1997 850 GLT Low Beam Headlamp problem

[mkc1]

Hi All,

I'm having trouble with the low beams on my '97 850 GLT. The high beams also do not work except the flash-to-pass, i.e. when the turn signal stalk is pulled towards the driver. Also, with the headlamp switch in the on position, the low beams will come on rather faintly every other time the turn signal stalk is pulled (i.e. when the low beams are being switched on.) I've replaced the main headlamp switch and the headlamp relay above the fuse panel, but neither of these solves the problem. I've also checked the headlamp fuses and they're all good.

My next thought was the ignition switch, but my understanding from the diagrams is that there are not contacts on the switch which affect only the headlamps. When the ignition switch causes problems and needs to be jiggled to sort them out, that seems to cause the fan to also not work and the car to not be able to be shifted out of park, and I'm not having any of those problems, so I'm inclined to think it's probably not the ignition switch.

Other recent circumstances -- the battery, which had been on its last legs for a while, finally refused to hold a charge over the weekend and had to be replaced. The car was jump-started with a jump pack several times before the battery was replaced. I believe the headlamps worked for a while after the battery replacement, but the problem started later the same day.

I also attemped to do the rear brakes and broke the caliper while trying to drive out oneof the retaining pins, but I don't think that's releated!

Any ideas?

Thanks!
Michael

[mkc1]

UPDATE: According to this, there should be a direct connection between the positive terminal of the battery and the '30' terminal of the headlamp relay. This connection is intact on my other 850 on which the headlights work normally, but there's no continuity on the one with the headlamp problems. I gather that in the process of replacing the battery the connection was broken somewhere....just have to track down where!

[scot850]

Check in the headlamp housings themselves. I have seen several headlamps in PnP where the internal wires were melted.

Neil.

[mkc1]

So, here's the problem. This wire must've broken off while the battery was being changed. The end of the wire has continuity with the 30 pin on the headlamp relay. Unfortunately I broke off the clamp trying to reattach it, so now I have to replace the entire clamp. Arrrgh!