1997 Honda CRV Dim Headlights

Tiny
D_TORRES2
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 HONDA CRV
  • 4 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 150,000 MILES
My girlfriend's car has very faint head lights. The only way she can drive at night is with her high beams on which are only as bright as my regular low beams on my car. She has taken the car to several shops and they have told her it is fine or that the bulbs are misaligned. However, they have not fixed the problem. New bulbs do not work any better. So I am thinking it could be electrical. Any suggestions?
Monday, December 7th, 2009 AT 6:43 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,815 POSTS
Hi d_torres2,

If the lens of the headlampes looks yellowish, they would not provide bright headlights. There are polishes and treatments available for clearing the lenses.

Check the headlight focus, out of focus lights would not show well in dark areas.
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 AT 8:43 AM
Tiny
CYNDI LAURIE
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Simple solution (for me at least)!
You described my problem exactly, but it turned out the low beams actually were on. Try rotating the lever just on more notch.
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Wednesday, April 18th, 2018 AT 11:03 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,003 POSTS
Common reasons for dim lights are, Failing alternator that isn't keeping the battery charged, Failing battery that is pulling the voltage down. Yellowed plastic that is blocking the light. Old bulbs, even the best bulbs will lose some lumens over time due to deposits building up inside the bulb case.
The biggest issue I see however is corrosion in the connections causing reduced voltage at the bulbs themselves. The corrosion acts as a resistance and instead of full battery voltage at the lights you get a reduced amount, even a 1/2 volt drop can cause a light to be noticeably dimmer. This voltage drop is why manufacturers started adding relays to the system. The relay allows for a shorter run from battery to lamp which reduces the voltage lost in the wiring and switches. For the cars with corrosion, cleaning the corrosion off the contacts and grounds combined with new bulbs and adding dielectric grease to the various connections to slow new corrosion can make a dramatic difference.
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Friday, April 20th, 2018 AT 8:44 PM

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