Guest rationull Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 I just got an '83 280zx N/A and there's a small problem with the frontend lighting. Sometimes, the high beams come on instead of the normal headlights, and when the lights are on (high or low beams) one of the headlights is on full brightness and one is at about half. Turning on the high beams changes both headlights, one is just not lighting up all the way. The dealer mechanic told me that the combo switch unit in the steering column was bad and needed to be replaced. That sounds believable to me for the high beam problem, but could that possibly lead to one of the lights being dim? That doesn't really make sense to me, and I don't really want to replace the unit in any hurry if it's not going to fix the brightness problem (the high beam problem is rare). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Easy, checke the groud on the head light that is dime, it must be broken or corroded and the light grouds itself finding its way trough the other light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(goldfish) Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Mine was certianly a dirty switch. Just take it apart and clean the contacts. Nothing to fear, no small things jumping out at you or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 I just dealt with this issue on my 240 last night. Turned out to be one of the fuse holders had the contacts mashed down so the fuse wasn't making contact. All the current for the dim light was coming from the bright headlight backwards through the ground. Once I fixed the fuse both lights are much brighter. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nienberg.11 Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Yet another possibilty is that there is a bad connection at the back of the bulb and/or bad connections in the harness leading to that light. I had all of the above and had to replace the sockets on the bulbs and install relays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 Mine was certianly a dirty switch. Just take it apart and clean the contacts. Nothing to fear, no small things jumping out at you or anything. Would'nt the dirty switch cause BOTH light to be dim???? Just asking for better knowledge as "I" have never seen this case before.Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadianz Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I just had the same problem lastnight, drivers side light was so dim it might as well have not even been on at all, it ended up that in 2 places there were wires twisted tpgether with a bit of electrical tape over them, so they were cut out, cleaned and soldered and the light works great now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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