Headlights no longer work after alternator replacement. (1 Viewer)

[Greystroke]

My alternator died yesterday, and during the replacement I accidentally left off the insulator from the regulator. Didn't notice it until I went to connect the positive power back to the battery, at which point quite a bit of smoke poured out from the wiring I was holding. Disconnected it and fixed the insulator problem, but now my headlights don't work. Driving lights work, as do indicators and brakes etc, but no low or high beams, no spot lights (wired through high beams). I've checked every fuse that I can find in the car not that there are a lot in the old 75 series. Haven't replaced the relays under the bonnet but I did test them and they tested fine. Is there anywhere else someone can think of to look? Is there a hidden relay or fuse in the dash? It's probably auto electrician time but I just want to make sure it's not something easy to fix.

 

[Rigster]

Hey bud... sorry to hear about this. I hate the smell of burning wires in the morning.... start by checking the bulbs themselves. It is possible they got a jolt somehow. Do you have an EWD for your rig? If not check the resources section above and you should find it there. Then with EWD in hand I would run through the wiring for the headlights, starting with the grounds. I suspect you may have a burnt ground wire. You can also test to make sure there is still power to the bulbs as these are ground-switched. Best of luck!

 

[Greystroke]

Had to work out why I could possibly need my electronic work diary, but once I figured that one out, unfortunately still no luck! The lights work when connected directly to the battery via the positive terminal only. Couldn't find anything wrong with any ground cables either. Off to the auto electrician it goes I think.

 

[jblueridge]

Fusible links still good? Located just off battery’s + terminal.

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

Peeled contacts/cables can cause serious problems.

Check your fusible links. There is one fusible link for the headlights.

And have that insulation repaired.





Juan

 

[Greystroke]

Turned out to be the wire just below the fusible link. Auto electrician replaced 30cm of wire that had been turned to carbon. Suprisingly nothing happened to the link itself.

 

[jblueridge]

Very strange that the link did not burn up first. I did something similar to what you did last year and my link acted properly and fried itself.
maybe the wire was corroded before it burned.

You are lucky you have a shop to go to.