Head lights not working properly after replacing the wiring harness

MORGAN8173

MEMBER
2011 FORD ESCAPE
2.5L
4 CYL
2WD
280,000 MILES

Replaced front right headlight harness and bulb after accidentally ripping the A/C compressor wiring out of the connector and fixing that (A/C compressor works now) but then noticed this headlight doesn’t work so after looking at it further noticed it was burnt up. So I need harness and bulb installed but only will work when the left side bulb is unplugged. Can you please help with this?

8 Replies

SQM

MECHANIC
6,383 POSTS

Hello,

It sounds like you might have a short somewhere.
So after installing new lights you will only get one of them to work? or one only works if the other side is unplugged?

I have attached the headlight harness for your reference.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-voltmeter

Please let me know if you need any other info.

Thank you.

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Friday, August 13th, 2021 AT 8:12 AM

MORGAN8173

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66 POSTS

Thank you. So I can understand that yellow and violet is going to be the ground wire right. I can’t make out what the other colors are per the diagram.
So 1. Yellow and violet (2) middle wire (3) 3rd wire color.

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Friday, August 13th, 2021 AT 8:18 AM

SQM

MECHANIC
6,383 POSTS

My apologies, I think I sent you wrong diagram. Look below of the correct one. This will make more sense.

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Friday, August 13th, 2021 AT 8:28 AM

MORGAN8173

MEMBER
66 POSTS

So I attached a picture of the harness I bought it’s a Dorman for H13.

1) blank wire, which color wire?
2) green wire.
3) brown wire.

So I have a green/black wire, yellow/violet wire, green and some other color maybe yellow I could make out. Can you tell me what color goes to what wire? I don’t understand these diagrams.

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Friday, August 13th, 2021 AT 8:51 AM

MORGAN8173

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66 POSTS

Sorry, I typically take pic of these things before cutting wire but it’s tight quarters in that area and with the connector being burnt between that and pulling it off the wire pulled out of the connector leaving me in this position.

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Friday, August 13th, 2021 AT 8:54 AM

SQM

MECHANIC
6,383 POSTS

If you are looking at directly into the socket with the clip side at the top. The left wire is the low beam which needs to attach with the factory harness that is blue/green. The center one is ground which will attach with the factory harness that is black/green.
And the last one is the high beam needs to attach with yellow/violet.
Hope this helps.
Thanks.

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Friday, August 13th, 2021 AT 10:10 AM

MORGAN8173

MEMBER
66 POSTS

Thank you for your help, I now have working headlight. So I had the true ground wire all along connected to the black wire on that connector dumb me not thinking it’s a after marker that black wire is nothing more than a black wire nothing different than the other two. I just couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working. So thank you. Hey, in the meantime I literally soldered tons of wires hoping that was it. Because I just knew it wasn’t that headlight.

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Friday, August 13th, 2021 AT 8:36 PM

SQM

MECHANIC
6,383 POSTS

Glad that the headlight is functional.
Many times on the aftermarket harness they will use random colors which could rally throw us off. I have seen aftermarket harness with 4 wires that were all white, for no good reason.

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
Thank you.

https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/2carpros.com

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Saturday, August 14th, 2021 AT 7:11 AM