[middy]

Hi Everyone.  Was driving home last night at dusk and noticed the road in front seemed to be darker than usual.  Confirmed both my headlights had stopped working.  I had to suffer the embarrassment of driving along with the parking lights on with fog lights blazing away  <Tool alert!> <Tool alert!> 

Anyway when I got home I did some investigating.

Parking lights ... fine
High beams ... fine
Low beam ... both not working

Checked fuses .... all good.
Removed one bulb ..... looks good and multimeter says it is OK.
Didn't check other bulb.  Assuming it is OK and the lights are not wired in series.
When you switch the low beams on and off at the switch, you can hear the relay clicking.

Does anyone have any other suggestions as to what the problem could be?

cheers,
Andrew

The obvious step is to verify there is no voltage to the lamp.

[middy]

Yes it was cold and not very well lit in the garage last night so I neglected that important step of the investigation.   

Luckily we have a multimeter here at work so I have just been out to complete the testing process.

I can confirm that there is voltage arriving at the main connector to each headlamp unit.  I went through all the combinations of the various lights on/off and could trace the relevant volts appearing/disappearing on the different pins.

Just for the record:

   --------
   | 1  2 |
 |   3  4 |
   | 5  6 |
   --------


1 = Indicators
2 = Parking lights
3 = High Beam
4 = Earth
5 = Low Beam
6 = ???

OK. So that sounds like there is a problem within the headlamp unit itself.  The strange part is why it has happened to both headlamp units at the same time.  Are they connected together in some other way??  Do they share a common earth?  But then I would expect the other lights to be playing up also if it was an earthing problem.  I'm stumped at the moment.

cheers,
Andrew

So assuming both lamps are actually blown it looks like a clear case of FD CRDi sudden headlamp failure. This has been discussed at length and there appears to be strong belief that it has something to do with inadequate earthing at some point.

[middy]

Thanks for the replies Pip.  I did check one bulb.  The filament looked intact and a check with the multimeter showed almost 0 Ohms resistance.  If it was blown I would have expected a resistance in the +MegaOhms range.  If I get a chance tonight I'll remove the bulb again and try pushing 12 volts through it with a power supply.

I'll also have a read of these other threads about suddenly blowing headlights.

Thanks.

This might be of interest although there has been no feedback as yet.
https://i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=6124.msg239771#msg239771

[Shambles]

...If it was blown I would have expected a resistance in the +MegaOhms range....

It wouldn't alter your multimeter reading at all if it was blown, as if you were nowhere near the bulb. You'd be better using a continuity setting on your meter. Sounds to me like they're both blown wide open.

[Just Rick]

...If it was blown I would have expected a resistance in the +MegaOhms range....

It wouldn't alter your multimeter reading at all if it was blown, as if you were nowhere near the bulb. You'd be better using a continuity setting on your meter. Sounds to me like they're both blown wide open.

Yes happens occassionally to me,each time even though one of the globes doesn't look blown I just change both lows and bingo they work again,had it where both highs have gone as well,same deal just replace both and away we go again until next time

[The Gonz]

'Near zero ohms' is not 'blown wide open' but apparently healthy bulbs may still not be getting power if earthing or continuity through their sockets is a problem. If swapping bulbs works for otherwise healthy bulbs, check for tarnish at the contact surfaces and try giving them a polish.

[eye30]

Obvious question.
Are they seated ok in the holders?

[middy]

Yep. Seated ok.  I just bought new bulbs and put them in.  The new ones still don't work. 

[The Gonz]

You've got some earth and voltage continuity checking to do, my friend.

[FatBoy]

You've got some earth and voltage continuity checking to do, my friend.

I prefer to pay somebody else to have a look at that "magical stuff".  Would it still be under warranty?

[middy]

It is still under warranty for another couple of months and it is also due for it's 75,000 km service.  Guess where it will be going next week.   

Thanks for all your help.  Will report back after the service and let you know what they found.

[middy]

Just an update.  It had its service last week and they cleaned the earth connections to the main wiring harness.  Put new bulbs in and all is good again ..... for now.  Time will tell if it is the "constant headlight blowing" problem.

[The Gonz]

Good result. Cross your fingers but I think you'll be better off with that work done than the average driver still up against the possibility.

AND you'll know what to look for when it happens out of warranty.

[Just Rick]

time to go looking for all my earthing points nd checking they for tightness and cleaniness,I found by accident the other week,the I30's have two different sets of fuses for the headlights,along with the relays,not as simple as the old FJ or some of the earlier cars