Highbeams come on dimly with low beam

[m1keb1ggs]

Hi guys,

Well I have a hairy one. I installed some HID low beams (ebay items) on my GEN4 Outback about a year ago...no dramas, have been perfect. But 2 days ago the drivers one stopped working, and instead my high beams both come on very dimly. So thats passenger side normal HID low beam on, but both high beams on very dim, and no drivers HID at all. Parkers are normal.

It appears that the drivers HID box has a short that keeps blowing the fuse, so I popped in a new fuse and a normal H7 bulb into the drivers side. Still get the same situation. Passenger HID as per normal, but the high beams on dimly, but now the drivers low beam is dimly lit too, because its a normal bulb now.

I tested the faulty HID box on the passenger side and blew that side's fuse too, so I know the box is stuffed. What I dont get is whats happened to the rest of the setup. I expected a normal bulb to just fire up as normal after replacing the fuse. I tried to swap the relays but the damn things are wedged in the fuse box flush for the socket, so I'll have to try a set of vice grips or something on them. I'm assuming theres a short or something somewhere leaking voltage to the highbeams hence they are coming on slightly and reducing the voltage to the actual low beam, although the passenger low beam is fine....I dont get it

It looks like the previous owner has installed and then uninstalled some spotlights or something, as I can see some of those crimp style plugs on the headlight wires. I've removed these and confirmed that the cable is fine.

Any one got any ideas or an Australian model wiring diagram? I have a manual but its US, so the lights are completely different.

I have a big road trip this weekend and obviously need it working.

Thanks in advance.

[zch91]

That is really weird hey..

I can't help with your problem but here's a copy of the workshop manual which will hopefully give you an insight on the issue!

http://www.tangcla.com/temp/bl5/referen ... %20Legacy/

[m1keb1ggs]

Thanks for that mate. I have a 2007 wiring manual, but it's a little different I think. From what diagrams show, the low beams look to always be on, with only the high beams going via the switch... which isn't how our cars actually are.

I'm going to replace my fuses and put back in normal bulbs and take it to an auto electrician...as much as that pains me lol. I simply don't have the time this time around.

Cheers

[m1keb1ggs]

Who would think an electrical engineer would be scratching his head so much. I replaced both headlight fuses and popped in normal bulbs and everything is back to normal. Certainly didn't diagnose that way. My dad had the same model and said there is definitely something weird with the wiring method used, which he found out when getting spotlights installed off the high beams with a relay etc. Even the auto sparky was confused.

Oh well, all is well that ends well. Cheers

[zch91]

Yea, for some reason Subaru switch the negative.. Makes the diagrams hard to perceive sometimes!