BCKNBLK

iTrader: (3)

did you check the voltage to the lights when they are turned on??

mindreaper

iTrader: (1)

I did tear my old one apart. I thought you could open it cleanly but I broke it. I've just taken this photo now, and a couple of pieces are missing. There should be 2 copper contactors on the rotating piece on the left. And there was a round electronic-looking piece bonded to the "arm" of the piece on the right hand side.


I have no idea what it could be there for either. It seems to be on some American vehicles too, I found the following photos on a forum, some guy found it under the dash of a GM truck and was wondering what it is. The only reply he got was it was a "diode network"... These photos are identical to what I've got, same part number too.







I've tried disconnecting the diode network and the high beam switch, but the headlights still don't work.

mindreaper

iTrader: (1)

They barely turn on (they are very dim) and for just a second, but I will check that next time I go to my garage.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Very interesting! Great pictures. Do you see evidence of a circuit breaker in there? It looks pretty basic to me. I wonder if its hidden deeper in one of the two parts you separated?

Where did you find your Camaro diode module? (I want to go tear my dash apart.) Its pretty basic and it must be there so the diodes can be easily replaced if they burn out. The book doesn't have any schematics of the diode network and what its connected to. (It only shows that its there and that the hot yellow wire going to it - but there must be more!) Its so basic - really have no idea what it could be there for. It must isolate the headlight circuit from shorts, etc. in other related circuits. Very curious....

mindreaper

iTrader: (1)

There was a small round electrical part that got ripped off when I opened it. I didn't take a good look at it, but I bet this is the breaker. If you look at the part on the right hand side and you can see an arm at the top, with an empty space where that round part was.

Interesting. I do find it very curious indeed. A shame we don't have one of the GM electrical designers who worked on the car here on LS1tech, he would answer these questions! I found the module behind the radio, taped to a harness. My car doesn't seem to have the Daytime Running Lamps module of the US version, which is also supposed to be behind the radio.

BCKNBLK

iTrader: (3)

do you have any corrosion or green powdery residue on any of your wires or headlight plugs or connectors.

mindreaper

iTrader: (1)

No, none, they look perfect. There's gotta be something wrong somewhere but nothing that I can see.

I tested the voltage at the headlights: 0.14 volts on each wire (the positive wire and the ground wire for each bulb). I only get this reading for 1 second every 3 seconds (due to the breaker inside the headlight switch constantly disconnecting and reconnecting). So the reading alternated between 0.14 volts and 0 volts. I checked the voltage of one of the positive wires at the battery junction block and it was a normal 12.48 volts.

By the way, now the headlights don't even light up at all, it's been like this for a few days... they were very, very weak before.

Also, I tried swapping all 4 headlight bulbs for new ones (just in case, since I had them as spares), and it didn't solve the problem.

I'm waiting for my short circuit finder to arrive in the mail.

BCKNBLK

iTrader: (3)

too bad you didn't have a friend or person with the same car,,, try there switch. It kinda looks burnt out or worn in the 1st pic on the right side of the contacts. New or used switch shouldn't be more then $50

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Its sure sounding like a short...

Still looking for my diode network... Will try again tomorrow. Obviously, its probably not the problem here, but I'm still curious...

mindreaper

iTrader: (1)

The switch in the photo was my old one, it was definitely burnt out when I took it out because it was rattling bad when I shook it, there was a loose part in it. I guess it got burnt from the short. Used switches on ebay are cheap so I got not one but two switches (from different sources), I paid $15 each plus postage. I got 2 just in case one of them doesn't work right. I tried both, and the problem is the same.

But you have an US-specs car car, right? I think that the diode network is not present on US-specs F-bodies, it's just on some exports. I've looked again at the thread where I got my photos of the diode network from, they are from a 1994 GMC 1500 pickup... I originally presumed it was a US car, but looking again at the thread I've noticed that the truck owner is from Alberta, Canada... so maybe that diode network is only on export GM cars?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Yea, I wasn't sure looking at the schematics but I definitely don't have one. The ignition wires go straight from the steering column through the firewall. I guess they must have something to do with the levelers?

mindreaper

iTrader: (1)

I have no clue. Let me know when you fix your scanner, I'd love to see those european diagrams you've got.

jfree81762

Any luck on your lights? My low beams and high beams are dead, but every other light works fine including the fog lights. My situation looks like the DRL module is culprit...

mindreaper

iTrader: (1)

Good luck on that one, I hope it's not as difficult to diagnose as my headlight problem! Well good news, I've just found out what the problem was on mine. It was not at all what I thought it would be. I did a variety of continuity checks on the car's electrical system and found that my amplifier wire was shorted to ground (it's an aftermarket amp which I installed a few years ago). I haven't localised the short yet (I'll have to lift the carpet and follow it) but if I leave that wire disconnected at the battery then the headlights work!

Now the weird thing about it is that the short didn't blew the amp's fuse near the battery. I don't understand either how a short in the amp wiring can affect the headlights, with all the rest of the electrics, electronics etc. working just fine. I guess the headlights are what draws most current and the electrical system just couldn't cope with it. Weird.

In any case a big thank you to all of you guys, especially wssix99, you've been of great help!