What happens if you put high-beam bulbs in low beam?
The high beam bulb may not fit into the reflector of the low beam. Yes, the circuit is able to power a high beam bulb just fine.
Do you need to replace both high and low beams?
Some vehicles use a single bulb for both high and low beams while others do not. If the high beam on the same side is also out, it may be one bulb. You do not need to purchase specific bulbs for each side, but identifying which is the blown out bulb will help you to replace it without having to start the vehicle again.
Why are my headlights not working in high beam?
If just one bulb fails to work in either high beam mode or low beam mode, it may be the bulb. Most headlight failures that are limited to just high or low beams are related to a relay or the high beam control switch.
How does a high beam light bulb work?
Get familiar with the fuses and relays that control your headlights. The headlight switch usually doesn’t control the headlight bulbs directly, but through one or more relays. The headlight switch powers a relay, which powers the headlight bulb. This protects the headlight switch from the high current used by the high beam headlights.
What to do when your low beam light goes out?
Disconnect the battery. Be sure you remember which side of the car has a blown out low beam bulb before disconnecting the battery. To disconnect it, use a hand or socket wrench of the appropriate size to loosen the nut holding the ground cable onto the negative terminal of the battery.
Why do high beams work but low beams don’t?
This is the most common reason we see for why a car’s high beam headlights work but the low beams don’t. The normal headlights are on far more often than the high beams, so the low beams burn out more frequently. Some vehicles have entirely different bulbs for the high beams, and other models have headlights with two different filaments.
What kind of bulbs do high and low beams use?
If you only have two headlight elements (one per side), then your vehicle uses a dual filament bulb to operate both the high and low beams. The most popular service booked by readers of this article is High beam is not working Inspection.
What to do when your low beam headlight blows out?
You can often tell when a headlight blows out while you’re driving, but confirm which bulb has actually blown out by leaving your headlights on and getting out of the vehicle to check. Then get back in your vehicle and turn on your high beams. Some vehicles use a single bulb for both high and low beams while others do not.
What can cause a low beam headlight to be dim?
If it is, use a voltmeter to see how much power, if any, is reaching the headlights. If there is no power reaching them, there is a break in the wiring somewhere between the fuse panel and the headlights themselves. Thanks! What can cause the light to be dim except when on the high beam setting?