nshelton6506

I posted earlier about the same problem but I have a bit of an update. The other day my headlights went out. I checked all the fuses and everything looks good. When I turn the switch on the steering column the running lights come on, both blinkers work, but the high and low beams do not come on. I figured it was a ballast, an igniter or a bulb. So I rigged up a 12v battery and plugged it into the ballast, both headlights turned on and worked fine. I don't know where to go from here, help would be much appreciated.

DACodeRed

My first guess would be an issue with the connector not either getting power or grounding properly. If you have a multimeter I'd check to make sure that the plug is supplying 12v and that the ground is actually grounded. You can pick up a multimeter from Home Depot or Lowes for like $20 if you don't have one. They're a really great tool when it comes to sorting out electrical issues.

Best of luck

Dekker001

Did you check the fuses in all three fuse boxes?

nshelton6506

So I checked the plug with a multimeter, it looks like im not getting 12v to the headlight itself. Is that the switch going bad or something else? and yes i have checked all 3 fuse boxes.

DACodeRed

Okay so now we've confirmed its a wiring issue. Now we need to figure out if it's the power or the ground that's not connected.

When you test the plug with a multimeter connect the multimeter to the positive on the plug and the negative to something you know is grounded. If you're getting a 12v reading then somewhere your ground wire isn't connected properly.

If it doesn't show 12v when you know you're for sure grounded try connecting the multimeter to the ground part of the plug and the positive to something you know is getting 12v. If it shows 12v then it's the positive 12v wire for the plug that's not connected properly.

Finally if after testing with the multimeter and both ways don't show 12v then there's an issue with the whole plug wiring.

Now how to go about actually fixing the issue. Once you've verified that its the positive, ground, or both that are having issues you're going to have to follow the same steps. You're going to need to follow the wiring for the plug until you find where the wire is shorting out, where the ground is disconnected, or some other issue.

If the wire is shorting out because the insulation is damaged you can simply wrap it in a good amount electrical tape and that should resolve the issue. If the ground is disconnected or loose, tighten it back down and that should fix it. If the wires are actually cut, torn, or in any way not connected you're going to need to get some extra wire, crimp connectors/solder, and reconnect the wires.

If after doing all that you're still not getting 12v through the plug then there must be more wiring issues or a blown fuse you didn't see.

I hope I did a good enough job explaining what needs to be done and you fix the issue. I'll do my best to check back here every once and awhile or you can message me and I'll try to help.

nshelton6506

Thanks for that great write up, i have a friend who works for the local nissan stealership as a mechanic. He told me to try putting a new headlight switch on the steering column, i ordered one and it should be in soon. If that doesn't fix the headlights then I will go through and check for ground and everything all over again. Thanks man, you were a ton of help.