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High beams quit working

bizzs

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
164
Reaction score
9
City, State
Gibsonia Pennsylvania
Year, Model & Trim Level
2018 Ford Explorer XLT
I have an 03 explorer and both high beams quit working all of sudden. The low beams, turn signals and fog lamps still work. Can anyone give me direction on what to check first? I doubt that both bulbs had blown at the same time and I am suspecting that a fuse may have blown, or some kind of relay.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
bizzs
 



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Does the high beam indicator on the cluster light up?
 












Well that means at least the switch is working. The first thing with any electrical problem is to check the fuse. Then check the bulbs. If it's not those then there is a relay. I don't have a wiring diagram but I don't think there's much more in the circuit.
 






Very highly unlikely, but both high beams went on my uncles F-150. Probably not at the exact same time, but close enough for him to think something else was wrong and he brought it to the dealer to diagnose, and sure enough they both burnt out. Very unlikely though.
 






I can post troubleshooting from my shop manuals when I get home tonight.
 






Thanks for the information guys. I would appreciate the trouble shooter information bigrondo. I have a feeling this is going to be a difficult fix to track down.

bizzs
 






Definitely check the relay and if you think about it, both high beams are used at the same time and the same amount of time, although unlikely, I would contemplate trying a new set of bulbs depending on how old they both are. More than likely, you can test the relay by swapping it out another relay of the same type within fuse/relay box, no cost for a quick check.
 






I checked everything that was mentioned and all parts appeared good. After further investigation, I found 2 wires that were cracked off in the wiring harness that leads to the high beam bulbs. I Soldered them both and high beams are working again.

I bought my explorer brand new in 2003 and this is the best vehicle I had ever owned. I did the basic maintenance and the transmission servo modification since owned. She has 90,000 miles and is ready for a complete make over including, front-rear bearings, fan clutch, rotors, brakes and possibly ball joints.

Thanks for the advice everyone and I am sure I will be asking some advice soon..

peace,
bizzs
 






Thanks for posting the solution. Electrical issues can be frustrating and it's helpful when people post their findings for others to trouble shoot with.

BTW, have you figured out how the wiring harness got damaged? Which part of the harness? Where at on the vehicle?
 






Believe it or not, it appears that salt did the damage. The break was in the harness that leads up to the bulb itself. I was stunned to find that the wires were broken in both the right and left bulb harnesses. The plastic coverings were deteriorated with salt and carotid the wires. I had a difficult time soldering them back together because of the corrosion, even with flux.

bizzs
 






Sorry about not getting that info to you.

Nice job on the fix and thanks for the update.:thumbsup:
 






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