- This topic has 7 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 12 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
My girlfriend has a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire. The headlights do not work. They both stopped working at the same time. I have heard that Sunfires have wiring issues under the windshield washer reservoir and in front of the radiator. It will be -4 degrees with a -15 degree wind chill tonight. How can I find the short fast and fix it before I have to give up? Could it be a headlight relay?
-
Replies
-
Most likely the relay is sticking due to the cold. VW’s used to do this. You’d switch to high beams on a below-zero day and the low beams would go off, and the high beams would NOT come on, not for about 2 seconds, just long enough to give you a heart attack.
Try flipping on the light switch, then look under the dash and under the hood for like a black 1-inch cube thingy. Bang on each one of those things. I bet banging on one of them will turn on the headlights, at least once.
see if this helps with the wiring diagram.
Have you checked the bulbs?
It wouldn’t be the first time I have seen them both fail at the same time.Check the bulbs and check the fuses first. It would suck to go through a bunch of diagnosis only to find that it was an easy fix. That said, a voltage drop is the best way to find an electrical problem. More information on that, and how to deal with electrical problems can be found here.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-electrical-problems
Keep us posted.
Thank you for your response. It was a burnt out wiring harness. It must be a very common problem because most of the Sunfires in the junkyard had the same burned out wiring harness in the same spot. The wires were tiny and very difficult to work with. I also bought a multi-function switch because it was bad too. I did the repair and froze my butt off in subzero weather. I paid for the parts and my girlfriend was mad because the steering column is less than perfect now. She is now my ex-girlfriend. Sunfires have serious wiring issues and I want to warn the ETCG members. They are difficult to fix and the fixes do not last long.
I know what you mean about the harnesses. I have repaired a few myself. It was always in a warm place to work however.
I once had a problem with a chevy cavalier (same car as the sunfire) that also had a burned out wiring harness, except it was for the rear defogger. But I think it would be a stretch to say that they have serious wiring problems based on one incident.
Anyway glad to hear about the fix, sorry to hear about the break up.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.