High beams don't work

[maxpowers]

I have a 95 NSX-T and the High beams won't turn on. When I pull back on the high beam switch, the lights pop up, but the dash indicator doesn't turn on and the high beams don't turn on. After a couple seconds the lights go back down automatically. Clearly the switch does something because the lights pop up. I've replaced the "dimmer switch relay" and it hasn't solved the problem. When I took the housing off the dimmer relay and manually made contact the high beams do come on.

Has anyone else run into this? It's the last thing I need before I can get this thing on the road again, so I'd love to figure it out.


Incidentally, what the world is the second dot on the headlight switch supposed to do? When I turn them on and switch from the small dot to the large dot nothing different happens as far as I can tell.

 

[ftuhy]

OK - I'm confused by your last sentence. On the lighting ("headlight") switch, position one (small, first dot) is for the "parking lights", position 2 (second dot) pops up the headlights and turns them on. If the headlight switch is in position 2, then pulling on the lever should just switch you between high and low beans.

Pulling on the lever with the headlight switch off turns on the high beams as long as you are pulling back on the lever.

How long have you had the car & when did this problem first show up?

Do you have the electrical trouble-shooting manual? I do and can scan and send you the relevant pages if needed. That's always a big help & I can act as interpreter if you "don't do schematics". Unfortunately, I'll be entertaining guests through Thursday, so I won't have much free time.

PM me with your phone number if you htink a quick phone call might help.

 

[maxpowers]

Thanks for the response. After pulling apart the main fuse box I see there are multiple potential problems. The previous owner or owners had been tinkering in the fuse box for some unknown reason and splicing and re-routing a couple wires.

I think I have the wires back the way they should be now but the high beams still don't work... and now neither do the low beams. The parking lights do work independently for the first time though and the headlights do pop up when I set the switch to the second position although no actual light turns on. When I pull back to turn on the high beams I hear a buzzing sound coming from the lighting relay. I've replaced the Dimmer relay and it apparently wasn't the problem. I now suspect the lighting relay was the problem all along and the previous owner did a little splicing to bypass it instead of just replace it. I've ordered a lighting relay and hope it does the trick.

I'm working off diagrams from a 91 service manual and am not sure how much things changed in 95. If you have a 95 manual or wiring diagrams for the main fuse box that would be helpful for sure.

I am confronted with a real mystery though in all this. The Dimmer Relay has 5 prongs and the middle one (b) currently has no female connector on the back. On the diagrams I can't see that any wire is supposed to go there so I'm not sure if it's supposed to be that way or if there should be a female connector going to it. See pictures.

 

[ftuhy]

Per my '95 electrical troubleshoot manual, pin 2 on the dimmer relay is not used. The USA headlight circuit is 2 pages in the '95 ETM (pp 110-2, 3) I'll scan them and attach them in this post, or at worst send them to you in a PM.

I have guests arriving tomorrow for a 3 day visit, so I'll try to get this done before then.

Frank

- - - Updated - - -

View attachment Headlight circuit from ETM.pdfView attachment Headlight circuit from ETM.pdf

The PDF file has 2 pages & "preview post" isn't displaying the attachment. However, if you click on the image, it will open with Adobe Reader in a full size page.

Frank

 

[maxpowers]

That answers the most important question I think. I was really worried there was another wire cut somwhere way down the wire harness. I'm still looking forward to getting my new lighting relay to see if that will solve the problem. Thanks a ton again sir!

 

[shawn110975]

this is why people jury rigging shit all the time makes me mad don't know how to do something or you don't have 12 dollars to buy a new relay you shouldn't have an NSX.

call last owner see if he can remember when he was high on meth why he wired your NSX like that. see what he says and where can we buy some that strong LOL

 

[maxpowers]

Unfortunately the lighting relay and dimmer switch relay did NOT do the trick. I don't know what the problem is at this point. Incidentally I discovered that the door locks lock when you press unlock and unlock when you press lock. Whoever messed with the electrical on this thing really should have left it to someone else. Thankfully everything else seems to work fine and I can only hope that the door locks will be much simpler than the high-beam issue... although I thought it would be easy too.