Headlights not working??!

andersenpoel

andersenpoel

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So i have a 06 base model grand prix, as well as an 08 gxp with the 5.3 motor. i am working on some custom headlights and when i go to test them on the gxp they don’t work. But they work just fine on the base model. Upon further inspection, i realized that even the additional fog lights on the bumper wouldn’t turn on, even though those were still plugged in. I’ve messed around w the multimeter a bit, and discovered a short on my fuse box for my ac compressor. but i don’t see how that could correlate. Im also wondering if the reason why my headlights aren’t working is because i recently hit a truck lol. i actually sustained no damage other than having my passenger side headlight ripped clean off. but I’m wondering if maybe when i did that i stretched one of the wires?? maybe it broke somewhere internally, or is touching the frame? However I have discovered that when the car is in accessory mode and i turn on my lights, the harness is getting complete power. the harness doesn’t seem to be the issue. any ideas or advice? and how could i potentially narrow in on what is causing this issue?? I’ve tried a number of different things, feel free to ask.
 
Does the harness at the light end have power and ground?
 
andersenpoel said:
yes. the harness is receiving just under 12 volts. 11.6 to be exact. at each lil prong
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What about ground?
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melsg5 said:
You must be missing something. The plug cannt have power and ground and the lights not turn on. Have you bench tested the light?
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I haven’t bench tested them. But i know they work because like i said, they fire up just fine on my base model 06 grand prix. but just won’t work on the gxp, even with harnesses getting power and ground.
 
andersenpoel said:
I haven’t bench tested them. But i know they work because like i said, they fire up just fine on my base model 06 grand prix. but just won’t work on the gxp, even with harnesses getting power and ground.
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Have you determined which wires are power and which are ground? You stated you read 11.6 on the pins but did you determine which one is ground?
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melsg5 said:
Have you determined which wires are power and which are ground? You stated you read 11.6 on the pins but did you determine which one is ground?
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yes. i have determined which ones are ground
 
melsg5 said:
Not sure what else I can tell you. If you have power in and you correctly tested the ground they should work.
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unless there is power be drawn elsewhere? or if a wire is shorted out? part of me wonders if maybe it’s not working because it’s not getting the FULL 12 volts?
 
andersenpoel said:
unless there is power be drawn elsewhere? or if a wire is shorted out? part of me wonders if maybe it’s not working because it’s not getting the FULL 12 volts?
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Is that the reading with the engine running? Exactly what kind of lights are these? Shorts blow fuses or melt wires.
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melsg5 said:
Is that the reading with the engine running? Exactly what kind of lights are these? Shorts blow fuses or melt wires.
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no. that’s what it reads with the car in accessory mode with the headlights switch turned on. they are just led headlights.
 
andersenpoel said:
no. that’s what it reads with the car in accessory mode with the headlights switch turned on. they are just led headlights.
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What happens if your rig up the lights directly to the battery in this car?
 
melsg5 said:
What happens if your rig up the lights directly to the battery in this car?
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i’ll try it and let you know. i’ve never done it before, and not sure how to, but i’ll look it up. ill update you in about an hour. im about to go on lunch break.
 
andersenpoel said:
i’ll try it and let you know. i’ve never done it before, and not sure how to, but i’ll look it up. ill update you in about an hour. im about to go on lunch break.
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okay update. i don’t know how to correctly wire the headlights directly too the battery without fear of blowin sum cuz there’s no fuse
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Is it a bulb or complete headlight? You say you know which pin is hot and which is ground. If you know that you know what is power and what is ground on the headlight.
 
melsg5 said:
Is it a bulb or complete headlight? You say you know which pin is hot and which is ground. If you know that you know what is power and what is ground on the headlight.
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It is a complete headlight. It has my high beam and low beam, as well as two led halos, one around each light. and then a 4 step sequential turn signal of leds along the top as well. Yes! i am aware of which pin is power and which is ground. on everything. headlight, battery, radio, subs, whatever. i understand that. what i’m saying, is that the 4 prong harness that plugs into the whole headlight, with 1 ground and 3 positive wires coming out of it, IS receiving power when the car is in acc. mode, with the headlights switch on the steering wheel activated. and when i use the mm to check the voltage of said harness, all 3 of the positive output wires are good, and the 1 ground coming out of the harness is good. but the headlights still don’t turn on when i plug them in on the gxp. and even though the first assumption is that the headlights are the issue, that was and has been ruled out a few times now by me testing them on my older base model grand prix, to which i found success. so again, i believe there is a short somewhere internal on the harness, something that connects to and controls many things up front. such as the fog lights that are plugged in and fully operational yet don’t light up.
 
andersenpoel said:
It is a complete headlight. It has my high beam and low beam, as well as two led halos, one around each light. and then a 4 step sequential turn signal of leds along the top as well. Yes! i am aware of which pin is power and which is ground. on everything. headlight, battery, radio, subs, whatever. i understand that. what i’m saying, is that the 4 prong harness that plugs into the whole headlight, with 1 ground and 3 positive wires coming out of it, IS receiving power when the car is in acc. mode, with the headlights switch on the steering wheel activated. and when i use the mm to check the voltage of said harness, all 3 of the positive output wires are good, and the 1 ground coming out of the harness is good. but the headlights still don’t turn on when i plug them in on the gxp. and even though the first assumption is that the headlights are the issue, that was and has been ruled out a few times now by me testing them on my older base model grand prix, to which i found success. so again, i believe there is a short somewhere internal on the harness, something that connects to and controls many things up front. such as the fog lights that are plugged in and fully operational yet don’t light up.
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Have you tried with engine running?
 
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