Strange light issue, please help troubleshooting

Tiny
BABIL
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 ACURA RSX
  • 88,000 MILES
Hi all,
I hope that someone could help out.
This is a 2004 Acura RSX-S. After uninstalling the front bumper, I removed the headlight projectors to test some new LED bulbs that I recently bought. They didn’t do as much light as the halo bulbs, so I discarded them and reinstalled the original halo bulbs.
Both lights, the low and high beam are not working properly on the passenger side, while they are perfectly working on the driver side.
1) First issue is that on the passenger side they are not bright as they should, the light is really low (check picture below). Also, I need to plug both lights into the connector in order for them to turn on. If I plug only one light, they don’t turn on. This problem doesn’t happen on the driver side, where I can plug only one light at time and they turn on.

Picture 1

2) Second issue is that when I turn on the high beams, both low and high beam shut off. Check the picture below. The driver side is fine, while the passenger side lights are off.

Picture 2

I did the following testing:
- I checked all the fuses one by one and they all seem to be fine. Also if a fuse was broken, then the light wouldn’t turn on at all.
- I removed the light bulbs from the passenger side and installed to the driver side and vice versa. Same exact issue. Thus, the light bulbs seem to work perfectly fine. I guess that the issue is somewhere else and I don’t know where.
What could cause this issue? What other components should I check/replace?
Thanks in advance. If you have questions, please let me know and I’ll answer promptly.
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 1:24 AM

7 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Sounds like you have bad grounds. Check them for being clean and tight

Roy
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 1:40 AM
Tiny
BABIL
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Thanks for the response. For bad ground, do you mean a bad electrical (-) connection? How do you suggest cleaning them?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 2:05 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Is vehicle equipped with Daytime Running Lights?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 6:54 AM
Tiny
BABIL
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
The vehicle front lights are equipped with: turn signal, position light, H1 low beam, H1 high beam. Total of 4 lights in each headlight projector.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 2:29 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Daytime Running Lights means the lights turns on when engine is started during the day. Guess you don't have this system.

Attached are the schematic. Behind the headlights there is a ground circuit with some wires bolted to the inner fender. Ensure the bolt is tight and secure with no signs of rust or contaminations.

Do you have a test light to perform tests?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 AT 2:43 PM
Tiny
BABIL
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Thanks, you were right. The ground cable was bad. I couldn't do it myself for lack of knowledge. I couldn't locate it. I took the car to a mechanic he did it for me.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Saturday, September 29th, 2012 AT 11:02 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Glad to know you have solved the problem.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, September 30th, 2012 AT 7:37 AM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Sponsored links