Ford Fiesta Main Headlight/Headlamp Problem?
I have a 1998 ford fiesta Zetec and noticed the other day that the main headlamp wasn't working. The dipped beam one was working as usual though so I assumed the bulb has gone. I have since bought a new bulb but when I replaced the old one it still didn't work! I tested the bulb so it must be something else that is wrong, anyone know what it could be? All the other lights (left and right side) are working perfectly.
Answers:
obviously the headlight isn't getting voltage properly at the filament (wire connection on bulb). This could be from 2 things, one is a a poor or "floating ground on that side", - then the power may back-feed and do "funky things"! The other is that you have a broken wire going to this filament... you didn't say which side, -- most of the cars have the wiring come down one side and then across the radiator area to the other side. They do this because it uses less wire to go in that manner (and costs them less money). Anyway, - you can probably follow the wires from the headlight back a ways, and see if it is broken, and of course see where that side is grounded, and loosen and tighten the contact screw, - or bolt (to make it "shiny" clean ). If you can't find anything, and don't want to spend a lot of time hunting, you could just connect a wire across from one side to the other so they both work together (as the actually do anyway), -- If you do a little adapting, you can run a wire alongside the "connectors" on each side, - when you slide the plug on to the socket, it will then "trap" the wire in the contact, and make good connections!
I have a bad switch (that takes a "court order" to remove from dash)-- this is the headlight switch, -- so I just hooked a diode from each beam connection on headlight into one of the sidelight sockets. This provides power to the park-sidelights any time the headlights are on, and keeps the power from "backfeeding" from one element to the other element on headlight! The only thing you have to do is to put the diode in in "right direction, (as power flows only one way through a diode)! This took me 20 minutes to do, -- removing and replacing the switch takes about 4 hours! It makes the dash lights work right too!
Firstly try another bulb,you may have bought the wrong bulb, get one from a ford dealer, then clean all the contacts, after that, main dealer I am afraid, mot failure so get it sorted
Have you checked the fuse, there are fuses for left and right Headlamps seperately, it's possible that when the bulb blew it took the fuse out with it, the only other thing could be a wiring fault but this is unlikely, check around the headlamp connections and where the wiring goes through body panels etc. for chafing.
Had another thought, is there a relay in the circuit anywhere? The switch is a possibility.
It could be one of two problems first port of call is the switch and the most likely trouble is theres no way of testing it so you might have to just bite the bullet and buy a new one.
think you have wiring problem, check for 12volts at the connector on the headlamp, if not then you need to chase the wires back.
when the switch goes on these neither headlamps will work
I did a Fiesta where the connector blocks on both headlamps had melted and the wire on one had melted, or rotted off, check the connector very carefully, it cannot be the switch as it would affect both sides, fuse holder, has the contact pushed out the back of the box.
If I lived on your doorstep I could find it in 5 minutes. Electricity is easy, especially low voltage single phase. Do you know anyboby at all that has a multi-meter? If so, they'll find you the problem in no time at all.
sounds like a wire fault
but you can breatch it from the other side with a new wire or just go to ford and get them to cheack it out
Then you have a bad connection problem , most likely the cluster multi connection on the bulkhead , not an amateurs job
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