooth goin' down the road.
yeah, i think i'd try new sockets. sounds like it it's all wired correctly all the way till you get to them that there must be something screwy inside of the sockets. they can't cost that much.
Double check all ground wires at the headlights.Most electrical problems are bad grounds or a short circuit.
Did you try temporarily byp***ing the circut breaker? These lighting systems don't use fuses,just circut breakers. Crawl under the dash, they are next to the stock fuse panel,they are small boxes,silver colored. Byp*** them,with a 10 ga.jumper wire,then try the lights. If they are ok, thats your problem. Try NAPA,or O'Rilley's for a replacement,the universal ones are ok also. I hope this helps. sparky
brand new sockets are in, I just think the old ones were wires wrong, so when I wired the new ones up the same it just made the problem the same. the wiring was made up of sections of original and new wiring so the color coding was no help at all. If the grounds were bad the low beams wouldn't even work, would they? *did not think about the circuit breakers, I'll try that first!
on the socket there are two parallel and one turned horizontal. I think the horizontal is actually ground, wire both right sides of the parallel sides for low, both lefts for high (or maybe vice versa but you see what I am getting at)
This may be too obvious, but have you verified that the headlights work when high beam is hot? That you do not have a broken filament? Try a known good headlight to make sure.
looking INTO the socket where the bulb plugs in; Low-- __ High-----| Grnd- __ The ground is NOT the socket hole in the middle. If they are wrong the electricity will still feed back and light the bulb, sometimes, depending on the curcuits. Check that both bulbs arent burned out as suggested, also, you may be lighting the high beams and it's the lows actually burned out? Use a test light to see what wire is hot and when.
Maybe someone (Dr J?) was suggesting this but, if the low hot is connected to the ground of the bulb and the ground is actually on the low filament terminal on the bulb, low would light. High wouldn't work since it would be trying to find ground through the open circuited (at the dimmer) low wire. Clear as mud, right?
[ QUOTE ] Maybe someone (Dr J?) was suggesting this but, if the low hot is connected to the ground of the bulb and the ground is actually on the low filament terminal on the bulb, low would light. High wouldn't work since it would be trying to find ground through the open circuited (at the dimmer) low wire. Clear as mud, right? [/ QUOTE ] Yep, Or if it's got them, thru a parking light to ground. or, if only one is wired wrong, thru the other headlight.
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