OptimusPrimeX Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Hello all .. this is my first post in the forums, usually just lurking Have a few questions...- Headlights stay on when truck is OFF- Headlight switch ... Driver-side headlight is out ( brights and normal )( and yes i searched the forums, found similar topics but didn't explain details i need)My 1995 pathfinder now has Two issues1. My headlights will stay on when the car is off, so it's become really annoying lately. I have topop the hood and disconnect the negative cable when i park.2. I disconnected the headlight switch from the column to look at the pins. I had seen in a fewdiscussions that sometimes the pins need to be cleaned. I put it back in without cleaning it to inspect itand now my driver side headlight is out. How does one even clean the pins, since the pin would need to be bent up. I slightly bent up one to inspect and i think it's NOT making contact so the driver side is out.Here's the thing, are all 5 pins suppose to make contact and when the lever is positioned it disengages contact or is it the other way around. I really just want to get the driver-side headlight working again, which pin would it be ?I can't see how they could be cleaned without bending them up without being able to bend them back down. Since trying to bend them back into position wouldn't work without taking the whole dam thing apart since there's no room to bend down. It could be a coincidence and the bulb blew on the driver-side but the timingof me taking out the switch doesn't make sense, but possible. Didn't feel like taking the intake parts off to get to the headlight just yet if i don't have to. Doesn't help that it's cold as hell out and also night time >_OAlso since i read that this is a "hot" system, there is no "headlight relay". So i'm thinking that there is a wire somewherethat is grounding or something idk... These are the pins.. i need to know if they always contact or make contact when switched so i can try to fix this.Not my picture.. just one i found Any suggestions would be much appreciated.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_love_my_95_pathy Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Have you check the headlight fuses on the passenger side fender wall. They are both 10A if I recall correctly. Sorry not near my truck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimusPrimeX Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 Have you check the headlight fuses on the passenger side fender wall. They are both 10A if I recall correctly. Sorry not near my truck Thanks for the suggestion, yes i did. I ended up sanding the contacts inside the blinker switch and both headlights are working now. Now i need to figure out why the heck the headlights stay on when it's off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 (edited) So with the headlight switch OFF, the headlights remain ON? Are the markers on as well? And just to dig deeper. The headlights remain on through each of the three positions of the headlight switch? Edited March 3, 2016 by silverton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimusPrimeX Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 So with the headlight switch OFF, the headlights remain ON? Are the markers on as well? And just to dig deeper. The headlights remain on through each of the three positions of the headlight switch? I found something today but i'll get to that. Yes the headlights stay on when they are in the "off" position. ONLY the headlights are on, not the markers. When the car is off and the headlights are on, switching to the brights puts them on low-beam. when the car is turned on, the positions are correct, except the headlights don't turn off. (low beam is on when the car is running and in off position. I found something rather strange, although i'm told there is no relay, there is a Bosch relay that clicks when i connect the negative battery terminal. I don't recall ever hearing a clicking like that when working on other cars, but maybe i just wasn't paying attention. It's almost like a POP. So maybe that has something to do with it ? I don't know how to read electrical schematics but i need to find the PDF of my Pathy repair manual. Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-332019150-Relay/dp/B0010ADJIE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimusPrimeX Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 and also i have read through the "Headlight Repair Info" thread just FYI :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 That is the relay for the foglights, and the clicking means it's being energized. Unplug the relay and see if your problem persists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 The fog light relay only ties into one headlight's low beam, and you're having both stay on. This makes me suspect it's a symptom of the low beams staying on rather than the cause (unless your headlight harness has been modified). What I would do is unplug the headlight switch and see if that makes the stubborn lights go out. If it does, pull the back off again, cycle the control stick around, and see if all the contacts are opening like they should. If the contacts for the low beam are bent up, the throw they get from the switch might not be enough to open them, but it sounds like they were doing this before you opened the switch. That makes me wonder if the mechanism that moves those contacts is broken or jammed up. I haven't heard of one failing like that but it's about all I can think of. If the lights don't go out with the switch removed, then you're in for a whole other round of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I wonder.... if the foglight relay is faulty, could it backfeed power to the headlights? It would have to fail just right, but it could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I don't think it could light both, not with factory wiring anyway. The two headlights have completely separate wiring all the way to the switch (and separate contacts inside), and the fog light signal wire only taps into one of them. If positive shorted to signal inside the relay, you could get one light coming on, but unless the harness has been modified or the switch is faulty, I don't think it would do both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terranovation Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 If the headlights are staying on when you have flicked the switch to the off position, then one of those brass fingers must be still making contact with the magnet inside the switch. This happened to me because I bent the fingers too much when I did the contact clean out. Did you watch the brass fingers move as you moved the switch to on and off? Could be a long shot, but it could be a faulty headlight bulb too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimusPrimeX Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 Just a quick reply in a rush, going to get back at this tomorrow, see what i can find and post back. Thanks for all the replies btw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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