I have a 2003 forester and last night the headlights did not work but the high beams do. I later noticed that the parking lights, daytime driving lights also do not work. Checked all fuses and everything is OK. Directionals do work !
I see that this is your first post, so welcome! Subaru, the official car of New England! LFOD!
OK, now that I've taken care of the formalities, specifically tailored to a fellow resident of the Granite State, let's look at your problem. I'm a little bit uncertain about your terminology so let's start by making sure I've got it straight. "headlights did not work but the high beams do" I guess this means that low beams don't work. Right?
Do high beams work both in their regular always on fashion and also when you flash them by pulling up on the arm?
DRLs and low beams are just two different uses of the low beam filament in our dual-filament H4 bulbs. They share a lot of circuitry on the way to ground till they branch apart. So there could easily be a common point that is knocking both of these out together.
I doubt that your problem involves fuses, though I always do recommend testing them with a meter or by exchange rather than just by sight. Sometimes they can look good, but it's what the electrons see that counts. However, the way that the headlight fuses are set up in our Foresters there's one for each side, not for each beam or for the whole assemblage. Peculiar things can happen if a fuse does blow out. Things like one side becoming extra bright and the other side very dim. Similar things can happen if one of the headlight connectors melts (not that uncommon) and interrupts the flow.
The thing that really puzzles me is the parking lights. They are pretty well separated from the headlight wiring. You do mean the very same lights that come on when the headlight switch is in its first ON position?
Did this all start to happen at the exact same time, as if there really were a common cause to all of it?
Where in New Hampshire are you located? If you're right down the street from me, I'll come over tomorrow with my meter and we'll see what we can do.
I'm a little bit uncertain about your terminology so let's start by making sure I've got it straight. "headlights did not work but the high beams do" I guess this means that low beams don't work. Right?
Correct low beams do not work
Do high beams work both in their regular always on fashion and also when you flash them by pulling up on the arm?
Yes both ways !!
The thing that really puzzles me is the parking lights. They are pretty well separated from the headlight wiring. You do mean the very same lights that come on when the headlight switch is in its first ON position?
Yes again.....the only thing that comes on is the tail lights.
Did this all start to happen at the exact same time, as if there really were a common cause to all of it?
I believe it all happened at the same time on Friday night...came back from Hockey game, started car, turned on lights and nothing....didn't notice if daytime driving lights were on earlier.
I live in Hampstead...a bit a ways from New London....my son went to C-S college.
I have a 2003 forester and last night the headlights did not work but the high beams do. I later noticed that the parking lights, daytime driving lights also do not work. Checked all fuses and everything is OK. Directionals do work !
This week in MY 2003 forester, my front and rear running/navigation lights began staying on even with the key out. I have to pull the fuse to keep it from draining the batt (well, I have rigged up a switch for the moment to save time). Brake lights, headlights, and directionals etc. all work. I examined the circuit diagram and am pretty sure it's a relay but it doesn't seem to be one in the engine compartment relay box, anyone know where the heck it is? Thanks so much!
Yes, Hampstead is a bit too far away. A good friend of mine used to be the minister at the Congregational church there. We went to the Robert Burns evenings when they had them.
We've got our terminology nailed down now. I'll look through the diagram and see if anything points to being a common cause. It might take a day or two, as I'm presently getting packed to drive to Maryland tomorrow.
One other thing to check. Do the parking lights behave any differently when you turn them on with the rocker switch on top of the steering column? Is there anything about that switch that doesn't feel quite right when you use it?
Fliping that switch does nothing....at all !! The only thing that seems strange is when I turn on the headlights I hear a click somewhere under the passenger side dash area....flasher switch ??? emergency flashers do work.
I have this same problem, 2006 impreza no low-beams only high beams. Daytime running lights and side lights all work. Dash "battery killer" works too. Checked fuses, swapped relays, tested for voltage at the bulb-socket connector. there is voltage if you flip on the high beams but 0 volts with just the head-lights on.
When you flip the switch- lever on there is a loud click behind the glove-box. I don't remember this before the low-beams stopped working. I dropped the glove-box and There are 4 or 5 relays back there but hard to tell which one is making the noise. A quick google search shows this problem happening to lots of people. I'm guessing at this point we're looking at a manufacturing defect?
If you guys find anything please post before I get raked over the coals at the dealer.
This is rather pathetic for a 5 year old car with 50K miles. I had to drive the pile home tonight 28 miles with the brights on.sorry, had to vent
I'm starting to think more clearly now but still pissed off. Could this be a problem with the daylight sensor on the dash?
Is it possible for this sensor to go bad and short out the headlights? Seems unlikely that an Engineering would be stupid enough to design in such a Fubar but anythings possible with today's cars.
If this is it I have no qualms about cutting this thing out and splicing the wires back together.
I posted a response in the other thread. I don't think we can help you with the daylight sensor ? 'cause I have never heard that the Foresters have that. Does your Impreza have fog lights? And if you do, do they work with the lights on (even if you don't have lows :shrug? I'm also wondering if we have the same fuse panel under the hood. I'm no electrical whiz but the Forester has a lighting relay and wonder if it can be swapped with another relay under the hoods fuse panel?
I posted a response in the other thread. I don't think we can help you with the daylight sensor ? 'cause I have never heard that the Foresters have that.
I think all cars had to have daytime running lights by law after a certain date and I'm assuming the day-light sensor (automatic headlights) showed up at the same time.
Does your Impreza have fog lights? And if you do, do they work with the lights on (even if you don't have lows :shrug? I'm also wondering if we have the same fuse panel under the hood. I'm no electrical whiz but the Forester has a lighting relay and wonder if it can be swapped with another relay under the hoods fuse panel?
no fog lights, just side markers. Yes i'm sure I have the same fuse box and I did swap a relay with the horn (same relay) No joy but the horn still works :icon_surprised:
great thanks,
sure enough, those stupid daytime running lights are in the low-beam circuit. Reminds me back when the Federal government required "automatic seat-belts" circa 1990/91. they rode in the door track and when the doors opened in a collision they would eject the occupants like a sling-shot.
I'm going to have to print this and ask for help at work from someone with more circuit diagram ability. I will chop, hack , remove, and re-wire whatever is necessary.
Good Dog, wiring is a good bit different for the 06 GD chassis. I will have a go at it once I'm at home this evening. I need to pull the diagram and have a look-see.
Good Dog, wiring is a good bit different for the 06 GD chassis. I will have a go at it once I'm at home this evening. I need to pull the diagram and have a look-see.
ok so after a good nights sleep I took another look at the diagram goodog posted for 2002 WRX. On that car there's a relay that turns on the low beams either from the switch or it's turned on by the "Daytime running light sensor". Also the daytime running light control module is fed from the high beam circuit.
Edited: I just checked my car and there indeed 2 relays behind the glove-box (which drops down easily). One of them is for H-beam and it's an on-off, colored Blue. the other is black and it's 3-pole, switching between the DRL sensor and the low-beam circuit. This is the part I suspect is bad.
I'd get the multimeter out and probe at the relay socket since you're already there.
The center [Pin 3] should be direct to ground with high resistance (DRL relay).
The bottom [Pin 5] (Black Wire) should be direct to ground (0 Ohms resistance).
Pin 4 (Green Red) should have infinite resistance with the headlights off, and have continuity to ground (0 ish ohms) with the headlights on.
Pin 2 (Green Black) should have 12 volts with the key in position II (battery light illuminated on dash)
Do the testing and report back here. Since the DRLs turn on, no need to test pin 1, it's confirmed in tact, as is the functionality of the head light relay (DRL module is closing relay to provide power to lights when the DRLs come on).
The relay can be had at a more reasonable then Subaru dealer price by going to Napa and asking for a Black Nissan relay.
Did anyone of you guys with the lighting issue do ANY sort of wiring in the car i.e. gauges, sound system, any sort of auxiliary lighting, etc? If so, I would double check the wiring as I had issues with gauge wiring. A buddy of mine helped me put in my gauges and he did the wiring as he is a wiring guru(usually anyway). He tapped into the gauge cluster for a signal for the relay I had setup for the gauges and auxiliary lighting. After closing everything up and started the car, I noticed that all my lights were on with every switch being off, even with the ebrake on. We removed the 2 wires from the gauge cluster an tapped into the cigar lighter wiring and the problem wnet away instantly.
Well i'm afraid your 1 day too late:icon_surprised: I was going by the 2002 schematic which shows a dual filament single bulb. I took it to a shop and the guy was probing around with a meter then he stops and asks "what year is this. runs int othe office, comes back and pulls out the LOW BEAM BULB". I just started laughing, felt like a total Idiot.
Nice guys though, $62. to replace both including the "diagnostics/testing" etc. I think I paid $22. for just the bulb at checker once. I had somehow completely forgotten doing this on the drivers side even though it requires pulling the battery for access.
All in all a humbling but useful experience. While he was checkign the ground reference (which is under the battery :icon_rolleyes I noticed the battery is dripping down and eating away my air-conditioning Aluminum metal line. I need to replace the 5 year old battery before it destroys my AC line and contaminates the entire system. So for $62. + $15. I actualy was made aware of a much bigger problem waiting to happen. I'll post pics of the line, I hope it's not paper thin and waiting to blow.
Anyone installed one of these on a Forester? I assume it will work just fine? Subi-speed only lists them for the WRX & STI models
HELLA Loud Super Tone Electric Horn B133 Kit Red Black 12V 300-500Hz 66W
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sorry, had to vent
goshring · updated 
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