Major Problem With Headlight!

[dmc32]

Hey all, 

First off i've read through COUNTLESS threads and posts, but have not found the answer.

Ok so I got new L.E.D's for my 2003 coupe, the parkers went in fine and are working.

So I got h1's and h4's for the regular and high beams respectively. 

I jacked the car up went through the panel and removed the front bumped blah blah, got access to the lights, removed the old regular beam globe, then replaced it with the h1, tested and it was fine. Then as I was putting the globe back in I had real trouble with the 2 metal washers getting them to lock in.

I eventually got them sort of in, and re-tested...nothing!

I'm totally lost as 2 what happened, but i'm guessing it has something to do with the metal washers.

Do they have to be touching? Like the way it was in, it had the metal washer, globe, then the other washer behind that? 

Any ideas? 

I have already taken it to an auto electrician when i was getting my window motor replaced and he said 'you'll have to take it to a panel beater as I cant get access to the lights' obviously he couldn't be bothered!

Thanks!  

[rs73]

Those LED bulbs are evil. They give off wrong voltage reading to the BCM or the ECU and the car start to think something is faulty.

My bro in law had this dreaded Alfa which he changed the parker bulb to one of those LED bulb thing or something.

He complaint that if he didn't start his car for a while the battery will go flat. During one night I noticed that even at power off, one of the LED bulb are still ON! basically faintly still on emiting a very faint light - now - no wonder his battery kept getting flat. Also every time he start the car, the on-board dashboard warning will give out a "Left Light Error", "Right Light Error" message, scaring off prospective buyers which made it took us more than 6 month to get rid of the car and I had to run around replacing all the LED bulbs back to normal bulb...

I wish you luck with those bulbs. You better hope you didn't fried some circuit in the car because of that...! Some things are meant to be left alone in these cars, mate... they're not your average Datsun 120Y

[dmc32]

Oh really! Yeah i'm really hoping I havent fried a wire!

Their aren't any warning lights, and all the other lights on that side and everything else work, just can't get that particular regular beam to work!

Even when I changed it back to the standard globe it still would not light!

[rs73]

sounds like you've either blown a fuse at the most convenient, or at worst case, the BCM (Body Control Module), ouch!

[jrm]

With H1 bulbs, the framing around the bulb is the grounding for it - so if that area isnt 'right', the bulb won't have any grounding and won't work.

I'm wondering if that's where you're having issues with these 'washers'. Poking around that area with a multimeter on the source wire, and back to the body ground should tell you if there's a problem with the grounding or something more serious, either way.

[dmc32]

Oh ok!

The grounding I did not know, as when I re-tried and tried I had removed the washers.

But the first time I had them clicked in it must have been close to right as they were working.

So do I just have to get the metal parts to line up and fold on set of tabs back to kind of hold it together?

[rs73]

even the bulbs are tricky in this car... I hope I don't ever have to touch mine

[V35_Paul]

You don't need to take the bumper off to change globs.

Remove the plastic wheel arch to get to them. Jacking the car up makes it easy.

[dmc32]

Yeah I did that initially, thats when the light worked, but it's hard as to fit the light back in as you cant really see! Plus I don't have the smallest of hands lol.