I have a '97 Maxima. Recently the drivers side headlight - low and high - does not come on and the highbeam indicator lights up. Passenger side works fine. The drivers side small clear lamp adjacent to the headlight does come on as do both yellow lights directly under the headlights.

However I find if I run the car for 30+ minutes or so the high beam indicator will go off and the headlight now works. Not all the time but most.

I did install a new bulb (#9004) but with the same results. I then put the old bulb back in and after some time passed the headlight came on.

After this initial 'waiting' period I can then turn the lights on and off and both will work and respond fine. Until the next day.

Any help would be appreciated...

I just went out to check again and noticed now the passenger side clear light adjacent to the headlight was out. Probably unrelated but thought I should mention that anyway. Will change that bulb tomorrow.

 

The high beam indicator in the instrument cluster is connected to the driver high beam. Is this coming on when you turn on the low beams?

But the indicator light being on says there is power going to the head lamp. So I think you must have a problem with the ground wire for that headlight. There is a black wire on the light bulb socket that goes down to the chassis right below the headlight assembly. Make sure that it isn't broken off and the connection is clean and tight.

 

You were correct sir. I was able to splice into the ground wire and run it to the chassis. One thing, I wasn't sure if the gauge was enough to carry the load, it looked very similar thickness wise. But to be sure I doubled the wire and ran two side by side from the black ground wire to the chassis. Would this at all be a concern ?

Thank you again ...

 

Not a problem. As long as there is sufficient wire, it doesn't matter if it is one or two or six pieces of wire.

Nissan does a very similar thing with the heater blower motor. The blower motor needs a 30 amp fuse but Nissan runs 2 15 amp fuses side by side and merges the wires together.

 

There are a number of long-time contributors on this forum that truly don't know s**t about the A32.

... and there are a plethora of members who have taken the advise of those who don't know s**t.

This guy is NOT one those contributors.

Rely on ... as I have ... on his technical expertise.

 

Thanks for the kind words.