High and low beams not working

Tiny
SIRCH
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 2.2L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 150,000 MILES
Okay, well the car has been collecting dust for the past 3 years. So I ended up cleaning it up. So originally the hi beams didn't work. When engage high beams it would shut all lights off except parkers.
I was playing around looking at fuses this and that. I was changing the engine mounts, which well turned out to be pretty good so I put them back in haha.
Anyway so one day there last week I turn the lights on, and something didn't seem right. I cant remember at this particular moment if the low beams still worked.
Tho one of the relays was making this god awful buzz sound. And I disconnected the battery after switch everything off. And the buzz still buzzed.
I was like ah that must be on its way out ey.

Anyway that was last week.

Now now of the headlights work.
both relays seem to be fine, like as in they switch and click when they are hooked up to power out of the car. And they also work in the car for low beam only when I have the test light and earth something out or just push the relay closed/open which ever.
As for the other relay in the smaller box with 2 fuses. I pretty sure that works to get the low beam going okay. How ever when it comes to high beam I can only get it to working I take that relay out and hot wire it so the High Beam turns on.
So there is two combinations I can hot wire in this relays seat. 1 - turns the low beams on, and 2 - turns the high beams on. Both separately. I think.

When I have both relays in and on the brown relay I, um. I have the relay cove off and I earth the top right pin going into the relay (looking down at the engine bay orientation). So I just my test light in the spot which powers the low beam lights on. Now if I go to the steering wheel and push the high beams ford into the on position. It just feels like it jams, I think it buzzers I'm not sure. But anyway it shuts off the lights. Exactly like how it was One week ago.

What I don't understand actually is when I have both relays in. I can not get the high beams to work which ever way I switch the relay manually say. It is either low beam, or no power, I am not sure if it jams or not.

Now I've tested these relays with hot wires from the battery. They switch. And the resistance both sit at about 77 say.

Oh and tell me how the dimmer switch has nothing to do with my head lights? I'm just under the understanding that the dimmer switch is to adjust light on your dash board.

Also I replace the combination switch with another from the local wreckers, safe to say that changed nothing.

I also grabbed 2 brown fuses, same again nothing.


Any help would be much appreciated.

At the moment I'm slowly tracing wires through out the whole car and doing my best to make sense of it all as the wiring diagram I got is okay until you get to any of the components, well something like that haha.

I just need head lights so I can get it road worthy.


From Australia with Love.
Thursday, September 26th, 2019 AT 12:55 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,536 POSTS
Hello,

It does sound like the headlight switch is bad. To be sure here is a guide to help us check for power and the headlight wiring diagrams so you can see how the system works and which wires to test for power when the switch is on:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-test-light-circuit-tester

Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.
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Friday, September 27th, 2019 AT 5:50 PM
Tiny
SIRCH
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Well thank you for the reply, I just had a quick look at it all and basically on the switch. When I turn the lights on on the parkers come on. Although when I test light the red wire it will turn on the high beams. And I think also if the lights are turned off.
Also if I engage the high beam and then do the same test on the red wire, you can here both relays trying to do something but no lights.

It is night here at the moment so, probably have a better crack tomorrow. Pull my dash out and start tracing wires back in from the switch.

Also the diagrams you sent are a bit un familiar.

But I assume most of it is just because right hand and left hand drive cars maybe.
Yeah it did not help too much. Although I will try tomorrow to find the day time running rely as mentioned on one of diagrams.

Thanks.
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Sunday, September 29th, 2019 AT 4:03 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,536 POSTS
Please check the grounds of the system as well. Here are the relay locations. Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what happens.
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Sunday, September 29th, 2019 AT 10:29 AM

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