So I’m driving and my headlights shut off! I flick the brights and the lights come back on instantly. 5 minutes later it happens again. So I’m driving around wondering when it’s going to go out for good and flicking my surprise headlights. I should mention the brights are out and I haven’t located a fuse for them. In any case it wouldnt be a fuse and probably not a short as the lights come on so dependably when I flick the switch. I’m thinking maybe a bad combo switch or maybe a bad relay.
1989 Nissan Pathfinder
Wiring or a switch. I looked in the shop manual and I couldn’t find a relay. Maybe in finding the issue with the brights will relate. Also I’m not driving this car at night right now.
Sounds like the combo switch.
From what I can see there’s two 15 A fuses in the fuse block for the headlights, between the battery and the joint connector. Not sure if they are for right/left, or hi/lo. But there are definitely two fuses. From the joint connector the power goes to the “lighting” switch. From the lighting switch to the headlight connectors. I don’t see any relays involved.
The problem is likely in one of the connectors or the switch. I’d guess the switch. That’s a heck of a lot of current to expect a simple switch to handle. You could remove the bulbs and test the filaments, if both hi beam filaments are out you may not have any fuse problems.
Changing the headlight switch fixed this right up. It was an easy change too. I didn’t have to pull the steering wheel. I just unscrewed the steering column cover and unscrewed/unclip the old part. Installed the new one and it worked great.
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