Both headlights went out.

[Hot Wheels]

I've been troubleshooting headlight problems for a while now, and yesterday I replaced the HID ballast and bulbs with OEM parts for my BRZ. The Hi and low beams worked, as well as the leveling system all that day. This morning when I started the car I noticed only the drivers side worked, and by the end of my 15 minute commute, neither is on. The eyebrows, and fogs still work.

Any ideas?

[FX86]

blown fuse maybe..find the fuse for the headlights and see if it is toast

and do the taillights light up when you switch to lowbeams?

also check the bulbs to see if they are burned out..unlikely but i would still take a look

[Hot Wheels]

The tails light up just fine. I checked the fuses and they were blown. I replaced with 15amp like the original ones and they instantly blew. I swapped with 20 amps and they did again. I've checked all the wires nearby and none seem melted or anything, and the ground wires on each side seem fine as well.

[Hot Wheels]

I also swapped the bulbs with a set of D4S I know to work and they didn't light as well.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Hot Wheels

The tails light up just fine. I checked the fuses and they were blown. I replaced with 15amp like the original ones and they instantly blew. I swapped with 20 amps and they did again. I've checked all the wires nearby and none seem melted or anything, and the ground wires on each side seem fine as well.

There is a dead short someplace if it is blowing immediately. Keep digging.

[Hot Wheels]

It's just really strange that the lights worked for a day, and then went out. I took it on some rough roads that shook the car and it was just fine.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Hot Wheels

I've been troubleshooting headlight problems for a while now,.........
Any ideas?

As ol @Tcoat says, you got yourself a BIG short somewhere.

HINT ..... it's most likely where you messed around last ......

I suggest you DO NOT keep putting bigger fuses in the slots.

Bubba says to jump the fuse with a piece of bailing wire and then go hunting for the burning wires and sparks. Keep in mind, Bubba has burnt up several cars using that tactic.

I hope you find it soon.


humfrz

[Hot Wheels]

Ok everyone I found the solution and I wanted to post it here for those in the future who may have this problem.

Short answer, two pins corroded and were touching when they shouldn't have.

Long answer:
Each headlight housing contains several pieces. The plastic housing, the bulb, the ballast, an O-ring, and the wiring. After removing the front bumper, I put in fresh fuses for the headlights and unplugged both lights. I switched the light to on, and neither fuse popped. I plugged in passenger side and turned on - no popping. I unplugged passenger and plugged in driver side - They popped.

I then removed the driver's side headlight unit and poked around. The ballast screws onto the bottom of the unit via 4 screws. After undoing them I saw that the ballast was covered in corrosion. I think the O-ring was leaking water into the unit.

I replaced the ballast with a new one, but there is a red and black wire that plug into the ballast with a funky looking clip. They were also corroded, so I got a new set of that wire and clip and cut/soldered it into place. with new ballast installed, I replaced the bad O-ring and put silicone paste all around the ballast just to be sure no moisture gets in again. Connect everything back up and it's working fine.

When I bought the car, the previous owner had installed a crap HID kit and underglow. It really messed my whole electrical system up. I now realize that they installed the HID when they didn't want to fuss with getting it fixed the proper way with OEM parts like I did. The Hi and low beams, eyebrow, and fogs all work as intended, but the DRL for some reason come on with the hi beams, and not just when driving. I'm afraid this is as close as I am going to get to fixed.

[humfrz]

Good tracking ...... good fix ......


humfrz

[wbradley]

Bravo!

If you think that's bad, try troubleshooting pinball machines.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by wbradley

Bravo!

If you think that's bad, try troubleshooting pinball machines.

HINT: ya gotta put another quarter in them every now and then ......then they will work more .......


humfrz