Str8upChevy

My headlights keep going out for some reason. Once I turn them on at night, they'll stay on for about 15-20 minutes, then they just go out. I try turning them off and back on, but nothing happens. I have to pull over and shut my car off for about two minutes, then when I start it back up they come back on.

Unfortunately they only stay on for a few minutes and then go right back off. I just don't get it. They're the EuroLight low beams, and what's weird, is when they go off, my Volt gauge drops quite a bit. When they're on, the gauge is up close to 3/4 of the way, but when they turn off, the gauge drops down close to 1/2 way.

I know it's not the Eurolights, because it happened a few times before installing them. Now it's happening every time I drive it at night. I just don't understand why they would stay on for 20 minutes , and then just go out while driving down the road.

NoRiceInside

**** thats a tricky one. try checking your grounds. maybe even the headlamp relay.

2000v6cam

i would bet on it being the relay like its heating up and the circuit breaks then when it cools down for a minute it works again till it gets hot again ??? just my guess

V6Cam

sounds like a relay...

Str8upChevy

I sure hope it's something simple like that, cause as I've said many times......I hate trouble shooting electrical problems. Now I just have to wait till it's stops pouring outside so I can check it out.

When I sell this Condo and move in about two years, (Down to So. Cali) .....I'm definitely getting a house with a Garage. I hate having my car out in the weather.

Thanks for the suggestion.

97' Z28 show project

yea id say a relay and i know what you mean having the car in the weather i got an apt untill i go back to colorado in nov

Str8upChevy

WOW.. I'm assuming that you also have a major Security System installed with the stereo you got, and living in a Apartment? I have the factory one still hooked up, along with a second aftermarket system, and then the battery/kill back-up siren hidden where no one can reach it.

As low as my car is, it will be no easy task trying to get under the front end to do anything to disarm the first two. But like I say.....I have the other one hooked up so that..."IF" by chance someone was able to kill the power to my car......the back-up goes off 10 seconds later.......and there's no way possible for them to get to that siren.

That's the only thing that gives me comfort in leaving it outside with having a nice sound system.

Str8upChevy

I finally found out why they keep going out. As you can tell from the date on my last post, (4-1-06) I only drove my car at night 1 time since then, and it was a 10 minute trip to the store, therefore the lights never went out.

Last night I had to drive it up to my buddy's shop to drop off the SS grill insert for the hood. On my way back they went off again, so instead of pulling off the freeway, I reached over and turned the switch off and back on. Nothing happened by doing that, so I pushed in on the switch and held it to the right, and BOOM......my lights stayed on.

As soon as I let go they went off again, so it's obviously the switch. I called the service department at the dealership today and they confirmed it after explaining it too them. So, after $40.89 on a new headlight switch, I should be able to enjoy my EuroLights without worrying about losing them after 20 minutes.

blue89vert

good good

2Poor4Z

hey skaggs.. have you tested your SPL levels on that stereo setup.. curious what it would read.. ive thougth about doing a back seat setup but im afraid im going to loose alot of db's by taking it off of the back hatch glass..

Str8upChevy

Man, what a pain in the a$$ it was just to swap out the headlight switch. The 98+ cars just have that small trim panel surrounding their switch that just pops off. No such luck on my 96. It requires taking the whole top part of the dash that goes all the way to the windshield off, then removing the instrument cluster bezel, AFTER removing the the knee bolster and radio trim.

Fortunately I'm smarter than the instruction manual, so I didn't have to remove the top portion of the dash, or even the cluster bezel all the way. I simply removed the knee bolster, radio trim piece, and removed all but the top screw of the C.B. Then I just pulled the left hand side of the C.B. away from the dash, just enough to get the old switch unplugged.

Once it was all said and done, it really wasn't a big deal, but good grief.....if I had followed the Chiltons Manual, it would have been a lot more work than what it's worth just to change a stupid headlight switch. That did fix the problem though, so now I have full time headlights again.

Bernotas05

Good news man glad it worked out for yah.