Saturn 3 Door Coupes SC1 and SC2

Headlight wiring problems?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
  #1  
Old 05-16-2010, 02:26 PM
TCCustoms's Avatar
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: South Central MI
Posts: 3
Default Headlight wiring problems?

ok, im hoping i can upload some pics but there may be restrictions on that so if the pics dont show in this messege be patient please, lol. SOOO, heres the problem! Daytime running lights run fine, turns and corners work fine when on the corner lights, When on headlights or Lowbeams the daytime lights dont shut off or the brights come on but dim so ALL 4 LIGHTS are on with lowbeams them when i go to HIGHBEAMS the lows stay on but everything on the passenger side is dim and i know that there is always 12V at the headlight bulb and then when the switch is turned to lowbeams you are applying the ground which is opposite to me so i dont know where to begin or look to fix this problem....Please, any ideas? I have HID's i want to put in but becuz of the voltage drop and erratic things they do i dont want to put them in yet. I do have a upgraded wiring harness with relays used on another car but this will only allow me to fix the low beam if i could figure out the wiring but when i switch to high beams they will be worthless so i need your help. Sorry for the long story just tryin to inform you of what i know

Also, when i unplug either of the high beams when its on low beams i loose the driver side low beam.....WEIRD!

From left to right its....
LEFT PIC-Corners, fogs, and daytimes
CENTER PIC-Low beams and fogs
RIGHT PIC-High beams
 
Attached Thumbnails Headlight wiring problems?-daytime-fogs.jpg   Headlight wiring problems?-lowbeams-fogs.jpg   Headlight wiring problems?-high-beams.jpg  
  #2  
Old 05-16-2010, 11:05 PM
aminal's Avatar
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 9
Default

dont use cheap bulbs, and you were unplugging the daytime running light, not the low beam, they really are two different things.
get some decent bulbs and clean your connections, check and recheck your fuses.

had the exact same thing happen on a honda i used to have, no more cheap bulbs and plenty of time to clean connections.
 
  #3  
Old 05-17-2010, 06:33 AM
TCCustoms's Avatar
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: South Central MI
Posts: 3
Default

all are sylvannia bulbs....contacts were good on all the bulbs and connectors but the fuse box has some corrosion where the fuses meet the circuit board down inside but not sure how to get it apart to clean it
 
  #4  
Old 05-17-2010, 06:05 PM
derf's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Slightly off center
Posts: 10,312
Default

I had similar issues on a 1980 ford grenada but with the rear lights and much less complicated of course. turned out to be a single bad ground inside one of the sockets for a single bulb. Depending how these things are wired, a missing ground combined with (in that case) multi filament bulbs had current running down all kinds of paths it was never intended to.

Hit the brake pedal---left brake light on but right running light went off, etc...

+1 for clean connections at bulbs
 
  #5  
Old 05-18-2010, 02:36 AM
uncljohn's Avatar
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Peoria AZ
Posts: 1,912
Default

Another thing to look at although I have never had this problem where it affected head lights but-
as connectors are affected by corrosion it has been possible to connect those connectors to tail, parking and brake lights backwords. They are kinda funky anyway so once corrosion sets in, it is easier than it looks. When this happens the wiring involved is not happy carring different current loads that it was designed for and you get really strange light problems similar to what you are describing.
IF corrosion is a potential problem and/or some one has been already trying to install after market lights requiring wiring harnes modifications, that is cut and splice I would carefully check light connections to insure that they are plugged in correctly and wiring repairs or modification that they have been done so there is no loose wires, or wires that should not touch each other, touching. This is an extremely hard problem to solve and I have seen problems with lights in one end of the car affect things at the other end. If a trailer hitch has been installed and trailer wiring harness cobbed in some of those are really poorly done. Check that out too.
I am sure running lights can cause some wierd symptoms too if something like this has happened.
 

Last edited by uncljohn; 05-18-2010 at 02:38 AM. Reason: spelling
  #6  
Old 05-18-2010, 12:15 PM
TCCustoms's Avatar
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: South Central MI
Posts: 3
Default

ya, i think i may end up checking out the buss connector by the headlights and check that and see if anything happens and maybe even cut it off and make them all in one if i find that to be the problem
 
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
99turbo
Saturn 3 Door Coupes
4
09-10-2009 10:04 AM
radar2k
Saturn 3 Door Coupes
7
05-13-2009 11:51 AM
saturn-steve
Saturn S Series Sedan
2
09-19-2008 10:02 AM
hobie61
Saturn Vue
1
06-02-2008 07:24 PM
AudioPhyle
Saturn S Series Sedan
0
03-14-2007 01:41 AM



Quick Reply: Headlight wiring problems?



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:47 AM.