My light's don't work?

[Black331Stang]

i had a nasty headlight failure where wires burned up all the way thru the dash into the engine bay...got it rewired and wokred fine till one day i stopped home for like 10 mins went back out and the dash lights then didnt work. wierd. still have the problem havent gotten to look at it. everything but the dash lights work.

 

[BlackSunshinelx]

Now my headlights lo-beams dont work at all, but the flash to pass and the constant high beams,(switch all the way forward) work, would that still be the multi-switch?Or is that wiring harness problems?ANd the car is not a GT, so no fogs.WHat could it be?THe grounds are fine.ANd it seems like a real PITA to get through the headlight wiring harness.Any fusable links or anything?Or would that just not let the headlights to work at all?It has to be a different circuit for the lo-beams cus they are the only lights not working.ALL else works.

 

[ponyboy19]

Tough call BlackSunshinelx. Since your high beams work I think I would first pull you steering column cover off and inspect the multifunction switch's wire harnesses for damage like pictured above. Then if it was me I would put a new $28.00 dash switch in first to try that since it's cheaper. From what I have been told, the LX's wiring is exactly the same as a GT just the fog lights themselves aren't installed and the switch is different. I've seen a lot of Lx guys have the same issue as the GT guys do with the dash switch. In fact mine went out and I haven't had/used fog lights since I owned the car. You’re kind of in the middle of the norm with this issue, but I will tell you that when my lights were flickering on and off, it started with the high beams, I could drive with the lows just fine. Then it finally started with the lows as well which forced me into a new switch. So with that I would think there is something in the dash switch that differentiates between highs and lows. Tough call in your situation but I would start with the cheapest possible solution if it was me.

 

[HISSIN50]

Tough call BlackSunshinelx. Since your high beams work I think I would first pull you steering column cover off and inspect the multifunction switch's wire harnesses for damage like pictured above. Then if it was me I would put a new $28.00 dash switch in first to try that since it's cheaper. From what I have been told, the LX's wiring is exactly the same as a GT just the fog lights themselves aren't installed and the switch is different. I've seen a lot of Lx guys have the same issue as the GT guys do with the dash switch. In fact mine went out and I haven't had/used fog lights since I owned the car. You’re kind of in the middle of the norm with this issue, but I will tell you that when my lights were flickering on and off, it started with the high beams, I could drive with the lows just fine. Then it finally started with the lows as well which forced me into a new switch. So with that I would think there is something in the dash switch that differentiates between highs and lows. Tough call in your situation but I would start with the cheapest possible solution if it was me.

to add, the headlight switch (the on/off switch) only sends juice to the multi function switch - it does not have anything to do with lows and highs. the MF switch takes the signal from the headlight switch and decides whether to send juice through the high beams or low beams. the flash to pass feature works independant of the headlight switch to MF switch wire.

the high beams put out marginally more power (thus have a slightly higher burden on switches and wiring) - Ponyboy, that could be one of many reasons the lighting worked the way it did on yours.

IIRC, some or all of the LX's have some of the GT foglight wiring (im not sure if the harnesses are complete or not, but some stuff is there).

good luck to all.

 

[BlackSunshinelx]

WEll the wiring on the M/F switch is ok.No burning and all connections seem to be there and in tact.I just wish i really new where to begin because it sucks having to drive with the brights on.Thanks for all the help tho.Just wish i knew where to begin.

 

[Michael Yount]

If you've got the ability to do it, why not simply start from scratch. Re-wire the whole set up so that the light switch/bright light switch simply acts as the energizing source for a new set of relays. Pulling your light switch on or flipping on the high beams will simply trigger relays which switch the lights on.

Use one relay to power the low beams, and a separate relay to power the high beams. If you're running high powered bulbs, size your relays accordingly. If you want redundancy, use 4 relays - one for each high and low beam filament; that way if you lose a relay, you don't loose both lights. Keep your power and ground wiring runs as short as possible, and use 12 or 10 gauge wire from battery/alternator to the power-in terminal of the relay, and from the power out relay terminal to the lights.

Wiring it up this way will take all the big current out of the switches, allowing them to last probably the life of the car, and it will allow 10-15% more voltage to get to the lights which allows them to put 10-15% more light on the road. And you can do it all for probably less than $20 in parts - pick up relays at AutoZone in their auxillary lighting/headlights department.

 

[Critter_04]

Dude im having the same problem my parking and tailights work but my headlights wont come on.

 

[HISSIN50]

If you've got the ability to do it, why not simply start from scratch. Re-wire the whole set up so that the light switch/bright light switch simply acts as the energizing source for a new set of relays. Pulling your light switch on or flipping on the high beams will simply trigger relays which switch the lights on.

Use one relay to power the low beams, and a separate relay to power the high beams. If you're running high powered bulbs, size your relays accordingly. If you want redundancy, use 4 relays - one for each high and low beam filament; that way if you lose a relay, you don't loose both lights. Keep your power and ground wiring runs as short as possible, and use 12 or 10 gauge wire from battery/alternator to the power-in terminal of the relay, and from the power out relay terminal to the lights.

Wiring it up this way will take all the big current out of the switches, allowing them to last probably the life of the car, and it will allow 10-15% more voltage to get to the lights which allows them to put 10-15% more light on the road. And you can do it all for probably less than $20 in parts - pick up relays at AutoZone in their auxillary lighting/headlights department.

absolutely correct!

FWIW, this is how i wired mine - one 30 amp Bosch SPDT relay on each setting (lows, highs, fogs). relays are in the engine compartment to keep the 'meat' run short (run of wire from the souce [battery] to the lights).

seems to work well and the most juice im probably flowing through the stock switchgear is a few hundred mA - that was the real reason i did it. additionally i was doing the fog light fix and it took an additional 5 minutes to wire in the low and high beam relays. keep a spare relay in your glovebox.

to add to Michael's goals and sentiments, i would be cautious about using higher wattage bulbs (Michael does not have our plastic headlight lens to deal with). from what i have seen, there is a chance that the the stock headlight connector will smolder with some of those hyped-up lights - and i would be afraid of plastic lens damage not far thereafter. IIRC, Tom said that the actual contacts for the bulbs are a weak point.

so im just saying to be careful and cautious about what one does. lighting is one place you dont want to try stuff out or be haphazard - losing lights at night is not cool.

good luck.

P.S. Michael, i remember you saying you suffer from C.S.S - did you rewire your lights with the floodlights as you had wanted to?

 

[Michael Yount]

Not yet JT - have the relays and wire ready for it - perhaps a fall project as the weather cools. I've got IPD's Hella conversion on mine - so all 4 headlights will accept as much wattage/bulbs as I'd like to install. But if I up the wattage, I have to run it off of relays or I can burn up switch gear like you guys.

 

[BlackSunshinelx]

That sounds like the easiest solution to the problem.How hard is it to do though?I am not a pro with wiring, but i have a basic idea.ANy more tips u can give on how to run the wires etc.Thanks for the info by the way, seems like theres alot of people with this problem.

 

[HISSIN50]

Not yet JT - have the relays and wire ready for it - perhaps a fall project as the weather cools. I've got IPD's Hella conversion on mine - so all 4 headlights will accept as much wattage/bulbs as I'd like to install. But if I up the wattage, I have to run it off of relays or I can burn up switch gear like you guys.

sounds good - lighting and turbo over the winter.

are you to a point yet where there really is not any original Volvo parts on your ride yet? J/K