electrical problem (pics)

[GT89Mustang]

Guys I need some help. The car is an 89 mustang. The problem is that the momentary hi-beams work but when you push the switch back to lock them on they dont work. I could care less about them because I never use them but they need to work for insepction.

Here what ive found, the switch checks out fine so that is not the problem. The connector to the switch seems to be ok but the half of it that houses the contacts for the "locked on" function of the hi-beams is slightly melted, im guessing this is a sign of a previous problem. (I can get pics of this too if you want).

The next thing I did is trace the two wires connected to the connector (red w/ black stripe) and (red w/ yellow stripe). I traced the red w/ black stripe first and it goes into the main harness and out to the headlights. The second wire is where I think the problem lies. I traced it as best I could and as far as I can tell it goes into this brown connector under the dash (pics below). The thing is the brown connector is NOT plugged in anything, and there nothing up there that I can see that its supposed to plug into.

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Can anybody tell me what this goes into, maybe look under your dash? Anyway sorry about the long post and thanks in advance for the help.

P.s pay no mind to the dirty carpet

 

[GT89Mustang]

Anybody? If theres something missing i can pick it up tommorw b/c i need a new speedo cable

 

[Saleen0679]

Look under your dash about a foot or so behind the fuse box. There should be a black socket that the plug matches up to if it's the same plug I'm looking at.

 

[GT89Mustang]

Look under your dash about a foot or so behind the fuse box. There should be a black socket that the plug matches up to if it's the same plug I'm looking at.

I just checked and i didnt see anything, is the socket like a box or just a socket with wires running to it. Also I found another loose connector under there, any idea what this goes to?

View attachment 513885

 

[Saleen0679]

The brown connector should be hooked up to a little black box about 2" long by 1" square. Looks like it is supposed to be the low oil warning relay. It is held up by a small metal bracket somewhere in the neighborhood that your pictures show. It's possible someone might have removed it. If you see a metal brace right behind the fuse box with a hole in it that is were it is supposed to be mounted.

The white connector isn't connected to anything. At least not in my car and I've had it since it was new. I didn't even know that connector was there. It's tucked up above the rest of the wiring.

Unfortunately none of this seems to be related to your problem.

 

[GT89Mustang]

Hmm, I think you might be right, the check oil light was missing from the dash so the relay probably went bad and the previous owner didnt feel like replaceing it. Do you know if there is actually a relay for the hi-beams or is it just directly wired. If there is do you have any idea where it is? Thanks for all the help already.

 

[Saleen0679]

The EVTM doesn't show a relay in line with the headlamps. Power goes through a fuse, the main light switch, and the multi-function switch, then on to the headlights.

Interesting note. The headlamps and the low oil level warning are on the same fuse.

 

[GT89Mustang]

Thanks for looking that up. Do you thing the low oil relay could be used for both? It might be worth it to get a new one tommorow just to rule that out I guess. Again thanks for the help.

 

[Saleen0679]

The only things I see connected to the relay are the fuse, ignition switch, low oil warning indicator, low oil warning switch, and ground.

I'm thinking that your problem may still reside with your switch especially if it had never been replaced after the meltdown. The portion of the switch that allows you to lock the high beams may be defective.

 

[GT89Mustang]

The switch was one of the first things we checked, we checked it both in the momentary position and the locked on position with a meter and the connection was still made. You could still be right and this very well could be the problem but I want to make sure theres not something im missing. Im going to see if Ford sells the connector that is melted and replace that. Im just wondering if it was melted there if there could possibly be a melted wire or something elsewhere.

 

[Saleen0679]

Ah, I must have misread the initial post. So the switch stays in the locked position, but the high beams don't come on?

 

[GT89Mustang]

Yes, the switch stays in the locked position but the hi-beams do not come on, neither does the warning light in the dash that tells you their on. The switch checked out ok using a meter.

The hi-beams work when the switch is in the momentary position and the warning light in the dash comes on, but not in the locked on position.

 

[Saleen0679]

The flash-to-pass circuit gets its power from a different circuit than straight high beams. Flash-to-pass gets power from the dark blue/orange wire and goes out to both sets of filaments on the red/black (low) and light/green and black wires (high).

High beams gets its power from the R/Y wire. Since your headlights work I am guessing that you have power at the R/Y wires but it's not going to the light green/black wire.

Seems like the circuits to and from the multi-function switch are working. I'm back to thinking that one of the two circuits within the switch is bad. When you checked the switch did you check between the terminals for the R/Y wires and the LG/BK wires?