96 geo headlight problems

Help!!! My geo is having headlight problems. Started last month. When started up headlights wouldn't come on...high beam only worked when lever held manually. 5 minutes later all the lights would come up. Now it has started not having any headlights. Got back lights and daytime running lights. Husband has changed the relay under hood, and the problem still persists. Any suggestions? Any idea where to look? Is there a wiring diagram available on the net (for free, hopefully)? I hope someone can help me.

sounds like the headlight switch to me

sounds like the headlight switch to me
DITTO

DITTO

Thanks for the response. Will definitely have it looked at.

Did you solve your headlight problem? The same thing happened to my Geo yesterday.

Thanks
Rick




FUSES HARNESSES AND CONNECTOR (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickbclifton/230322263/)


FUSES HARNESSES AND CONNECTOR ANOTHER VIEW (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickbclifton/230322265/)

Did you solve your headlight problem? The same thing happened to my Geo yesterday.

Thanks
Rick

If the lights are turning on and off it is probably the switch. the way to work around the problem (if you have daytime running lights) is to turn on the parking lights. You won't have high beams but you will have lights. The most likely cause is the contacts in the switch being dirty. This happens from the metal rubbing down, carbon build up, grease and dirt etc. getting between the two contact points. If you can access the switch, some electronics cleaner (available at Radio Shark and other places) should improve or eliminate the problem. I have the same problem in my 95 and have yet to try to take the switch apart, just been using the daytime running light trick.

Hope that helps
Jon

no no no its probably not the switch. I have a 96 and had the EXACT same problem. I found out about it in some older posts. The problem is an overloaded wire in a junction box under the dash. As a matter of fact, when you're sitting in the driver's seat you can bring your left foot up and slightly to the left and you'll kick the wire...sometimes this will cause the lights to pop back on! Sometime you can just wiggle the wiring harness and the lights will work for a few more months, but eventually you'll have to do a more serious repair.
In the morning I'll go out to the car and take a closer look and tell you exactly which wire it is. Hope your husband is limber, you have to lie the seat back and lie upside down in order to get to it...
:rofl:

no no no its probably not the switch. I have a 96 and had the EXACT same problem. I found out about it in some older posts. The problem is an overloaded wire in a junction box under the dash. As a matter of fact, when you're sitting in the driver's seat you can bring your left foot up and slightly to the left and you'll kick the wire...sometimes this will cause the lights to pop back on! Sometime you can just wiggle the wiring harness and the lights will work for a few more months, but eventually you'll have to do a more serious repair.
In the morning I'll go out to the car and take a closer look and tell you exactly which wire it is. Hope your husband is limber, you have to lie the seat back and lie upside down in order to get to it...


I concur. I'm having the same problem too, and from reading older posts, there are alot of us in this boat, (really should be a recall for this problem.) I was able to get lights back for a few weeks by doing the kick trick, but that no longer works. Geozukigti has fixed this problem and details how in an older post. The only reason I haven't followed his instructions is because I don't understand how to add circuits or whatever it is he said he did. I'll look for the post and paste it here if I find it.

Sure would be nice if somebody out there who understands this fix would decipher for us low-brows!

Jai

Ok, here it is, from Jan 16, 2004 Geozukigti wrote.

wiring harness that goes in the bottom of the fusebox. Green wires. I finally found it. I crimped a new terminal into the harness plug, and it works fine. If anyone wants pics of what the problem was, i'll be happy to email em to ya.

I couldn't find the pics.

Jai

I was able to fix mine by first pulling the wiring harness out of the receptacle. Next I pulled the wire out of the harness (the wire was easy to spot, it was the one going into the melted-looking part of the harness). Next I used needle nose pliers to give the prong inside the junction block a few good scrapes to get some nice clean contact. Then I used the pliers to squeeze the terminal at the end of the wire just enough so that it would have a good tight bite again. Slip the wire back into the harness and its been problem free since December! In time I'll go back and replace the terminal but that'll probably be when the weather's nice and warm.

Oh, Mighty-Mouse guy was suggesting using the parking lights to drive, I agree. I had to do that for awhile until I got my lights going. I wouldn't want to drive cross country like that, but it'll get you by. Better than holding the lights on Hi-beams as you drive.

Hope this helps

bam

I wouldn't want to drive cross country like that, but it'll get you by. Better than holding the lights on Hi-beams as you drive.
I drove all the way to Ft. McMurray that way and back.(5 hours each way) What a pain in the ass. Swore I'd fix it as soon as the weather improved. That was exactly a year ago...
In time I'll go back and replace the terminal but that'll probably be when the weather's nice and warm.
So, what does this terminal look like, can one buy it from Radio Shack/Circuit City?

Jai

I'd post a pic but for some reason I'm not allowed :banghead:
There are two wiring harnesses on the fuse panel block. The one you want is closest to the firewall. The particular wire you want is on the corner of the harness, closest to the firewall and toward the passenger side. It is a white wire with a black stripe.
Pull the harness loose from the panel. To get the wire out...look at the front of the harness. You can stick a pin, tiny screwdriver or stiff wire into the harness just above or below the terminal you want to remove. There's a small catch in there...you'll see it if you look close. Slide in your tiny screwdriver, pull the wire and it should slip right out.
I would guess Radio Shack would be the best place to get a terminal if it absolutely has to be replaced. I read one post where a guy had soldered the connection, but he must be a lot more limber and talented that I am.
You'll be lying upside down in your car to get this done. Your neighbors will think you've lost your mind!

You'll be lying upside down in your car to get this done. Your neighbors will think you've lost your mind!

If you saw all the bumper stickers on my car, then you'd know that my neighbours already think I've lost my mind!

There are two wiring harnesses on the fuse panel block. The one you want is closest to the firewall. The particular wire you want is on the corner of the harness, closest to the firewall and toward the passenger side. It is a white wire with a black stripe.
Pull the harness loose from the panel. To get the wire out...look at the front of the harness. You can stick a pin, tiny screwdriver or stiff wire into the harness just above or below the terminal you want to remove. There's a small catch in there...you'll see it if you look close. Slide in your tiny screwdriver, pull the wire and it should slip right out.
I would guess Radio Shack would be the best place to get a terminal if it absolutely has to be replaced.

Thanks for the 'splenation. That is something I can work with. I did go to the Radio Shack yesterday, but I didn't really know what I was looking for, and of course, they didn't either, and you can add them to the list of people who think I'm crazy. SIGH. I live less than 8 miles from two refineries, a pipeline company and several petroleum shipping companies. I bet that 80% of the business in Edmonton is due to the oil patch, and I'm trying to buy as little of the stuff as possible. People don't just think I've lost my marbles around here... Anyway, I ramble.

Jai

:grinno: Glad to help! Its good that this is a friendly forum..some of the others that I visit sometimes (such as Olds/Cutlass) are inhabited by some jerks...not fun to post questions in there.
Oh...FYI everyone...I discoved today that my Metro (1.3 Auto) runs out of gas at 322 miles. Oops!:eek:

I pulled the wiring harness out today and had a look. The white wire w/ black stripe is burnt, not melted. The terminal is totally black and the harness is all scorched on the side. Is this what is happening to all of these harnesses? Holy sh*t, a car could catch fire under the right conditions!

What do I do with it now, just trim the wire back and reinsert?

Jai

Under the dash on the fuse block there is a connector in the corner with 6 wires in it w/blk, blk, w/gr, g/y, g, g/r, if you pull it off you will see one of the terminal pins will probably be black or melted, this is the problem. The wire is not making the connection like it should. Stick a small screwdriver in the wire side of the connector on the wire that was not making connection and try to tighten up the connection for a tighter fit then clean the fusebox terminals with some anti-oxident to help cut down corrosion.

I have a 1997 Geo Metro 4 Door Sedan, and I also had a problem with my headlights. The brights worked and the parking lights worked, but no low beam. Anyway, thanks to this forum I found the problem in a wiring harness plug, although my wire was red w/ a white stripe. Anyway it was burnt, burnt, burnt...and the plastic was completely melted rquiring me to break the plastic to get the terminal out. I just used a wirenut for now, and it works, although I plan to make it to radio shack and get the right part soon. Although I think the right move would be to replace the harness plug. Anyway, thanks for the help everybody.

It's nice to see somebody is actually researching old posts for the answer to their problem, as this ussually pulls up more info than asking it again.

Jai

HERE ARE TWO LINKS THAT SHOW HARNESS AND FUSES UNDER DASH


FUSES HARNESSES AND CONNECTOR (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickbclifton/230322263/)


FUSES HARNESSES AND CONNECTOR ANOTHER VIEW (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickbclifton/230322265/)