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headlights, taillights and cluster out


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xchrisx 
Copper - Posts: 197
Copper spacespace
Joined: August 19, 2008
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Posted: July 14, 2009 at 12:43 PM / IP Logged  
I have a 96 eclipse and I am need of some major help. I turned on my headlights and the out of nowhere my taillights went out and also my cluster gauge lights. I checked and it was the fuse that popped. I the replaced the fuse and it still popped, i diesonnected the dimmer switch and turned on the lights, and still the fuse popped. I can not seem to figure it out. Thinking it may have been a short in my headlight switch, I plugged back in the dimmer switch and unplugged the headlight switch wiring harness wire by wire, and while getting ready to put the thin black wire into the switch, I accidentally hit the thin green wire that is built into the headlight switch and heard a click noise I figured it was just a fuse that blew and finished hooking up the wires thinking that that was the problem. I looked and no fuse was blown, I went to turn on the headlights and then not even the headlights worked, I replaced the headlight switch today and it still didnt work, however all bulbs are still good in both the headlights and taillights. I was messing around with it today and if I take out the thin black wire from the headlight switcha dn touch it to the think red wire on that same switch, the headlights will work but I hear a buzzing sound from the fusebox under the hood . The turn signals work and when I click to put the highbeams on, you see the highbeams go on, but the headlights wont work. I have not idea what happened, but I really need the help. Now I have non working headlights, taillights, and also cluster gauge lights, with those not working, I am sort of screwed. Please please please please please.​.​.​PLEASE help me, I have been trying everything. I don't know what else to do, I have checked as much as I know. I looked and I can't find any loose, frayed, broken wires or anything grounding out or not grounded.
bp
DYohn 
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Moderator spaceThis member has made a donation to the12volt.com. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Electrical Theory. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Mobile Audio and Video. Click here for more info.spacespace
Joined: April 22, 2003
Location: Arizona, United States
Posted: July 14, 2009 at 1:15 PM / IP Logged  

If this happened "out of the blue" meaning the vehicle was fine for some period of time and then suddenly this problem developed (and you were not changing anything at the time) then I suggest you need to get it towed to a good auto electrical shop and have it checked out.  If you were doing something related to the electrical system at the time the fuses blew, then start with undoing whatever you were doing to troubleshoot the problem.  In any case, if you don't have the proper meters to test the car's electrical system, you need to get to a shop.

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richl68 
Copper - Posts: 107
Copper spacespace
Joined: June 20, 2009
Location: New Jersey, United States
Posted: July 14, 2009 at 1:40 PM / IP Logged  

Red wire in the headlight switch is the  negative headlight wire

the GREEN / WHITE wire in that switch is for the parking lights negative also

if you have a multimeter take it and make sure that these wires rest at ground and that there is no type of resistance in the wiring.

Im not sure about this car but there might be a relay under the hood or in the fuse box that runs the lights also, so might want to check that.

good luck with your issue.

xchrisx 
Copper - Posts: 197
Copper spacespace
Joined: August 19, 2008
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Posted: July 14, 2009 at 1:42 PM / IP Logged  
I was hooking up a monitor to the car, but it was real simple, positive which i ran to my in-dash headunits switched power and ground which I grounded to the body. First I though that the screen went bad because it kinda flickered at first then i shut it off and turned it back on and it was fine for a few min. then literally the lights just shut off and that all happened. I cut the wires for the screen n replaced the fuse, same thing the fuse blew, i disconnected everything electrical in the car and its still doing it. I was thinking of just hooking the headlights and taillights and cluster gauge up together to a toggle switch but i don't know how I would do that, or how I would use my high beams. Also would I still be able to use the brake lights since they are the same bulbs that id be hooking up to the toggle switch??
bp
xchrisx 
Copper - Posts: 197
Copper spacespace
Joined: August 19, 2008
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Posted: July 14, 2009 at 1:44 PM / IP Logged  
thanks richl68 for the help and also DYohn.
bp
richl68 
Copper - Posts: 107
Copper spacespace
Joined: June 20, 2009
Location: New Jersey, United States
Posted: July 14, 2009 at 1:49 PM / IP Logged  

mehh check your illumination wires on the radio i bet its grounding out causing the fuse to continually blow out

these are the orange, ORANGE / white, or ORANGE / black wires that are on the radio harness.

xicano21 
Member - Posts: 32
Member spacespace
Joined: November 27, 2008
Posted: July 14, 2009 at 11:12 PM / IP Logged  
yes i agree with rich, try looking in back of the stereo to check for any bare wires ,
KPierson 
Platinum - Posts: 3,527
Platinum spaceThis member consistently provides reliable informationspace
Joined: April 14, 2005
Location: Ohio, United States
Posted: July 15, 2009 at 8:43 AM / IP Logged  

So you got two problems - the original problem that causes fuses to pop and the secondary problem that doesn't allow your headlights to come on.

I would start with the headlight issue - you heard a "pop" so you know something somewhere failed.  In most cases it is a fuse that fails.  How did you check the fuses?  Did you look at them or use an ohm meter?  If you just looked at them you need to go back and check each fuse with an ohm meter (pull it out of the car, test it, put it back in).  Sometimes fuses fail and there is no visible damage to the fuse element.

Once you get that problem "fixed" then attack the tail lights.  I would start by unpluggin the radio and see if the problem goes away.  If it doesn't, I would then try removing all the bulbs in the car (they are more likely to short out then the switch).  If the fuse still pops with no bulbs and no radio installed then you'll need to divide the car up in to sections and start looking for a short to ground.  I find it almost impossible to believe though that out of nowhere a wire just shorted to ground.

Where exactly did you ground the monitor?  I once saw a coworker ground a radio to the illumination relay behind a radio which blew fuses until we removed the screw.

Kevin Pierson
xchrisx 
Copper - Posts: 197
Copper spacespace
Joined: August 19, 2008
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Posted: July 15, 2009 at 9:02 AM / IP Logged  
I only checked the fuses by looking at them, I will check with a meter probably today. As far as the taillights, I checked the fuses, the one that keeps popping so obviously somethings bad, but i also took out the bulbs and still the fuse was popping, i spiced into my wiring for the taillights and hooked them up to a battery directly, everything worked fine so its nothing grounding itself out. I grounded the monitor to the car directly and i also tried everything with the radio disconnected and still nothing. thanks again for all the help everyone.
bp
mike swanson 
Copper - Posts: 290
Copper spacespace
Joined: January 28, 2003
Location: United States
Posted: July 15, 2009 at 10:07 AM / IP Logged  
richl68 wrote:

mehh check your illumination wires on the radio i bet its grounding out causing the fuse to continually blow out

these are the orange, ORANGE / white, or ORANGE / black wires that are on the radio harness.

I agree here, It is tied with the radio
Also check out dsmtuners.com
This forum may help you also
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