oh now what? (headlight question)

you know every now and again you'll see a car with one headlight super dim and brown? What the hell causes that? I've had headlights blow completely but never go dim like that until now.

Just 2 weeks ago put in a new set of hella headlight cases and new halogen bulbs and my PAX side is super dim. Seems like a stupid question, maybe it is.

philip_g said:

you know every now and again you'll see a car with one headlight super dim and brown? What the hell causes that? I've had headlights blow completely but never go dim like that until now.

Just 2 weeks ago put in a new set of hella headlight cases and new halogen bulbs and my PAX side is super dim. Seems like a stupid question, maybe it is.

Click to expand...

That'd be the alternater. New one is the solution.

you sure about that? one is normal, the other dim, and every bit of electronics on in the car, still charging the batt according to my DMM at the battery.

Maybe it's just a bum ground. I hope.

Bad ground on the dim one.

Shonky ground or shonky connection - check and clean.

If you have to service the ground, take it apart entirely, clean all ring lugs (there are probably several,) and clean a spot down to BARE METAL about the size of a postage stamp, centred on the ground screw. Treat with Ox-Gard or similar upon reassembly.

Refresh the Ox-Gard annually, or after major fording, or after cleaning the engine bay.

5-90

check the connector in front of the air cleaner box that feeds the forward harness.

I just had some wierdness with my high beam indicator glowing dimly on low beam because one of the pins were green and corroded. After seeing this I started paying attention to the harnesses in the junk yards, and noticed that many of them were corroded in the same way.

xj_convert

Bad connection. I would not suspect the alternator if one is bright and the other dim, and especially not unless voltage is seen to be lower at the battery when lights are on. On pre-97 XJ's, in addition to the possible corrosion of the headlight connector itself and its grounds, there is a harness connector near the bulkhead in front of the air box, which often corrodes and causes poor connections to front lights. It's a good idea to check that periodically, clean and lube it. I've lost lights on 3 XJ's from that connector. I notice that it's greatly improved both in type and location in the 99.

On my 99, not only the headlight plugs, but the prongs of the headlights themselves, were badly corroded. I lost a light when one of the prongs rotted right off, and had to replace both lights and both sockets (this on a vehicle that is otherwise quite free of rust). The quality of those sockets is very low, and because headlights can last many years, they will often corrode quite badly without being noticed.