Driver headlight doesn't work - Daytime Running Lights - DRL
 

Hello everyone,
I've been having an ongoing problem with my headlights. Since I'm in Canada we have to have daytime running lights, so basically, our headlights are on at half power until we turn our headlights to full or highbeam. My problem is that my daytime lights don't work at all and the daytime running light module (DRL) buzzes/clicks constantly. It's really annoying. Also, my drivers side headlight doesn't work at all. When I turn on my headlights the buzzing stops but only the passenger light works.

As far as I know the DRL module was replaced soon before I bought the car. I bought the car in Aug of last year. I have tried replacing bulbs but that didn't work.

I've done some searching but haven't found many yielding results. I've looked in the fsm for electrical diagrams but they haven't helped too much, I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. lol. It's getting to the point where I almost want to take it to the dealer to look at it. It sucks trying to drive at night or in the rain.

Any suggestions/ideas/etc would be great.

Thanks

Have you tried swapping in a known good DRL module? That's the first thing I would do, especially if it's 'buzzing/clicking constantly'.

To be honest, I have no idea where I would get one.

Faulty DRL module sounds like a real good possibility.

Is there any way to check for sure? Is it possible to check resistance of certain pins? I've looked over everything, it doesn't look like there are any loose connections, but is there anything to confirm this?

I've checked the FSM wiring diagrams, I do know how to read them. The only way you can make sure it's the DRL module is to replace it with a known working one. That would be the most likely cause. Are there other possibilities, yes but those are unlikely and difficult to determine.


Only thing else I can suggest is check and reseat the connectors at both headlights and at the DRL module, Good luck and good night.

If you can at least make sure that the supply voltages (12VDC) pin 2 & 3 of the DRL module and ground, pin 9 of the DRL module are good.

check the harness. eliminate the cheaper route before paying heftily for a new drl.

check a junkyard. I got one for around 80 bucks when I thought I needed one but sadly I didn't and I tossed my old working one.

Your Driver side (left) headlight ground is bad. Explains why left side doesn't work at all. DRL make a series circuit, grounding at the left side as well, explains why neither side DRL works.
Could also be burned out left bulb or bad connection any where in the circuit.
buzzing/ clicking makes me think ground, module tries until heat at connection =resistance and kaput, repeat at certain frequency and viola- hum or buzz +clicking.

Straight from the FSM + Crayola LoL.
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...dberg6/DRL.jpg

The harnesses look ok. I've also messed around with a multimeter. I've tried a few time to check for continuity between everything, working my way around from the battery to the fuses to the light switch to the drl and then headlight harnesses. I didn't find anything weird, well I don't think I did at least. lol. I'll check the voltages and then drivers ground as soon as I can.

Thanks for the great responses everyone.

If you don't want to get a new module you may be able disable the DRL module by unplugging it's connections and cutting the Orange/Black wire at the headlight and running that wire to ground. It would cause your lights to operate like those without DRL. I don't know how legal running without the DRL is in Canada but easy to do.


If the lights work normally without the DRL module that would be an indication that the module may be faulty.

Well, I'd like to keep the DRLs and I don't want to break the law. You have a good idea though, I'll try disabling the DRL and see if the lights work without it. I'll see where to go from there. I'll see if I can do anything without cutting any wires, I don't want to make the situation worse. lol.

Thanks!

You could just ground the orange/black wire at the DRL module after you remove the conector from the module. If your lights work normally, which they probably will, it just points to the module as the probable cause of the problem.

I just came back inside from checking around with a multimeter. There was voltage between pin 2 and ground, but not between pin 3 and ground. Pin 9 to ground was ok. I tried connecting the orange/black wire to ground and it made my passenger headlight work but not the drivers (like usual). So I guess that rules out (for now) the DRL...

Any more clever ideas?
And thanks again for everyone's help so far, I really, really appreciate it.

I may have omitted an important fact. Sometimes both of my headlights work and both of my DRLs work too. Sometimes. When they randomly decide to (which isn't very often) I can smell burning in the car. Followed by the burning smell is frequently a stream of smoke originating from the steering column area. It can only be stopped by shutting off the car. Turning the headlights off won't stop the smoking.

I've investigated somewhat, by disassembling the steering column area and looking for burnt wires, but I couldn't find any. I've also tried replacing the actual light switch, but that didn't seem to do the trick either.

Sorry but FSM diagram labels lights as LH and RH so I get confused some times when referencing passenger or driver side. For the record, Left hand = Drivers side.

Your left hand light fuse is blown it's F53 (15 Amps) I think it's in the underdash fuse box. That is why your drivers side (LH) light will not turn on and why you have no power at pin 3 of the DRL module.

After you replace F53 try your lights (lowbeam) with the DRL disconnected this includes jumping the Orange/black wire to ground again. If the lowbeams work fine without the DRL connected then maybe the DRL module is at fault. If your headlights do not work properly with the DRL disconnected then you have a switch or wiring problem.

If you have smoke from the steering column that would indicate there is a problem with the light switch.

I think you might me talking about fuse 62 which is in the fuse and fusible link box in the engine bay by the battery. That's the one that goes to DRL pin 3. Regardless, I changed fuses 61 and 62 labeled as headlight fuses on the fuse box lid and in the FSM as well as fuse 12 in the underdash compartment just for kicks. They all looked fine and changing them didn't seem to make a difference, however I didn't get to check the orange/black wire, I'll do that tomorrow evening.

It really seems like a bigger issue than just the DRL, which sucks. Thanks you (still) for your help though. :)

I just checked the FSM and F53 (15A) and F54 (15A) are also in the underhood box with the fusible links. The two 15 Amp fuses in the left hand row closest to the front of the car. Maybe the same ones you changed. F53 is probably blown!!!! Take the fuse out of the fuse box and check it.

Your drivers side low and high beam should work normally with your DRL module disconnected. In addition your passenger side lowbeam should work normally with the orange/blk wire jumped to ground and the DRL disconnected. I would try getting those lights working first and worry about the DRL after that.

Fuse 62 is for audio.


The drivers side (LH) headlight circuit is simple, Battery- Fuse (F53)- Switch - bulb - ground. No DRL Module required for normal operation. Problem can only be a fuse, switch, bulb or wiring.

I'm not sure where fuses 53 and 54 come into play. I can't seem to find corresponding ones in the FSM or my car. Maybe we have different years of the FSM? What I see in the FSM (the Canadian headlight section) indicates that power is supplied through fuse 61 to DRL pin 2 and power is supplied through fuse 62 (both are in the engine bay fuse box) to DRL pin 3.

Regardless, I checked all fuses (to save myself the trouble later) in the engine bay fuse box any they're all ok. Also, no lights work with the DRL disconnected.

I'm looking at the 98 FSM DRL section in electrical. I would expect that that is the same as your 95 but I could be wrong. Even if the fuse numbers are different I would expect the DRL circuit to be the same. I'll see if I can get at the 95 FSM.

Can't get at the 95 FSM now. The electrical drawing posted by ASAND1 looks just like the one in my 98 FSM so if his is from the 95 FSM it is the same.


If you can get your drivers headlight working you would at least be making progress, not so sure you will fix this problem in the long run anyway. You are probably not getting power to this headlight the most likely reason is a blown fuse or a defective switch.

I could post some of the important stuff if you'd like. I think what I'll try doing is checking all the way around the drivers side circuit to see where things are going wrong. I'll also try double checking that the switch is working properly and maybe throw another one in.

Thanks

It appears that you are not getting 12VDC to the bulb, That is why it does not light. You need to find out why.

I just got inside from checking the drivers side circuit. It's freezing out there. What I did was:

1. checked for voltage from positive battery post to light switch terminal 10 (with light switch unplugged)
2. plugged light switch back in switched to low beam, check for voltage from battery to drivers headlight terminal 2
3. plugged bulb in and checked voltage from bat to headlight ground

I got around 11 volts each time. Did I do that properly?

The bolt that fastens the drivers side ground wire to the body went missing (actually I dropped it in the car somewhere and couldn't find it) so I constructed an alternate ground wire, basically running a wire from the manifold ground to the headlight ground wire and fastening them together with a nut and bolt. I should be ok for now, since there are two grounds right?

I have no idea what to try next.

Two grounds is OK. If you have 11 -12VD at terminal 2 of the headlight socket and terminal 3 of the headlight socket is grounded the headlight low beam should turn on unless the bulb is burned out or the terminals are not making contact with the bulb.

I'll double check the bulb and I'll double check the terminals. I was thrown off by the fact that with the bulb plugged in I was getting voltage in the circuit. I thought that if the bulb was blown it wouldn't complete the circuit or that if the contacts weren't making contact with the bulb terminals there wouldn't be a circuit either. I was in a little hurry though since it was so cold out.

Thanks.

Hello again,
(I figure it's ok if I resurrect my own thread)

I haven't been messing around with the car much because it's freezing outside and I'm in school. Today however, I made a discovery. I found what was causing my drivers side headlight not to illuminate. There's power to the headlamp fuse, but no power from the fuse to the light switch (terminal 8).

How exactly would I go about running a wire from the fusebox to the light switch terminal?

Thanks.

ps. Funny thing, after playing around with the wires, I put everything back together and for kicks I tried the lights and they both worked. I'm sure they'll stop working in a day or so, but I was like wtf?!