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Headlights only come on when they feel like it...

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Old 02-16-05, 02:35 AM
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Headlights only come on when they feel like it...

I hate posting asking about questions that are really common but I don't have time to go reading the entire FSM and diagnosing things right now due to school and stuff... so I'll just ask and hope someone knows right off.

I can turn on my headlights, they pop up fine... and they work fine, but only SOMETIMES.

If they don't turn on what I do is use the other switch that makes the headlights stay up (so I'm not raping the headlight motors when I do this part..), then I keep switching them on and off for a while... most times they eventually turn on. Then when I'm driving they sometimes turn off... randomly.

So uh, I'm a little weary of driving the canyons right now, yeah?

--Gary
Old 02-16-05, 02:49 AM
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Loose headlight plug/wiring? Check the bulbs?
Old 02-16-05, 08:06 AM
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Since its both lights that come and go at the same time.....how about it being the Dim Relay? Next time they go out, put them on high beam or vice versa and see if they don't come on.

Actually, since you have a problem with them coming up and down also, it sounds a bit like your light switch is the real problem.
Old 02-16-05, 08:11 AM
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relay burnt outers
Old 02-16-05, 09:11 AM
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I have a complete parts car that the lights worked fine on, where is this relay located and can I just swap it fast-like?

I also forgot to add that it is NOT the switch, I replaced it with a known working one.

And this is an S5 N/A.

--Gary

Last edited by Bob_The_Normal; 02-16-05 at 09:14 AM.
Old 02-16-05, 10:28 AM
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Wellllll, the relays are located up front on that piece of strutucture that runs b/t the two headlights. There are a number of relays bolted to that piece of structure. The series five fsm shows the dimmer relay to be the most inboard relay.

Have someone flip the headlights to high/low beam several times while you put your finger on that relay. It should be clicking. If not that one then it's one of the other near it.
Old 02-17-05, 02:08 AM
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Thanks Hailers. =)

Yes I fixed this this morning after I posted because I checked the FSM for where the relay was... swapped it and everyhing works fine now except when I pull for high-beams they don't stay on... that's hardly something that's gonna keep me from driving though, so I'm happy.

--Gary
Old 02-17-05, 08:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Bob_The_Normal
Thanks Hailers. =)

Yes I fixed this this morning after I posted because I checked the FSM for where the relay was... swapped it and everyhing works fine now except when I pull for high-beams they don't stay on... that's hardly something that's gonna keep me from driving though, so I'm happy.

--Gary
Good. Now your car matches one of my cars. If I put the beams to high, they stay on high untill the first bump in the road. I know it's the dimmer relay, just to lazy to fix it with another relay.
Old 02-17-05, 04:09 PM
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sweet im learning :-D i was right :-D, gotta love it when u know a possible solution and it turns out to be right
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