Weak low beam driver side - no LOM

[isol]

Hi to all,

My driver side low beam is very weak (dimmed). High beam on driver side is normal and passenger side is normal (both low and high). The blue high beam indicator light on the dashboard is always on, no matter in which position the switch lever is.
I have no message center and therefore no LOM (according to some older posts if no message center no LOM).
Has anyone had a similar problem?
Thank you!

 

[fastpakr]

Are you running stock headlights? I did have a similar experience years ago when testing a set of LEDs (though this was not on a Ranger/Explorer).

What is 'LOM'?

 

[Mbrooks420]

Light(lamp?)-out module.

 

[96eb96]

Hi to all,

My driver side low beam is very weak (dimmed). High beam on driver side is normal and passenger side is normal (both low and high). The blue high beam indicator light on the dashboard is always on, no matter in which position the switch lever is.
I have no message center and therefore no LOM (according to some older posts if no message center no LOM).
Has anyone had a similar problem?
Thank you!

Do some voltage checks back to the switch.
Take the voltage at the connector.
Take voltages across the wires when the headlights are on. From the connector to the switch.
A perfect wire should theoretically have zero volts across it. In the real world. maybe .5 or so is ok. The more voltage you see across a wire, the more it steals from the headlight.
A wiring diagram could also help (there may be a splice for the driver headlight). I can't find my wiring diagrams, otherwise I would post.

Sometimes the headlight connector harness can go bad too.

 

[96eb96]

Are you running stock headlights? I did have a similar experience years ago when testing a set of LEDs (though this was not on a Ranger/Explorer).

What is 'LOM'?

They tell the message center if your bulbs are out. But they can fail in such a way that you have no warning and no headlight :lol:. Or no Brake lights, and lose some other functions too, like the door auto locks when you start off.
Internally there are tiny solder connectors that pass the entire headlight current. I had to rework mine with higher gauge wires.

 

[DR98FL]

wiring diagram headlights 99 Ex

 

[isol]

Thank you guys for your assistance.
I will use the weekend to inspect voltage across the wire (from the switch to the connector). However, I am also flirting with one other idea - what would happen if I take 120cm of wire and bring the low beam "electricity" from the right (passenger side) low beam to the left (driver side) bulb and just neglect the driver side low beam wire?

 

[Mbrooks420]

You’ll potentially pull too much juice and pop a fuse, burn a relay, or start a fire. Ohm out your wiring, and fix it appropriately.

 

[isol]

You’ll potentially pull too much juice and pop a fuse, burn a relay, or start a fire. Ohm out your wiring, and fix it appropriately.

I inspected the wires - they look OK. I am extremyl confused by the fact that the high beam indicator is always on, as can be seen in the video. Left low beak weak (dimmed), right works normally.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I wonder if your having a multifunction switch problem. have you swapped the relays around?

 

[fastpakr]

Just to confirm - you aren't running LED headlights or anything like that, correct?

 

[isol]

Just to confirm - you aren't running LED headlights or anything like that, correct?

9007 standard headlights. I have a led bar connected directly to the battery. Should not have anything to do with headlights.
Did not try to switch relays - are you talking about the ones in the fuse box under the hood?

 

[isol]

Just for testing purposes I took the low beam from the right headlight connector and everything functions correctly - the low beam on both sides, high beam and high beam indicator light. Not sure what to conclude from that test/fact...