So I just got back from a drive and when I go to turn off my headlights I realize that they're not even on!

Symptoms:

When turning the headlight **** to headlights, the motor doesn't come on and neither do the headlights. When I flip the switch that's below the hazard switch to just engage the motor, that doesn't work either. Markers are fine however. It was literally working not half an hour ago. I was doing some electrical work last night, but I'm fairly certain they were working after I was done, but I didn't check. How would I go about solving this problem? Thanks in advance!

Note: I have searched the forum and considered checking the stalk, but the symptoms are a little different, and the fact that the headlight motor switch doesn't work either makes me think something is terribly wrong.

 

go back and check the work u did. check the wire like fuses in the block near the driver headlight. forget right now what it's called. may even need to clean the switch.

 

Alright, did a little testing after reading some things. Was able to manually crank both headlights open. There is power getting to the motors because they go down when I turn the motor off. So now the question is, what controls the motor going up plus the headlights coming on?

 

Are you talking about the fusible links? I have no idea what a blown link even looks like.

EDIT: It would help if I said what car I have. It's a 1984 GSL-SE, stock. The work I was doing was to the stereo system. I wasn't in the engine bay at all. Also, I checked the fusible links and none seem blown. That is, the wires are intact and there aren't any burn marks anywhere.

 

It can be difficult to spot a blown fusible link, swap them around to see if the headlights work, that will let you know if that is the problem, unless they all are blown, and that is unlikely.

 

Thank you rwatson5651. After a further visual inspection of my link block, it turns out the link on the bottom of the block was blown. Wiggling it around a bit and holding it in its place let my headlights come up and on. I looked up what a blown link looks like on Google, and aren't they supposed to burn out if they blow?

 

The links will burn in half when they blow. Sounds like the terminals on the links and the box need to be cleaned. Corrosion can build up on the terminals until power can't flow through the connection. It can happen suddenly. My first experience was at 3am on a moonless night while traveling at 70 mph on a 2 lane back road. Headlights went out and wouldn't come back on. After an hour troubleshooting in the dark I scraped the terminals with a pocket knife and was on my way.

 

Seems to be a spate of headlight troubles lately; been half a dozen threads in the last month or two.

Fuse link could be corroded as 74 said, or you might even have one that's been physically damaged & is now intermittent. They do get fatigued sometimes, from years of getting wiggled around. I had one once that failed internally but didn't burn through the fiber casing, behaved much as you describe.

 

That is the only way I have had them fail. They appeared OK but when checked with a continuity meter they had failed, leaving the insulation or jacket intact.

I intend to upgrade to fuses to avoid these problems.

 

There was no corrosion at the terminals, so that wasn't the problem. The link had just blown in two. Is there a drop-in replacement fuse I can buy from somewhere? I've looked for fusible links but no one in my area seems to have them.

 

Here is a linc to an online source.

I have also read a post on the forum that gives a fuse that can plug in in place of the links, but I am having difficulty finding it.

http://www.mazdatrix.com/79-85ELECTRICAL-CHASSIS.HTM

 

After some in depth research, I've found that the fusible links by Beck Arnley are a great drop-in replacement. They're easier to install and are a safer tech to boot! Here's the Amazon link for a 30A fusible link:

http://www.amazon.com/Beck-Arnley-17.../dp/B000CRXO04

For anyone else interested in these links, here are the appropriate part numbers from Beck Arnley:

30 Amp - 178-3200
40 Amp - 178-3201
50 Amp - 178-3203
60 Amp - 178-3202

There are more part numbers, but those are the only ones I feel like we'd need for drop-in. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Now to just find a local dealer that has these in stock so I can get this fixed tomorrow...