510 driver headlight issues

[izzo]

Ok.

 

Headlights are ran off an aftermarket bosch (i think) relay. Passenger side is fine, both lights work as they should and super bright. Passenger side....

 

Something is up with my driver low beam, i cant figure it out. The high beam is ground straight to body, low beam is stock. When i connected it back like it was supposed to be, both grounds together the low beam lit up like it was supposed to, and the high beam was dim. I cut the original ground in the harness and tried to run a new ground. The high beam was bright and the low beam was dim. I also tried just adding a ground to the low beam with it connected to original ground wiring and then the high beams don't come on at all. But if i had the high beams on, and connected a ground wire from low beam to the body it looked like it was switching filaments.

 

Any ideas? I am not an electrical person... I tried running power off the passenger side also to see what results would happen, no effect.

 

 

Edit, also!

 

Maybe this has something to do with it? But the high/low switch on the column, seems backwards. Forwards for low beams, backwards for high beams. All 510s like that or mines just backwards?

[banzai510(hainz)]

I think Im all confused now.

 

Highs and Lows are wired together, if you get a Haynes manual youll see in there. Most times its just the relay that goes bad or really get dirty contacks.

 

but soembody told me theres a ground EYE by the hood relase,it for the light switch. I have to ck myself

 

On a stock 510 lighting system there should not be any grounds near the lamp. its all switched from the Switch inside or the Highbeam relay(via the clomn,grounds the relay to activate it) or its the gorund by the old volt reg

[MikeRL411]

"Maybe this has something to do with it? But the high/low switch on the column, seems backwards. Forwards for low beams, backwards for high beams. All 510s like that or mines just backwards? "

 

Sounds like a previous owner had this problem in reverse, Highs ok lows screwed up and just pulled the wires at the bulb and reversed them so that lows were on the "High" position and worked just fine. "High"s were on the low and were all FUBAR. You can get pulled over for high beams in a urban area, but no one cares if you drive on lows on the highway. Most likely a bad connection at the relay or broken wire that happens to touch when it feels like it.

[rpowell25]

"Maybe this has something to do with it? But the high/low switch on the column, seems backwards. Forwards for low beams, backwards for high beams. All 510s like that or mines just backwards? "

 

My car works exactly like that as well and it is quite stock. I believe that the "backwards" low/high is standard on the 510.

 

Robert Powell

[izzo]

Thanks guys. I am unsure, dont know wiring, and dont know relays. Ill try and get a few pictures of what is going on and how its wired up. The high beams and low beams DO work, and separately. So i can use my low beams or high and wont get pulled over, its just dim.

 

 

Someone else suggested to me also same thing you did hainz, the VR or light switch needs to be cleaned. Its running an internal voltage regulator (VR been bypassed)

[inline4]

theres a headlight rewire diagram up on the realm. I have one bright, one dim and one time they both brightened so I'm thinking there's something wrong with the relays. I'm gonna rewire mine per diagram

[izzo]

theres a headlight rewire diagram up on the realm. I have one bright, one dim and one time they both brightened so I'm thinking there's something wrong with the relays. I'm gonna rewire mine per diagram

 

 

Good looking out, thank you!

 

Is this the one you are thinking of or a different one?

 

Guess i am retarded, but the Lighting Switch is the knob inside the car right, and the signal stock is the original relay or??

 

[inline4]

it looks like he might have redrew it?

 

I have a pdf dated may of 09, but yeah basically its a rewire of the lights and uses new stuff.

 

edit: that looks like its only to replace a broken factory relay, let me dig up the diagram pm me your email address?

Edited June 7, 2010 by inline4

[ppeters914]

There are a zillion how-to-rewire-your-headlights-using-a-relay sites/diagrams out there (Google is your friend), but the basic process is the same.

 

Guess i am retarded, but the Lighting Switch is the knob inside the car right, and the signal stock is the original relay or??

Yes, you are....and you don't know electrical, either! J/K :lol:

 

You're half right. The Lighting Switch is the one on the dash you pull to turn the headlights on. The Signal Stock is the switch in your steering wheel that controls the turn signals as well as low/high beams. Also includes the horn wiring.

 

The stock headlight relay is on the fender well inside the engine compartment.

[elmerfudpucker]

I will be bringing my tools to Canby if I make it, If your still having issues Ill try to help.

[izzo]

There are a zillion how-to-rewire-your-headlights-using-a-relay sites/diagrams out there (Google is your friend), but the basic process is the same.

 

 

Yes, you are....and you don't know electrical, either! J/K :lol:

 

You're half right. The Lighting Switch is the one on the dash you pull to turn the headlights on. The Signal Stock is the switch in your steering wheel that controls the turn signals as well as low/high beams. Also includes the horn wiring.

 

The stock headlight relay is on the fender well inside the engine compartment.

 

 

:rofl: :rofl: :fu: Ok, just wanted to be sure.

 

I will be bringing my tools to Canby if I make it, If your still having issues Ill try to help.

 

 

Ill be at canby man for sure, i could use a hand. I can bring some connectors and wire, i dont know where my wire crimper is tho. Ill go outside here in a second and get some pictures.

[izzo]

ok... see if i can get this right... haha

 

blue wire is ground for passenger high beam

the relay is powered by the original wire to the passenger low beam. you can see the blue connector with a wire going towards the relay.

 

The passenger high beam is powered off the relay only, same with the driver side. The driver low beam is i think original from the light switch itself.

 

 

 

that yellow wire is the power wire for the relay, it has the fuse and then runs down to the starter.

 

I dont hear the relay click when just the low beams are on, i do when i turn the high beams on/off. Or have the high beams on and turn the lights themselves on/off.

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

that yellow wire is the power wire for the relay, it has the fuse and then runs down to the starter. You mean starter + side lug???????

 

 

 

to me it look like pevious owner took some Datsun relay and riggd this up to work for the lights as that is not the standard realy for the light sytem on the 510.

[inline4]

do you still have the stock headlight relay in place? or the stock connector for the headlight relay? I just finished bench testing mine and I'm going to take pictures and post a walkthrough probably (for the visual people, using the diagram posted on the510realm) I just fired up my headlights.

 

downside is the stuff I used cost probably 20 bucks or so but once its done, it will look really clean.

[inline4]

that yellow wire is the power wire for the relay, it has the fuse and then runs down to the starter. You mean starter + side lug???????

 

 

 

to me it look like pevious owner took some Datsun relay and riggd this up to work for the lights as that is not the standard realy for the light sytem on the 510.

that looks like jumpers for an internal regulator to me (at least the lower right)

[banzai510(hainz)]

yeah that look like the jumpers for the IR conversion.

 

as for the yellow wire. I menat that he did the same when I put my need H4 light harness I hooked the power up from the starter battery lug. I hate when people put all the added power wire on the + side of the battery and have 25wires comming off that(looks like shit)

 

hope it works out

[inline4]

yeah that look like the jumpers for the IR conversion.

 

as for the yellow wire. I menat that he did the same when I put my need H4 light harness I hooked the power up from the starter battery lug. I hate when people put all the added power wire on the + side of the battery and have 25wires comming off that(looks like shit)

 

hope it works out

I'm gonna post up a visual for h2theizzo in a few minutes. I couldn't sleep last night and I finally got the headlights figured out. it was painful let me tell you.

[inline4]

okay, so a few minutes becomes a few hours but here it is.

 

here's what I started with. there was a bad ground somewhere as I replaced the lights a while back and it didnt fix it. it was really really dangerous to drive at night because the good headlight is pointed up. but anyhow. I decided to follow this guide that was posted on the 510realm.

 

 

http://www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=11978

 

my wire colors are off by a bit, as I was looking at a wagon wiring diagram and it took me forever to figure out which wire is which. so here goes.

 

I used 3 20/30 amp switchover relays

 

3 relay harnesses, not the ones below, but you get the idea (I ended up using interlocking ones)

 

4 dormann 85810 3 prong sockets

 

 

I started by labeling each wire on the relay according to the diagram. the relays are organized relay 3, relay 2, relay 1 (high beam, low beam and headlight relay)

 

and then continued to clean up the wires and jumpering the ones that could be, to make it a little less bulky

 

here it is attached to the inner fender. I used a spot where I think an electric choke relay used to be (I have an efi motor)

 

I ran the output on each of the relays right to the passenger side, since it was easier. I stripped the ends of the contacts and soldered it to two wires on both the high beam and low beam positive side as well as longer wire to the ground lead on the passenger side low beam, so I could run the wires to the driver side. I routed the wires the same way the factory wiring was, under the radiator.

 

there should now be 5 additional wires that you see on the right side. Relay three should be ground only. the second relay pin 30 should be hooked up straight to the battery. on relay one, you should see three wires, pin 30 goes to the fuse block. the other two are hooked up to the high beam wire and the parking light wire. I forget which is which. switch them if its wrong. you also hook up the ground wire to the middle pin on the headlight relay connector (either is fine as they are both grounds)you will have to find a spot to make a splice for common ground (you need to run the ground wire to all the headlights and then to the headlight relay wiring, at least I did it this way so I wouldnt need to make a new ground)

 

 

 

I had a spare 4 pin connector from a disconnected relay so I used that and quick disconnects on the other side to run a subharness to the fuse block so I wouldnt have to splice the wires. I left the top left wire disconnected, since you only need one for the new wiring and used the solid red wire to power the headlights and extended the connections for the other wires.

 

of the 4 wires on the right side of the fuse block, power stops flowing to red with blue, power is diverted from red to our new headlight relay (pin 30) and the parking lights and common fuses still get power.

 

 

this ends up bypassing power to both the right and left headlight wires so nothing runs to the factory headlight wiring.

 

sorry this next pic is blurry, I forgot to put it on macro. the middle wire is the ground and the other two are the high beam and parking light wires. like I said, switch them if they dont work right.

 

 

 

the only other wire that should be left is the battery hook up. I think the starter post should be fine for that. I havent hooked mine up yet since I was bench testing the whole setup. one other caveat. I was being lazy earlier and was running the 10a fuse hooked up to the starter with a 10 amp fuse, but it kept on triggering relay 3. once I actually hooked up relay 1's pin 30 to the fuse block, it was all good.

 

 

I hope this helps. pm me if you have questions. also the way that this wiring diagram has it, puts high beams as towards the firewall instead of the signal stalk towards driver as highs.

 

 

cost:

relays 4 dollars each

headlight connectors 3 dollars each

relay harness 2 dollars each

 

30 dollars in total. plus wires.

[inline4]

Thanks guys. I am unsure, dont know wiring, and dont know relays. Ill try and get a few pictures of what is going on and how its wired up. The high beams and low beams DO work, and separately. So i can use my low beams or high and wont get pulled over, its just dim.

 

 

Someone else suggested to me also same thing you did hainz, the VR or light switch needs to be cleaned. Its running an internal voltage regulator (VR been bypassed)

if you don't know how to hook up the wires/relays, you can either send me 30 bucks for the parts or trade me 30 bucks worth of some parts that I might need and I'll do it for you.

 

the connector I made looks like shit, its the first time I did it and I had to do guess work on the length of wire and shit, that and I always forget to put shrink wrap on the wires until after I've soldered shit. haha. the second time around will be a lot prettier, as I know how much wire to cut.

[inline4]

I just went for a spin in the car. light output is much better, although the stock lights arent that great.

 

 

before:

 

 

after: