High beams blue idicator stuck on but low beams shining?

[Zann]

My car has had one bright light out for a while - never bothered with it.

The low beam on the opposite side went out a few evenings ago and as a temp way to get it going to save myself a ticket I swapped the low beam (burnt bulb) and high beam bulb (good bulb) in the housing.

End result is my car now has two high beam bulbs out but both working low beam bulbs. The weirdness started when I cranked the car after doing the swap and my bright lights indicator is on yet it is my low beam bulbs that are on. I did not get the wiring wrong and didn't even mess with one side of the car so it can't be that.

The brights switch does nothing and the fog lights do not work. So the car says my brights are on even though it is my low beams that are on.

Is the car maybe telling me through some feature that both my brights are burnt out maybe? I have new headlight assemblys coming ATM so didn't want to go buy bulbs (they come in new asemblys) but hoping its not something else wrong with the car.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

I suppose it's possible that lacking all resistance (the circuit is now completely open), with both bulbs out, it is causing a signal that is being mis-interpreted. Or perhaps IT IS by design that if both were to go out while driving the low beams would automatically come on (as you stated they don't go off when you switch to high beams). And since the fogs will not operate with the high beams, and there is a signal being sent that they are on, well kinda (hence the "bright beam" indicator), that part of the scenario would make sense. I wouldn't be concerned until you get the new assemblies and if they are halos, try putting in the new bulbs before you go ripping out what is there, just so you know you don't have some issue.

M.

[Zann]

I will report back tomorrow after I do the swap to the new assemblies.

I will add that the factory wiring inside the assembly was awful. It was dry rotted, wire insulation was dried and cracked and had fallen off the wires in a lot of areas and more fell off when I was trying to change the bulbs. They wouldn't have lasted much longer so glad I have replacements coming.

Also, the lense fell off when I was removing the assembly. I have tape holding it on right now.

All those problems on top of the yellow lense issue makes me glad I was already in the process of replacing them.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Any chance one of those wires (with the insulation off) is grounded out is there? One for the high beam circuit.

[janitz]

That seems to be the normal condition if you remove the high beam bulb.

I replaced both my whole headlight assemblies due to wiring issues and age, but fiddled with it for a year before giving up and going new. While testing things out I had the high beam bulbs out and the light on the dash was on like yours.

You're gonna love having new, but you will likely have to adjust them when you install to get the low beams pointing ahead properly. There are a few posts on it here to look up. You need a long 6mm ball joint allen socket to do it easy. What I found when doing the adjustment was that I had to tighten it til it went up/down and then once I got it where I wanted, back off the tension. Leaving the tension on when I dropped the hood the lens snapped back out of alignment. I don't know how those plastic nuts work, but it wasn't turn one way up turn the other down, had to turn until it I felt tension before it would go up/down.

[Zann]

I was wondering if wires could be crossed but I don't believe they are. I carefully closed the assembly making note of that. Thanks janitz for putting my mind at ease. I think we might be close to officially saying it is a design feature of the car to display the bright icon when you have two a entire set of bulbs out maybe.

As far as the new lights, I really can't wait. I can barely see at night with those thick dull yellow lenses. My fogs are brighter than my headlights.

The alignment of the lights I dread however. I had this hope that they would magically be about right but I'm sure I will be back on here searching for a how to.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by janitz

That seems to be the normal condition if you remove the high beam bulb.

I replaced both my whole headlight assemblies due to wiring issues and age, but fiddled with it for a year before giving up and going new. While testing things out I had the high beam bulbs out and the light on the dash was on like yours.

You're gonna love having new, but you will likely have to adjust them when you install to get the low beams pointing ahead properly. There are a few posts on it here to look up. You need a long 6mm ball joint allen socket to do it easy. What I found when doing the adjustment was that I had to tighten it til it went up/down and then once I got it where I wanted, back off the tension. Leaving the tension on when I dropped the hood the lens snapped back out of alignment. I don't know how those plastic nuts work, but it wasn't turn one way up turn the other down, had to turn until it I felt tension before it would go up/down.

Lacking the proper aiming equipment, manual aiming procedures can be found here -
Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

M.

[Zann]

Got the headlights, installed them, and everything is back to normal so apparently the bright icon does light up if you have both bulbs blown.

On a related note, the plug on the Spec-D Tuning headlights did not match my plug so I had to surgically remove the plug from my old headlights and replace the one on the new headlights.

In the end though, I got them in and it looks 1000 times better without yellowed lenses. Now to see if they are aligned halfway decent this evening.

[janitz]

Originally Posted by Zann

I was wondering if wires could be crossed but I don't believe they are. I carefully closed the assembly making note of that. Thanks janitz for putting my mind at ease. I think we might be close to officially saying it is a design feature of the car to display the bright icon when you have two a entire set of bulbs out maybe.

As far as the new lights, I really can't wait. I can barely see at night with those thick dull yellow lenses. My fogs are brighter than my headlights.

The alignment of the lights I dread however. I had this hope that they would magically be about right but I'm sure I will be back on here searching for a how to.

My driver side was pointing a little low, passenger side was very high.

[Zann]

Originally Posted by janitz

My driver side was pointing a little low, passenger side was very high.

Shhh dont say that! Its almost dusk here and I want them to magically be pointed level :-p

I do not look forward to adjusting them at all.