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dim headlights

A: Straight acetone cleans really well. Wear rubber gloves if your using it.

Nail polish remover works well too. (Has acetone in it.)

Q: How to fix dim headlights on a 2000 ford Taurus?
It started with my right head light. High beams wouldn’t come on anymore and low beam was extremely dim. A few days later, my left side started doing the same thing except the high beams work for that. I also attempted to put a new ground wire in on the right side. It sorta worked, it brightened just a tad, but when I did that the left headlight started freaking out, any suggestions?

A: The ground at the headlights is bad. Check the connector and the ground wire to chassis.

Q: what would cause headlights to dim and go bright whilst driving ?
Alternator has been checked, it has a new battery and a dimmer headlight kit installed last week. IT is an older car that had great lights, until my dimmer switch went suddenly and so I would welcome any suggestions please, preferably from someone who has had a similar/ or the same problem.
Thank you
Alternator checked out perfectly because I also thought it was that but no, it isn’t.

A: If the lights continuously get brighter as the engine revs higher, then you have a bad voltage regulator.

Slight headlight dimming while at idle is normal on an older vehicle.

Q: Headlights dim after starting Car and while driving?
When I start my car (95 Civic), the engine struggles when I turn the headlights on and the headlights also dim up and down while I drive for the first 5 minutes. I just replaced my Alternator and Battery. It’s also very cold here now. What could be the problem?
I dont think it’s the headlights because the engine struggles after starting the car even when the headlights are off

A: worn out alternator, if it is not working at it’s full capacity than it will drain the battery until the car dies
solution: get it changed, or tested, if it is not this then try one of the other solutions suggested by other users

Q: I’ve changed my headlights, checked my battery and alternator, it checks out fine. Why are my headlights dim?
I changed the headlights about 4 months ago. The passenger side was dimming first, now both sides are dim. I went to Auto Zone to get and alternator and battery check, everything works fine. I’m thinking that the wiring is bad.

A: The headlights go dim if they’re not passing enough current.
Once the bulbs have been on a few seconds, the current will be proportional to the voltage ACROSS each lamp, which gives an angle to solve what’s going on.

You had the battery/alternator checked, so they should be able to supply sufficient current, so you’ll need to look into other components

Measure the voltage ACROSS the lamps. As they’re dim it will be lower that it should be. Then measure the voltages at ALL the connections to the lamp. Use a decent thickness of cable connected to the battery negative, as your reference voltage, to ensure you are measuring the voltages with respect to a KNOWN GOOD earth.

If the voltage (with respect to earth) at the “high” side is low then the problem lies on the supply to the lights. Could be the wiring, but probably worthwhile checking the headlight relay. It could be wearing out, and have worn/dirty contacts preventing it passing enough voltage/current.

If the voltage at the “low” side is much higher than 0Volts/earth (It’s rarely the ideal 0 volts!), then that’s the side with the problem. Could be failing wires, or dodgy earth point, as others have suggested.

If any of the voltages aren’t what’s expected, trace back along the wires, testing the voltage where you can. You should eventually find a point where the voltage suddenly changes to what it should be, and you’ve identified the physical location/section where the fault lies.

As both lights are now dim, it’s likely to be an area common to both. Could be present before the supply to the lights splits, or could be after the “returns” (negative/earth) join.

Q: Are the stock headlights in the 8th generation civic dim?
I own a 2006 Civic EX Coupe and I’m 19 years old, I’m not old or blind. I feel that my headlights aren’t bright enough at night. I have tinted windows, maybe that is why I feel that they are dim. I’m considering getting an HID conversion kit. So does anyone else think that the 2006-2009 civic has dim stock headlights?
I’m talking about the headlight bulbs… just incase.
And I’m not talking about daytime running lights.

A: My sister’s ‘09 Civic’s headlights aren’t the brightest. I’ve seen plenty of brand new cars (different brands) with more white/bright headlights… and they weren’t HID or Projectors.

I think an HID conversion kit would look nice on your car, just don’t get a ridiculously high temperature, it’s annoying for the other drivers.

Q: What is the fine for failed to dim headlights?
New York State Trooper pulled us over for having high beams on. A little dumb but what is the guilty plea fine or what can it be plea bargained to?

A: In Pennsylvania they can’t give you a fine because it it a secondary offense which means they can’t pull you over unless you are doing another secondary offence like not wearing your seatbelt but some cops can be In a bad mood and just do it eventhough they are not supposed to. I don’t really know a fee but in thinking like $25-$50 hope u have a happy thanksgiving

Q: Will this damage my alternator or dim my headlights?
I have a 800watt amp powering 2 12″ mtx subs. I know I most likely will not be using the whole 800watts, but will this system dim my headlights or damage my alternator. I bought a battery off craigslist but I think it was a foolish buy. Info me. Thanks!

A: It may barley dim your headlights, but you should always check how many amps your alternator is first. A 104 amp alternator can handle 1500 watts that includes all the other electronics. So if I was you next time you open your hood I would check the amps. But most cars can handle 400-800 rms watts with no problem.

Q: Why do my headlights get dim ?
I have a 2005 Trailblazer with only 50,000 miles. When I let off of the gas, the headlights get dim and then back to regular. It does this over and over( dim, regular, dim, regular, etc.). What is the problem ?

A: Your battery may be failing and the difference in you headlights is because the alternator is running them.

Q: Is the battery power of a car indicative when headlights seem dim?
I’m curious because I’d rather be on the safe side and not be stranded.
It seems when the power gets low, the headlights seem dimmer. But that’s just my theory.
Thanks!

A: I recommend you drive to your local auto parts store or battery service center and have a free battery and charging system check done on your car. If your battery is over 5 years old, I recommend you have them install a new one while your there. Winter’s coming, at least in these here parts!

Q: Headlights Dim When My Speakers Bass Hits?
Why is this? I’ve had this system for over three years. Same battery for over a year. I just installed new Kenwood 6×8 rear speakers about a month ago. What’s really weird is I orginally had HID’s installed and this never happened, but when I installed my silverstar bulbs last week this is when the lights started to dim.

Just my headlights. My interior lights, gauges are fine. Also, the alternator tested fine. Battery is only a year old. What’s the problem?

A: You’re overloading your electrical system in your car.

The alt. and the battery are your only sources of electricity. If the current required by your sound system is requiring more than your alternator and battery are putting out at any given time, you will see the effects of a voltage drop.

If your alt. is (just throwing numbers out there) a 60 amp alt., that’s 60 amps max. At idle you’re lucky if it’s putting out 10 amps. That’s where your battery comes in. The reserve power from the battery is used to power your accessories until the RPM’s of the alternator go up, and the output increases.

The problem is, other than your sound system, the headlights draw the most current (amperes). When the battery has to share the power output between the headlights and the sound system, the heavier load wins. The headlights will dim, briefly, as the demand from the sound system increases, normally during bass notes.

The main reason this can happen is because of how quick musical notes are. The demand for the electricity is quicker than the battery can supply. They’re also quicker than the voltage regulator in the alternator can react. That’s why you see the headlights dim. The headlights are basically serving as a voltage gauge. At full intensity, they’re receiving 14.4 volts DC. When the current draw increases, and the alternator and battery aren’t quick enough to respond, the voltage drops, perhaps to 13.2V (or lower) and the current going to the headlights goes down.

Plus, the headlights are connected straight to the battery. They’re controlled through a relay that’s connected to your headlight switch in the car, so they’re the first to see a voltage drop.

One way to overcome this problem is to install a stiffening capacitor (a.k.a. a “cap”). 1/2 to 1 farad is recommended (from 500 to 1000 watts), and are the most common sizes. They serve as a “mini-battery”. They charge and discharge much quicker than a battery can. There’s no guarantee they’ll stop the headlights from dimming because they’re still considered a load on the elec. system, but they can reduce the effects of how much the headlights dim.

The “Big 3″ can help, if there’s a bad ground in the system. Bad grounds are more common than people think. They’re normally the number one cause of electrical problems in a car. The Big 3 targets this problem pretty well.

Basically the Big 3 involves increasing the diameter of the wire running….

1.) From the alt. to the positive battery terminal
2.) From the engine to the chassis (or the negative battery terminal, depending on the vehicle)
3.) From the negative battery terminal to the chassis

Another solution would be to increase the battery size to one with a higher amp hour rating (read “AH”). A company called Kinetic makes batteries specifically designed for car audio requirements. They’re a bit pricey, but can make a world of difference.

I recommend doing the cheaper of the three first (The Big 3) and moving your way up to the most expensive last (the capacitor next, then the Kinetic battery). There are two benefits of doing it this way.

1.) You may be able to fix the problem with very little money, and taking baby steps is the best way to find out. No need to spend big money to find out the problem had a simple fix.

2.) Even if you do end up spending the money for new wiring and a cap, then finally a new battery, the new wiring and cap will compliment your new battery tremendously. AAMOF, I wouldn’t even recommend upgrading the battery without performing the first two steps.

Q: Would an improperly installed alternator make headlights dim in and out slightly every second?
I just had a new alternator installed. But at night when I put on my headlights, I can see that they are slightly flickering. It seems that the flickering matches the belt speed. So, is the alternator going bad, installed improperly, or is something else going on?

And how can I fix it?

A: a loose belt can do this, a bad ground from the alternator as well and of course as the other gentleman said the regulator may be failing by running a temp 10 gauge wire from the ground contact on the back of the alternator to the battery ground you can check the ground curcuit to the alt if the problem disapears. 1st check that all the posts are tight on the alt and that the cables for the battery are clean and making good contact. my free web page is www.mycarandineedhelp.com I try to help people doing what they can on their own cars etc. with money as bad as it is today I understand needing to save money.

Q: Dashboard lights and headlights are dim on Nissan Xterra. what could it be?
I got into my car a few minutes ago and noticed that my interior dashboard lights (radio and speedometer) are both very dim. I can hardly see them. Also, my headlights aren’t as bright as they usually are. It is 8:45 PM here. What could this be?
I have an 04 Nissan Xterra, 30,000 miles.

A: I’d say you either have a battery going bad or you flicked the dimmer switch. Not sure how the dimmer switch is set up on the Xterra, but I have an Altima, so it might be similar. The headlights are controlled on the right hand switch that extends from the steering wheel. On the left side of the steering wheel, up on the dash, there’s a rotary switch that you can turn up and down – that’s the dimmer. Try fiddling with that and see if it helps. If not, have your battery checked.

Q: Why do my headlights dim when my sub-woofers start to hit?
Whenever i turn up my sound and my sub start to hit out bass, my lights dim. Is this because of low battery power or because of a less powerful amplifier. If i buy a better amp, will it stop dimming? Or should i change the three grounding wires? If so, please explain the steps to me.

A: Well you have the basic idea right in terms of the Big 3 wires, i cant explain to you in detail how to change it but try this site

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?TID=73496&PN=1

Basically when bass hits, it draws so much current that a voltage drop occurs therefore it will reveal any weakness in the car’s electrical system. Upgrading the big 3 along with your amplifier wires to a lower gauge will help ease the current demands and should be first order of business. (make sure your ground wires for your amp is properly grounded, sand the area if possible) ask your installer if unsure. A capacitor should be next in line if problem persists and last resort usually is changing to a better alternator but that is if you are competing in SPL contests, etc.

Hint: your battery is only needed to start the car (have it checked just in case), it becomes just another load for the alternator to charge once the engine is running.

Q: Do halogen headlights dim after a long time?
My car is running for 6 years, and has not had the headlights bulbs changed at all (they work fine.). However, I think I notice they are not as bright as they used to be. Am I right or is it my eyes?

A: Yes. Small amounts of the metal used for the filaments will slowly erode from the filament and redeposit on the inside of the glass bulb, thereby reducing the light output.

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