Headlights and fog light too dim on passenger side

1996 Pontiac Grand AM SE with V-6 engine

The driver's side headlight and fog light works normal, but the passenger side headlight and fog light is dim. Also notice while i am sitting in the car. I can see the right turn single indicator is lite up in in the instrument panel, but its dim. Once I turn the turn single on. It goes to bright color and starts blinking, which is normal. Then when I turn the turn single off, the right turn single indicator is staying lite in instrument panel, but its dim. All started when I replace the whole wire harness for the headlights,fog lights and air bags. Which I bought the whole wire harness from the junkyard. My wife hit another car. She caught the car with her driver side bumper on corner. Which it tore off her bumper cover, and part of the bumper reinforcement bar. Also riped out most of the headlight and fog lights wiring harness and air bags modules that were tucked away into the bumper reinforcement bar. Here is a couple picture of her car after the accident. This happen a few days ago and I since then replace the reinforcement bumper and whole wiring harness.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d126/topgun68_/100_1783.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d126/topgun68_/100_1784.jpg

Welcome to AF!!

Check the grounds for the light. Usually a dim light on one side indicates that the ground is not making good contact. It may be a missed wire or it could be a loose bolt both can cause the same issue.

Hi GTP Dad,
Thanks glad to be here. I took a picture of the ground wires. There was a total of 2 ground wires running out of the wire harness. I number each ground wire on the picture. The number 1 ground wire, I unhooked and all the lights shut off. I then hooked number 1 ground wire back up. Then all the lights came back on, but the passenger side headlight and fog light still was dim. So then I unhooked the number 2 ground wire. Which did nothing, meaning all the lights stayed on. So I am guessing that number 2 ground wire goes to the air bags modules or what ever you call them that's inside the reinforcement bumper ? And that thicker wire that's hooked on the number 2, is coming off the negative part of battery, while the other thin wire on number 2 going to the wire harness I installed. What I am doing wrong ?
thanks,
Hulk24

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d126/topgun68_/groundwires1.jpg

Pull both grounds off and celan the metal under them.
Also double check your wire harness to make sure thier arent any wires damaged, like a small cut in the wire jacket(s) or a pinched wire.

Also check the plugs on the side thats dim, could have something in them causing them not to make proper contact.

All of the advices that you received are very good, and if nothing helps try jumper wire from the same grond locations to your headlight connector see if it gets any better. If it works use that wire :)

Pull both grounds off and clean the metal under them.
Also double check your wire harness to make sure their aren't any wires damaged, like a small cut in the wire jacket(s) or a pinched wire.

Also check the plugs on the side that's dim, could have something in them causing them not to make proper contact. Hi Xeroinfinty, I cleaned off both grounds contact and the metal under them. Still only dim on the passenger's side. I checked the wire harness for damage, cut and pinched wires, and it wasn't any. I even wriggle every single inch of the wires while I had the headlights on, and I never once seen the lights flicker or get any brighter. I even sprayed a little WD-40 into each headlight connector and fog light connector. Any things else I can try ?

All of the advices that you received are very good, and if nothing helps try jumper wire from the same ground locations to your headlight connector see if it gets any better. If it works use that wire :) Hi Aki, I understand the part about hooking another wire to the ground location, which is 1 and 2 in the picture I posted. Where does the other end go ? Not sure what you mean by headlight connector ? If you or someone else could explain it to me, I would be grateful.

I would go along with what some of the others said with a wire being pinched or possibly broken, I see that you checked them to see if anything happened. Have you checked the light sockets themselves as well? there could be a broken contact causing all of this. Now out of curiosity, what happens to your right front turn signal when the lights are on and when you turn the signal on. Look into that as well. You may have to check your rear taillights as well. That could very well be your culprit.

when a ground goes bad on a socket, normally your turn singal won't flash properly ( compare both sides you'll see a difference normally with with lights on ie: driverside, parking light says lit when signal is on, and passenger side let say that parking light goes out when signal is on.... just an example though) and you arrow light will be lit on the dash. Since everything is intergrated now a days this may be your source.

I did have a socket go bad on one of my grand ams... and it caused the arrow to come on and messed with the lighting in the front... just a thought though....

Well next I'd break out the voltmeter and test the voltages at the headlight plugs and test the power at the corisponding fuse for that dim side.

If you have correct power and the fuses & plug in's are all clean and making good contact, it could be the multifunction switch that is causing this.

Might also try swaping the two head lamp bulbs to see if its not just the buld too.

:uhoh: I have No idea what Aki334 is talking aboot! :lol:

OK guys before we go any farther. I think i might have found the problem. For some reason, I decided to hook up the "horns" because that was the last connector on the wire harness I didn't connect yet. Wasn't planning on hooking them up until I figure out what was the problem with the headlights on passenger side. But anyway once i hooked up the passenger side horn, I notice the the headlight and fog light all got much brighter on passenger side. And the right side single arrow light on the instrument panel wasn't lite up anymore. But once I wriggle the horn connector wires around, the headlight and fog light goes back to dim. I looked at the wire and seen no cuts or pinched wires. I looked at the connector and didn't notice any damage inside of it. Even sprayed it with WD-40. At least we one step closer to solving this great mystery. So what gives now ?

Was the horn ground when they worked correctly?

That would be my guess that its required for them to work.
Could try moving that coresponding ground closer to the dim side.

Was the horn ground when they worked correctly?

That would be my guess that its required for them to work.
Could try moving that coresponding ground closer to the dim side. Not sure because the front bumper cover was riped off in the accident. I took a picture of the horn on the passenger side. I notice a loop on the right side of the horn. I seen no ground wires on the horn. A ground wire suppose to go where that loop is ? If that's what you trying to say that a ground wire needs to be added to the horn ? I took a picture of top of horn and underneath of horn.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d126/topgun68_/100_1854.jpg


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d126/topgun68_/100_1852.jpg

When I said ground I meant that the horn was mounted to the front crossmember, as they are grounded from the body of the horn no "-" wires just the positive.

Looks like they'll need hooked up for the headlamps to work properly.

The horns are in the headlamp circuit. I would double check your fuses and the headlamp relays as either could have blown when the accident occured.

Thanks xeroinfinity. Where do I find the headlight relays ?

The connecter on the horn has 2 wires, that should mean hot & ground. I don't think thats your problem, it was probably the act of streaching the wires to get to the horn that made them get brighter, then when you messed with the plug it went back to dim. I'd start by checking the wires with an ohm meter ... hate to say it, but you might have to pull the harness apart to find the broken/bare wire, or depending on how valuable your time is try another yard harness. just my :2cents:

Ok sorry for not being very specific in my previous post: What I meant is: take one wire cut isolation from both ends of the wire use the same gauge wire touch a good ground or you can touch the one of the two ground bolts that you displayed on one of your photos, take the other side of the wire and squeezee it in at the back of the connector (your bulb socket) one is ground one is positive, ground should be black so sqeeze it in so it touches the old ground wire inside of the bulb socket or if it is to tight cut some of the isolation from your old ground wire close to your bulb socket and wrap that new wire around it - see what happens. hopefully I did not confuse you more (sorry my english is limited and I have hard time to express myself in the bast possible way)

The two wires.... Well one might be the jumper to horn #2.

I still think its in the wire harness that runs acrossed the crossmember. All of the wires will probly need to be hooked up for the circuits to be complete and work right.

The relays are under the hood, thier either on the pass side or the firewall area.
About a 1" square looking thing.
And I dont know which is which as they get moved around.
2 are one type and the other 2 should be the same but different then the first two. That make since ?

I think I understand what Aki334 is saying just run a new ground wire straight to the head light connector.

Yes that is what I was trying to say the first time. Thanks XI. If we can get some voltage information (ex: voltage available at the positive terminal of your bulb socket and when you use good ground) that would be very helpful. Or you do not even have to run new wire if you have DVOM turn your headlights on set your dvom to DC 20V or less then pierce through with your DVOM's black lead the isolation of your ground wire close to your bulb socket and with the red one touch the ground bolt that you think belongs to your light. If you see more than 0.1 V you have bad wire internally somewhere.

Thanks guys, when I get some time today. I will check it out, and then come back and tell you guys what I found.
thanks,
Hulk24