Volvo RWD 200 Forum

INDEX FOR 10/2025(CURRENT) INDEX FOR 5/2012 200 INDEX

[<<]  [>>]


THREADED THREADED EXPANDED FLAT PRINT ALL
MESSAGES IN THIS THREAD




  REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE Replies to this message will be emailed.    PRINT   SAVE 

Headlight puzzle 200 1985

On my Turbo Wagon I've got 4 new headlights that all turn on with the bright switch. When switched back to lowbeam the left headlight goes out. All the connections seem secure. Where to start?








  REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

Headlight puzzle 200 1985

There's a connector just ahead of the battery for the headlights. It's subject to additional corrosion due to its proximity to battery acid. Check that first.








  REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

Headlight puzzle 200 1985

switch headlights around to confirm it's not the headlight.








  REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE Replies to this message will be emailed.    PRINT   SAVE 

Headlight puzzle 200 1985

"...got 4 new headlights that all turn on with the bright switch..."

Good.

"...lowbeam the left headlight goes out..."

Could be a bad bulb, but not likely if they're all new.

Double check the in-line connectors and the sockets that plug onto the bulbs. Look carefully where the wire connects to the in-socket (or in connector) lug. Those are usually crimpled, and sometimes corrosion eats up the wire.

With the low beams on (and the dead bulb dead) chase backwards through the wiring using a meter or test light.

And finally -- as I recall, the low beams (but not the high beams) go through the famed "bulb out sensor." That sensor has a spotty track record -- sometimes it's the cause of a bulb out (I've had several over the years). You can sometimes open it and find a bad connection or broken wire and repair it.

It's worth your while to find one from a junk or borrow one for diagnostic purposes from a good car.
--
Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)







<< < > >>



©Jarrod Stenberg 1997-2022. All material except where indicated.


All participants agree to these terms.

Brickboard.com is not affiliated with nor sponsored by AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. or Ford Motor Company. Brickboard.com is a Volvo owner/enthusiast site, similar to a club, and does not intend to pose as an official Volvo site. The official Volvo site can be found here.