Headlight Problem!?!?!

[00accord44]

Hey guys (and gals). I was drivin around yesterday and looked at the reflection of my car in the back boor of a black suburban in front of me and noticed an all too familliar, yet painful sight...my left headlight is out.

I did the usual cursing about how these bulbs go out too fast (even though mine have been in for a lil over a year) and they're too friggin expensive. I got home, tried to replace it with a spare bulb I had from my last headlights (one went out, so I replaced both), but it didn't work either. I fugured maybe somethin was wrong with it and tried to pop in my OEM bulb from God knows how long ago. Once again, failure.

Clearly, its not the bulbs. That OEM bulb was only used for like a week!
I figured at this point, it must be the fuse. But both headlights run on one fuse! So if it was the fuse, BOTH would be out. So I don't know WTF the problem could be.

If anyone knows anything that might be helpful, PLEASE enlighten me. I don't wanna take it to the dealer cuz that means I gotta take all the aftermarket lighting out so they don't say I voided my warranty!!! Bulbs are a PAIN IN THE ASS to take out. Especially when you have to take them ALL out and replace them, just to put them right back in later!

[thunder_97103]

first thing i would do is take a multi-meter to the headlamp fixture to make sure you have electrical current to it. even use a test light to check it. manufactures do some weird shit with the wiring in the new cars these days in hopes of making it easier to find and fix problems. this just creates more problems for us. so just check the electricity at that point and if there is none then work you way back the wires and see if you can find a short or a broken wire.
Also see if high beams work. high beams may have a seperate fuse and as an indicater of high beams being out, your computer(or setup) may make one bulb not work
Hope this helps

[00accord44]

Thanx for the advise. The high beams still work. My friend told me "just drive using the high beams at night". This guy is nuts. I get people giving me the "flash" when I have my low beams on! Imagine if I drove around with highs!

People better wear their Blue Blockers!

I will get my hands on a multi meter though. I guess that means more cash out of my already flattened pocket Actually, I'll just take it to my shop and have them check it for me (and for free)

The other thing is, I have some projector headlights on the way, due to arrive onthe 14th, so I don't wanna pay to get this crap fixed now when I'll be taking these out in a week! But if its the wiring, I guess I have to fix it anyway.

[emerge]

are you sure that both headlights run on one fuse? mine don't...

[00accord44]

Well my headlights run on two fuses. I looked for myself and saw that the fuses for both headlights are just fine I was hoping SO BAD it was just a fuse, but no. So I make my way over to the 24hr Auto Zone to ask the guy if they had a multi meter by some chance. He tells me they don't have one and if they did, it wouldn't tell me anything about a headlight. I hate Auto Zone!

So today, hopefully I will get off work early so I can go to the shop and ask them about it. If not, my last resort is to take it to the dealership. That means all OEM bulbs have to go back in, but I might still be screwed. Since I've been using these extra bright bulbs that get extra hot, the headlight housing just behind where the bulb sticks through is like warped and burned. It looks pretty obvious that I haven't just had the normal halogens in.

This is getting ugly! :22yikes:

[00accord44]

I could just wait and have the body shop that has to fix my taillight (that the COP busted) look at the wires up front.

OR- I'm taking my car back to Best Buy to have them reattach the siren to my alarm (which was severed when the punk kid smashed my front end) and look to see if ant wires for the headlight are severed or exposed. The siren wiring and HL wiring are in the same casing anyway.

So many options, none of them good

[smokey8890]

dude from auto zone is a idiot. what your tring to find out is if the harness produce any type of power. no power mean fuse or wires are shot. if there is power then get a new bulb. oem bulb don't perform anybetter.

[jason11762]

worse case is bring it to someone that knows a bout that shit

[00accord44]

Why is bringing it to someone who knows about it the worst case

I guess it must be the point at which the guy tells you how much of a dumbass you are and how simple the problem was to fix

I get the feeling that when I have this problem diagnosed (today or tomorrow) I am going to be severely laughed and pointed at. Moreso than usual.

[moondawgy]

are you sure u just didnt touch the lightbulb when you were putting them in?

is that on stock headlights?

[00accord44]

100% sure. I wear latex gloves I steal from work to put the bulbs in cuz I got giant ape hands and I'm sure to touch the bulb while tryin to work my hand down in that little azz space!

But now it is semi irrelevant. I got my projectors installed a day ago and they were working fine until last night when I was about to go out on a late night mission and the same light was out! I was SEVERELY pissed, but had a mission to go on. I could curse out the light later. I was on my way, hit a bump and the light came back on! So it has to be an exposed wire somewhere between my headlights and the stalk on the steering column. I gotta have that looked at now. But at least I have it narrowed down now. Its just one pissy ass wire fuckin me up! Now every time I hit a bump I'm scared the light will go out again.