Very dim headlights

[rustymop]

Hi guys. I'm new here. I bought an 03 Baja almost 2 years ago. I absolutely love this car! I've driven through all kinds of weather and road conditions with complete ease. Eveything on this car is stock. Over the past couple of months I've been having a problem with the headlights getting dim. It started with the passenger side and now has gotten to the driver side. I've replaced bulbs and that didn't work. They're so dim now that I don't drive at night and the fog lights are not adequate enough to risk highway driving at night. I've been told to find a bad ground. But I have no idea where to start. I've tried to find wiring diagrams to no avail. I have mechanical abilities but electrical and wiring are not my strong suit. Can anybody give me an idea please? Thanks.

[Guacamole]

Here's the wiring diagram for the headlights: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Ba ... System.pdf
Are you sure it's the bulbs that are dim or are the housings just getting foggy/not aimed correctly?

[rustymop]

Thank you very much for your reply and diagrams. I will be searching for the bad ground or corroded connection using them. I'm positive that the bulbs are dim. I've used the headlight lens restoration on all my vehicles. It works great and the lenses look brand new. Have a safe trip back from mars. I'll post again when I've made progress. Thanks again.

[Guacamole]

Gotcha.
Oh that? I get bored and make animated signatures and rotate them every so often based on my mood and/or season.

[ZUBAJA]

Have access to a multimeter? Measure voltage coming in and ground to battery negative. Then measure battery positive to the light socket ground. Dennis

[anarchy1024]

The headlights on mine have three possible states: On, DRL (HL switch off, ignition on, handbrake down) which is a lower voltage than On, and Off. If, somehow, the lights were only operating in DRL mode (faulty switch, for example), that could cause them to appear dim. However, that would only be true if the bulbs went instantly from full intensity to this dim state; if it was a gradual fade over time, this is not likely.

Another thing you can test easily is the voltage at the bulb with a basic multimeter. With the bulb out and the headlights on, it should be around 12V (11.5V to 14V, depending). With the bulb in, the voltage shouldn't drop significantly, too.

Oh, you can also check the relays and fuse terminals for corrosion. The left and right lights have separate circuits (IIRC), so it's possible for them to dim at different times.

[bobjr94]

A little late and you may have figured it out now, but when I got my Baja one of the headlight bulbs was jammed in upside down. So it was pointing way off and not lighting up the road. Flipped the bulb and reaimed both of them a little and then they were ok, not great but acceptable.

[rustymop]

hey guys!!! first i want to thank all of you for your help in getting my headlights fixed. everyones response was very helpful. i got it fixed!! i took the fuse block and inspected it for any corrosion or broken wires. i found no issues. i took the headlights out and made sure they were installed correctly. and found that the driver side was blown. weird because the problem was on the passenger side. i replaced both bulbs. after inspecting the fuse block, i checked all the fuses again. i found the fuse to the passenger side headlight was blown. also weird because i checked it several times before and never saw a problem. after replacing the fuse and the headlights. all my worries disappeared. lol everything was back to wonderful working order. BUT..now im very sad to tell that i was t-boned in the passenger side after dropping my son off at school. the car has been deemed a total loss. im not going to have it repaired again. and ive bought it back from the insurance company. it drives straight, runs as good as always, and has many good parts still useable. if anyone is interested in motor, 5 speed manual transmission, or any other parts. with the exception of the passenger doors or mirror. im giving you guys a first chance at ANYTHING you may need for your baja. or im willing to sell the whole car for a reasonably discounted price. starting in january ill start posting in other areas, such as ebay, to sell the parts. i hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season. and best wishes from utah.