Extremley dim headlight

gomezliberty · Post by **gomezliberty** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:27 pm

hey
ive got a 98 liberty rx and the headlights are extremely dim, apparently its not the bulbs...wtf is it? cant be botherd taking it to the mechanic to figure it out just yet
anybody got any ideas??
thanks
emil

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:38 am

has this just happened ?

culd be some voltage drop at the lights.

easy fix wuld be to buy some higher wattage globes.

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:23 am

I had this happen but only dim on 1 side and it turned out to be the fuse in the engine bay fuse box... try having a look at them first

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:21 am

Grab a multimeter and test the voltage at the lights, it is most likely less than 12v

Sounds like you have a high resistance joint somewhere, possibly in a relay or the light switch. Have you got a diagram of the headlight system, and a are you any good with electric circuits?

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:34 am

SO you're saying on other side is fine? Have you tried swapping globes over from left & right to see if its the same - if other side becomes dim after globe change over shows that the globe is either 24v or no good. If its the same, then you have wiring problem - poor ground or poor connection somewhere.. Multimedia would be a good start.
Cheers
AP

bobbyjimmy · Post by **bobbyjimmy** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:00 am

+1 for the fuse

BrennyV · Post by **BrennyV** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:37 am

RSR 555 wrote:I had this happen but only dim on 1 side and it turned out to be the fuse in the engine bay fuse box... try having a look at them first

i also had this once and blamed my spotlights and wiring and pulled 1/2 of it apart only to see i had glanced over the fuse but didnt test to see if it was blown!

gomezliberty · Post by **gomezliberty** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:03 pm

wow
thanks for heaps of the replies
yeah ill have a look at the fuse box first, then give the higher wattage bulbs a go
thanks again
emil

gomezliberty · Post by **gomezliberty** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:07 pm

nah i dont have a diagram and im not good with circuits
also this is my first car so i pretty much know nothing

haha

Saeble · Post by **Saeble** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:54 pm

I'd say you have the dreaded VD.

Voltage drop.

Which is caused in most cases by a poor earth. It's what keeps auto electricians busy. If you're not so hot with cars, I wouldn't recommend you start diving into your wiring loom though. Make sure you have a really clean, crud free contact at all points of connection between bulb and juice for a start. I've made plenty of money just with a little sandpaper and a pointy scraper...

INEEDABEER · Post by **INEEDABEER** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:53 pm

It's probably a bad earth.

gomezliberty · Post by **gomezliberty** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:03 pm

ah i see
how do i fix that lol? haha sorry not much of a gearhead

shuffbag · Post by **shuffbag** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:01 pm

when i brought my sub one head light was dim,brought new globes checked the wiring then realised the previous owner put a slightly higher amp fuse in the left head light and nothing in the right.

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:02 pm

Matatak wrote:has this just happened ?

culd be some voltage drop at the lights.

easy fix wuld be to buy some higher wattage globes.

whats the logic with that?

Higher wattage is going to try and suck more current, but the effect will be even more dim, not to mention there is some unwanted resistance somewhere, it will now just get hotter there, but should not start a fire (you hope). Or lol, maybe thats what you mean, easier to find the hotter resistance spot - but i doubt it.

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:57 pm

fredsub wrote: whats the logic with that?

Higher wattage is going to try and suck more current, but the effect will be even more dim, not to mention there is some unwanted resistance somewhere, it will now just get hotter there, but should not start a fire (you hope). Or lol, maybe thats what you mean, easier to find the hotter resistance spot - but i doubt it.

just assuming theyd be brighter being higher wattage globes. (ie.100/90W over the usual 60/55W)

and at first i was also thinking that they might just 'seem' dim compared to some other cars, and theyre may have not been a problem with the wiring or resistances or etc.

gomezliberty · Post by **gomezliberty** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:42 pm

my fuses seem fine, where would the resistance be occuring?

foxx510 · Post by **foxx510** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:31 am

It could be the light switch on the stalk that is the problem, as Subaru stupidly switch the lights through this switch instead of using a relay. I rewired my 98 Outback with relays as I was having problems with dim lights. It's a very common problem, as these switches just aren't up to repeated switching of that amount of current.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:56 am

I did the same,..

Here is a quick write up

Independant Headlight Relay Conversion

gomezliberty · Post by **gomezliberty** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:00 pm

hey, there actually wasnt a voltage drop
i got 2 super bright bulbs in and im also yet to top up my battery
but there seems to be some sort of residue/film on the glass lens of the headlight
any tips on goin about cleaning it??