2011 Equinox LT Headlight Issue
March 22nd, 2016, 7:06 AM
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2011 Equinox LT Headlight Issue
I was in an accident and it tore the front of my 2011 Equinox off - the bumper skin, the metal bumper underneath, smashed the passenger side headlight and damaged the passenger fender near the headlight. It also seems to have damaged the wiring as the passenger headlight isn't working properly.
With the lowbeams on, the passenger side (p-side):
When the highbeams get turned on, both the low and highbeam on the p-side go out completely.
I've checked the fuse for the left and right highbeam and they are intact. Can't find references to fuses for any other part of the lighting system. What's weird is that when I lock the car with the remote, the lights flash and when they flash, the yellow/orange running light bulb on the p-side pulses with full brightness.
So last bit of data: The wiring harness for the headlights run across the front of the car in front of the radiator. On the d-side, there are about 4-6 ground wires that are bolted to the frame and enter the wiring harness. On the p-side, there is a ground wire that is loose and just long enough to have entered the wiring harness. I have removed the tape and coverings there and cannot seem to see where that ground should have been connected into the harness,so I'm second guessing my original thought of this being the problem.
Does anyone have a wiring diagram that I can reference to see what's going on or any advice on how to track the issue down? I'm totally guessing that it's a ground fault issue causing these symptoms.
Thank for any help you can provide!
With the lowbeams on, the passenger side (p-side):
- Lowbeam is extremely dim
- highbeam matches the d-side (both are same level of dim)
- Running light (yellow/orange bulb) is dim
- Turn signal on p-side is dim when used
When the highbeams get turned on, both the low and highbeam on the p-side go out completely.
I've checked the fuse for the left and right highbeam and they are intact. Can't find references to fuses for any other part of the lighting system. What's weird is that when I lock the car with the remote, the lights flash and when they flash, the yellow/orange running light bulb on the p-side pulses with full brightness.
So last bit of data: The wiring harness for the headlights run across the front of the car in front of the radiator. On the d-side, there are about 4-6 ground wires that are bolted to the frame and enter the wiring harness. On the p-side, there is a ground wire that is loose and just long enough to have entered the wiring harness. I have removed the tape and coverings there and cannot seem to see where that ground should have been connected into the harness,so I'm second guessing my original thought of this being the problem.
Does anyone have a wiring diagram that I can reference to see what's going on or any advice on how to track the issue down? I'm totally guessing that it's a ground fault issue causing these symptoms.
Thank for any help you can provide!
March 22nd, 2016, 6:35 PM
#2
I've attached some wiring diagrams that should help you out along with a description of exterior lamp operation. The latter is worth a read to confirm what's supposed to be normal operation. Good Luck!
2011_Equinox_Terrain_exterior-lamps-circuit.pdf
2011_Equinox_Terrain_Headlamp_Wiring_Diagram.pdf
2011_Equinox_Terrain-ground-distribution-1-of-4-.pdf
2011_Equinox_Terrain_exterior-lighting-systems-description-and-operation.pdf
2011_Equinox_Terrain_exterior-lamps-circuit.pdf
2011_Equinox_Terrain_Headlamp_Wiring_Diagram.pdf
2011_Equinox_Terrain-ground-distribution-1-of-4-.pdf
2011_Equinox_Terrain_exterior-lighting-systems-description-and-operation.pdf
Last edited by ruley73; March 22nd, 2016 at 6:58 PM.
March 28th, 2016, 9:16 PM
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Thank you for the wiring diagrams - they definitely helped.
I had mentioned that I had already looked into the wiring harness and couldn't find a ground wire to match the broken wire. Well, after testing some of the voltages and grounds with the multi-meter, it was definitely a ground issue. I had to untape a sizeable portion of the harness to find it, but sure enough, there was a ground wire that was snapped in the harness. put the two back together and everything now works fine!
I had mentioned that I had already looked into the wiring harness and couldn't find a ground wire to match the broken wire. Well, after testing some of the voltages and grounds with the multi-meter, it was definitely a ground issue. I had to untape a sizeable portion of the harness to find it, but sure enough, there was a ground wire that was snapped in the harness. put the two back together and everything now works fine!
