1995 Saturn Headlight problems

1995 SATURN SL2
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CJC2CP
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On my 1995 Saturn SL2, the passenger side high and low beams are very dim (barely on). I tried replacing the bulbs, but it didn't work. Then I noticed in your other answers that I need to check the ground. However, my connectors have only 2 wires. Your diagnosing steps gave information for only a 3 terminal connection. Could you help? Is this a grounding issue? Which is the ground wire?
Jan 11, 2011 at 12:27 AM
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SATURNTECH9
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Here's the first thing you need to do go into the under hood fuse box you will find a left and right head light fuse if one of the fuse's blow it will do what your head light's are doing.See if one of the fuse's are blown.
Jan 11, 2011 at 12:36 AM
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CJC2CP
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I have already checked the fuses with a light tester
Jan 11, 2011 at 12:39 AM
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CJC2CP
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They are good
Jan 11, 2011 at 12:40 AM
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SATURNTECH9
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Ok but that sound's just like a blown head light fuse but if you say there good then there good.Test both right head light bulb's orange wire's they should have battery voltage to both of them.Now test the right low beam bulb with the head light's switch on and switched to low beam's.The dark blue wire should have 2 ohms or less to ground.Now check the right high beam bulb with the head light switch on high the pink wire should have 2 ohm's or less to ground.Let me know what you find.
Jan 11, 2011 at 1:17 AM
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CJC2CP
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Okay. I went ahead and double checked the fuses. There are 4 of them (10 amp) in the underhood fuse box. They are light testing good.

Both orange wires are getting 12v.

With the OHMs testing, I'm a bit more unfamiliar. I should have the negative battery cable disconnected, right? And then as I test the dk blue and pink wire, should all the other headlight bulbs be connected or does it matter?

I'll do it as soon as I hear from ya :)
Jan 12, 2011 at 6:06 PM
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CJC2CP
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Okay. I just double checked the fuses in the underhood fuse box. There are 4 of them and they all light test okay.

Both oranges wires are getting 12v.

With the OHMs I am a bit more unfamiliar. I should have the neg. battery cable disconnected, right? Also, do the other headlight bulbs need to be plugged in while I test the blue and pink wires, or does it matter?

I will test it as soon as I hear from you :)
Jan 12, 2011 at 6:10 PM
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SATURNTECH9
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Both battery cable's should be connected it doesn't matter if the head light's you aren't testing are plugged in.The one's you are testing i would unplug.If you are getting battery voltage to the orange wire's then the fuse is good.Connect the black wire of the meter to a good ground you can even use the battery ground post.Then put the meter on low ohm scale and test's the other two wire's like i told you.
Jan 12, 2011 at 6:20 PM
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CJC2CP
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Okay. Thanks so far. I tested as you said. They both had a reading of about .665 on the 2k OHMs setting.
Jan 12, 2011 at 8:54 PM
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SATURNTECH9
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Alright now put the headlight's on low and test across the two low beam connector terminal's and measure the voltage to it using the ground and power on that circuit.Then do the same to the high beam with the high beam's on.Let me know what the voltage reading's are.
Jan 12, 2011 at 10:04 PM
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CJC2CP
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The low beam gets 10.06 v and the high beam gets 11.86v.
Jan 12, 2011 at 10:23 PM
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SATURNTECH9
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Unplug all the head light bulb's and measure the left voltage's and the right voltage's and give me the reading's.Recheck all the voltages with all the head light bulb's unplugged.and give me the new reading's.
Jan 12, 2011 at 10:30 PM
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CJC2CP
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check across each terminal? or orange wire only? Also headlights on or off or does it matter?
Jan 12, 2011 at 10:34 PM
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CJC2CP
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Okay. Unplugged all the bulbs. The passenger side is getting about 11.5 - 11.7 on both the low beam and high beam. The driver's side is getting around 12.5 to the low and high beams. That is with the headlights turned "off."
Jan 12, 2011 at 10:48 PM
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CJC2CP
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Okay. Unplugged all the bulbs. Headlights turned "off." The passenger side is getting about 11.5 - 11.7 on both the low beam and high beam. The driver's side is getting around 12.5 to the low and high beams.
Jan 12, 2011 at 10:51 PM
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CJC2CP
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Sorry about the double responses. The internet connection is freezing and making me reload it. :)
Jan 12, 2011 at 10:57 PM
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SATURNTECH9
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I'm sorry i wasn't clear enough for you i need reading's with all the head light's unplugged the head light switch in the low setting check all the low connector's and the head light switch in the high setting check all the high beam connector's.Also your going to be checking between the power and ground side of the connector's.Meaning your going to be using the power and ground terminal's at the same time to measure the voltage at each connector.Not like you just did by grounding the black meter lead to chassis ground and only checking the hot terminal of each connector.This way we can test the voltage with the power and the ground side of the circuit working together at the same time.
Jan 12, 2011 at 11:34 PM
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CJC2CP
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Okay. I removed all the bulbs and both the low and high terminals are getting about 12.6 to 12.8 when I switch to them.
As a side note, a friend walked up while I was doing it. I was showing him the problem with the bulbs. I re-installed both the passenger bulbs and they didn't light up at all (but the driver's side bulbs weren't in). But then I installed both of the driver's side bulbs and the passenger's started glowing (just barely lit not bright like the driver's side).
My friend, said: That's strange.
Jan 13, 2011 at 1:00 AM
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CJC2CP
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Also, I'm leaving town tomorrow for 10 days. If I can't finish it tonight, can I continue this conversation then?
Also, I sent in a donation, do you get that?
Jan 13, 2011 at 1:11 AM
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SATURNTECH9
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Yes we could continue it in ten day's yes i get credit for donated question's.Let's try this remember when i had you just check the ground terminal on the dim side?Let's do the same on the bright side to compare the high and low beam's ground from the bright to the dim side.Let me know the ohm's reading's.
Jan 13, 2011 at 1:51 AM
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CJC2CP
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You won't believe it! I just got back yesterday, and went back to double checking your instructions, and things were testing okay. Things just weren't adding up to me. So, i did another quick search on Google and found out on answers.com that this headlight is a sneak circuit. It said that even if the fuses test light good at both posts, they could still be bad (corroded).
Sooo, sure enough I pulled the passenger headlight fuse and visually inspected it, and it was corroded. I brushed it and now it works!

Thanks for all your help. I learned from it. Now I know always check the fuses visually as well as with a tester.
Jan 26, 2011 at 3:21 AM
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SATURNTECH9
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That's why i was asking you are sure the fuse's are good because if one of the fuse's fail's it will cause the other head light to be dim.Glad to hear you got it fixed though that's what we like to hear.
Jan 27, 2011 at 1:47 AM
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CJC2CP
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You were such a help to me before. Can I ask another question?
My car is acting as if the transmission fluid is low. I've checked the level while it is hot and on level ground and it is fine. I even took it to a transmission shop just to have them check the level, and he said it was fine.
Here's the symptoms: It has been shifting very badly when I first drive it in the mornings. After I drive it for 5-7 minutes it shifts fine. As long as it's warm, the transmission is fine. By shifting badly I mean that it will down shift suddenly and get stuck there for a while.
It's not throwing any codes. I checked with a paper clip by jumping the two terminals under the steering wheel. Just 3 12's.
Any advice would help...
The transmission mechanic said without codes it would be difficult to find
Feb 3, 2011 at 1:17 AM
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SATURNTECH9
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Jump that connector again and watch for the low coolant light to flash out some code's.The engine light flashes out your engine code's the low coolant light flashes out the transmission code's if you have any.Let me know what you find.
Feb 3, 2011 at 1:44 AM
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CJC2CP
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Jumped it again. Coolant light does not flash.
Feb 3, 2011 at 3:18 AM
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SATURNTECH9
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So if no light's other then engine light flashes when you jump the obd 1 dlc connector then you don't have any other code's.Which is weird with a transmission shifting issue.Also weird that it goes away when warm usually the hotter the transmission fluid get's the worse it shift's when there is a problem.Let's do this make sure the battery cable's are clean and tight have the battery and alternator tested and we will go from there.Because when you have a battery,alternator or corroded battery cable issue it could effect the shifting.Let me know what you find.
Feb 3, 2011 at 4:19 PM