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Help-high Beams Only!


Guest jjohart

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Guest jjohart

I had a shop put on a fuel pressure gauge, and now my headlights only work on high. I took it back to the installer, but they claimed they didn't do any work on the headlamp stalk/column, only on the other side of the wheel. They claimed they unhooked what they'd put on and it made no difference, and then told me I needed a new headlight switch, which was another $400 on their watch w. labor.

I said no thanks, am looking for used parts, but am wondering, couldn't it also be something else, like underhood, where I see there's a "headlamp sensor"...what is that? There are also low and high beam relays, but I tried reversing like ones to no effect. Is there anything else I can check before ordering a whole bunch of used electrical parts? If not, who's the cheapest supplier?

This is a 83 280ZXT.

Thanks

John-Boston

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If it's anything like my S30 just flip it between high & low beam about 50 times and it will start working again. Sometimes the contacts get corroded from lack of use in the multi-function switch and it just takes a degree of activity to get it cleaned off and working agian. Not to say that will cure your problem but it has worked for me a half-dozen times over the past 14 years.

Along the same lines my Z32 left turnsignal would flash the same as the right one when the lheadlights were off but be twice as fast when they were on. I pretty much ignored it and kept using them and eventually it started working just like the passenger side signal. The car hadn't been used much for several years before I got it so I just wrote that one off to the same type condition.

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Looking at the relay box from the passenger side fender the head light hi-lo relay is the one all the way toward firewall and in the row toward the engine. Have someone do the hi lo beam in the car and see if it clicks, then go from there.

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  • 1 year later...

I've actually got the same problem.

 

I was doing body work to my car; which was in an accident to begin with; but my left lamp was the only one working afterward, leaving my right lamp only lit dim and orange rather than bright/white.

 

I've also read up on a headlight sensor in the haynes manual. wtf is that? i've never heard of a headlight sensor before

 

Also- i was stuck on HIGH BEAMS too after the accident.

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  • 3 months later...

If you tear apart and operate by hand the teeter portion of the dimmer switch, the high beams work, but nothing from low beams. I disconnect the ground the high beams go out and reground on steering column and they come back on, nothing from low beams either way. Does anybody have any advice or suggestions? Is there only one ground for the switch? I have the service manual and that's what it looks like. The low beams went out with no warning and at the same time so I've ruled out the bulbs (perhaps too hastily). Honestly the switch is suprisingly easy to work on so if In doubt I say tear into it.

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The switch grounds either the high or low beams. If there is a break somewhere between the headlamps and switch it can't. I had a problem in the connection on the firewall inside the car, passenger footwell near the trans hump. The old leaking heater core had corroded the connection and was not letting the low beams ground out through the combo switch. I would check a wiring diagram and follow it back from the lamps through the switch before going to the expense of a new switch.

Mike

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Yaa I'm ruling out the switch because I tore it apart and teeter switched by hand between high/low beams and nothing happened on low. But like you say there's something stopping the low beams. Black Dragon makes a heavy duty harness for $30 and draws directly from the battery. That would be an upgrade and a simple solution and take pressure off of what is probably still good switch. Any opinions or suggestions.

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