help! no headlights
#1
11-21-2003, 09:42 AM
help! no headlights
my 2000 explorer xlt has no headlights.I have parking lights and fog lights but my headlights do not work.the only way i can get them to come on is when i hold the multi-function switch back for the flash to pass hi-beams but as soon as i release it they go out.Took it to the dealership and for $80 they told me that it was probably the drl module or the lamp-out module.Does anyone know where on my vehicle these are located and if I can change them myself. Thanks for your help
#2
11-21-2003, 10:51 AM
Posting Guru
#4
11-21-2003, 01:45 PM
Hi jaylie,
I was having similar strange problems with the lights of my 1995 Explorer Limited. See a thread I'm involved in a few spaces down on the board named "No Low beam Headlights, 95 Explorer Lmtd."
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...hreadid=165893
I don't have the daytime running lights on my truck so I can't say if that's your problem, but on mine it was the dreaded "Lamp Out Warning Module."
After a lot of help from the board member noproblem, and a lot of searching on the Internet, I have discovered where this piece is and also that MANY, MANY, MANY Explorers have a problem with this piece. This should be a recall from Ford and a free piece because it is a design problem involving MANY Ford Explorers and is a MAJOR safety issue of the headlights going out. I think I'm going to file a complaint with the highway safety people who handle this sort of thing. This piece should be on a recall! Just search Google and Groups for "Lamp Out Module" and you will see you are not alone and other people with Explorers having the same problem. And for every person who ended up posting their problem on a message board or news group, how many didn't post the problem on the Internet? Or didn't even know what's the problem and just paid a dealer or mechanic to fix it? No doubt many thousands! And the dealer charges 300 DOLLARS!!! to these poor people for changing a circuit board worth 2 dollars and about 5 minutes of labor to pop off a trim panel and remove two screws. From Ford this is criminal!
You have to remove the center console and the Lamp Out Warning Module piece is under there.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REMOVING/FIXING THE LAMP OUT WARNING MODULE:
On my 1995 Explorer Limited (same for several other years, styles, Eddie Bauer, etc.):
1. I removed the piece in front of the armrest (with the slot for the Kleenex and the ashtray).
2. Then removed the console with the read-out screen (you might not have this piece, you might only have a cubby to put stuff in - you know the area, below the heat and A/C controls).
These two pieces I named just pull out and you don't need tools. Get your fingers under the edges and just give them a good yank. After you remove these two pieces, you will see some clusters of wires under there. The Lamp Out Warning Module is a little black box (almost the size of a pack of smokes) with a small bundle of wires going to it. It is on the passenger side of the center console and about even with where the passenger's knee would be if they were in the car. It's kind of under a piece of plastic so you have to look for it. Just follow the wire clusters. When you find it you will see it is held by two Phillips screws. You will need to remove these two screws. Be careful not to let them fall, it will be awkward to get them back because it's kind of tight in there. After removing the black plastic box, unplug the wiring that goes to it (you will see a little tooth/clip thingy you will need to squeeze and pull).
3. Once the black box is out, carefully pop it open. It has a couple of little clips you will see on the top side. They can be popped open with a little flat head screwdriver or pocketknife. Once open, remove the circuit board from in there - be careful/gentle with it.
4. You should now inspect the circuit board. Be careful not to touch anything in there and as I said, be gentle. It's cheap junk and that's why they break in the first place! One side will be flat and one side will have resistors/chips on it. Inspect the whole thing, but most likely the problems will be on the FLAT side. You are looking for a couple things:
Smoke/burn residue - You'll know when you see it.
Bad solder joints - You might need a little magnifying glass to see this.
The area where you really want to inspect is not really under where the resistors are. The problem will probably be where these little post type metal pieces come from the plastic connector piece (that goes to the wiring harness you removed earlier). Inside that plastic clip piece (on the top side of the circuit board - where the resistors are) you will see the pins that go INTO the wiring harness, they then come out from the plastic piece, bend 90 degrees, and go down through the circuit board. On the bottom of the circuit board (meaning the flat side - no resistors) each post gets a dab of solder to hold it in place. THIS SOLDER IS WHERE THE PROBLEM DEVELOPS. Inspect each little "dab" and see if any have burn/smoke from shorting, if any look different from the rest, or if any look like they just aren't held into the circuit board tightly.
If any of these soldered posts (there's maybe about 15 to 20 of them) look like they are not secure, this is where your problem is.
If you are good (or just decent) at soldering you might be able to fix it. If not, you can look for someone good with solder (an electrician, someone who works on telephones, someone from a car stereo shop, electronics shop, cell phone/pager store, etc. etc.). I had electric shop in high school so I know how to solder, but it's a very tiny joint and I don't feel confident enough in my abilities to try, so I gave it to my father's friend who works on electronics. Someone like this can do it in about 10 seconds (literally!). If you don't know someone like this personally, maybe just call or stop by a car stereo shop or cell phone store and explain the problem. Maybe they will just charge you a couple of dollars. Unless you get a heartless devil (like the people at Ford) I'm sure someone will help you with the soldering part.
If you are familiar with soldering but need a refresher course, just search the Internet for "how to solder" (or similar) for pictures/info. There's a ton of resources out there.
After fixing the solder, reverse the removal process and reinstall the module. Make sure it's clipped back in tightly (into the wiring harness) but again, be gentle with it (remember, it's a piece of junk!).
IMPORTANT:
If you remove the center console and this module, the car will still start and drive fine without the module clipped in. The high beams WILL still work if you need to drive at night, but the brake lights will NOT work with the module removed (only the high brake light - the third one - will still work). So either take another car when you go out to get the solder fixed, or put the circuit board back in its black plastic box, clip the piece back in, go to get it fixed, and then remove it at the shop. Don't drive with the module removed - you will have no brake lights.
I know this whole thing seems really long, but I just wanted to explain thoroughly. To take out the center console and the Lamp Out Module takes no more than 5 minutes (literally). The inspection/soldering another couple of minutes. And putting it all back together another 5 minutes.
If you have headlight problems with your Explorer, are out of your warranty, and are even the slightest bit handy, you can save yourself 300 dollars and not give in to the Ford thievery machine. I initially wasn't even going to fix mine, I was going to buy the piece from my local dealer and install myself, but after getting the runaround and learning they want 300 dollars, I said screw them. It's very easy to do yourself. Even if you are not up for the soldering part of it, buy the module from your dealer, or a local junkyard (good deal for low price but maybe you get another bad one - still worth a shot though - screw the dealer) and just do the install yourself. I agree the soldering is the most touchy part of the process, but the removal/installation is SO easy and should not cost over 200 dollars from the dealer. Good luck to anyone with this problem!
I'm thinking of taking some pictures of this whole process and starting a web page with better explanations (I just typed this quickly). If I do that, I will post a link here on this board. If anyone has problems with this whole process and wants my opinion/advice, please leave me a message here or e-mail me from the "View User's Gallery" link on the left (under my name). Good luck!
I was having similar strange problems with the lights of my 1995 Explorer Limited. See a thread I'm involved in a few spaces down on the board named "No Low beam Headlights, 95 Explorer Lmtd."
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...hreadid=165893
I don't have the daytime running lights on my truck so I can't say if that's your problem, but on mine it was the dreaded "Lamp Out Warning Module."
After a lot of help from the board member noproblem, and a lot of searching on the Internet, I have discovered where this piece is and also that MANY, MANY, MANY Explorers have a problem with this piece. This should be a recall from Ford and a free piece because it is a design problem involving MANY Ford Explorers and is a MAJOR safety issue of the headlights going out. I think I'm going to file a complaint with the highway safety people who handle this sort of thing. This piece should be on a recall! Just search Google and Groups for "Lamp Out Module" and you will see you are not alone and other people with Explorers having the same problem. And for every person who ended up posting their problem on a message board or news group, how many didn't post the problem on the Internet? Or didn't even know what's the problem and just paid a dealer or mechanic to fix it? No doubt many thousands! And the dealer charges 300 DOLLARS!!! to these poor people for changing a circuit board worth 2 dollars and about 5 minutes of labor to pop off a trim panel and remove two screws. From Ford this is criminal!
You have to remove the center console and the Lamp Out Warning Module piece is under there.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REMOVING/FIXING THE LAMP OUT WARNING MODULE:
On my 1995 Explorer Limited (same for several other years, styles, Eddie Bauer, etc.):
1. I removed the piece in front of the armrest (with the slot for the Kleenex and the ashtray).
2. Then removed the console with the read-out screen (you might not have this piece, you might only have a cubby to put stuff in - you know the area, below the heat and A/C controls).
These two pieces I named just pull out and you don't need tools. Get your fingers under the edges and just give them a good yank. After you remove these two pieces, you will see some clusters of wires under there. The Lamp Out Warning Module is a little black box (almost the size of a pack of smokes) with a small bundle of wires going to it. It is on the passenger side of the center console and about even with where the passenger's knee would be if they were in the car. It's kind of under a piece of plastic so you have to look for it. Just follow the wire clusters. When you find it you will see it is held by two Phillips screws. You will need to remove these two screws. Be careful not to let them fall, it will be awkward to get them back because it's kind of tight in there. After removing the black plastic box, unplug the wiring that goes to it (you will see a little tooth/clip thingy you will need to squeeze and pull).
3. Once the black box is out, carefully pop it open. It has a couple of little clips you will see on the top side. They can be popped open with a little flat head screwdriver or pocketknife. Once open, remove the circuit board from in there - be careful/gentle with it.
4. You should now inspect the circuit board. Be careful not to touch anything in there and as I said, be gentle. It's cheap junk and that's why they break in the first place! One side will be flat and one side will have resistors/chips on it. Inspect the whole thing, but most likely the problems will be on the FLAT side. You are looking for a couple things:
Smoke/burn residue - You'll know when you see it.
Bad solder joints - You might need a little magnifying glass to see this.
The area where you really want to inspect is not really under where the resistors are. The problem will probably be where these little post type metal pieces come from the plastic connector piece (that goes to the wiring harness you removed earlier). Inside that plastic clip piece (on the top side of the circuit board - where the resistors are) you will see the pins that go INTO the wiring harness, they then come out from the plastic piece, bend 90 degrees, and go down through the circuit board. On the bottom of the circuit board (meaning the flat side - no resistors) each post gets a dab of solder to hold it in place. THIS SOLDER IS WHERE THE PROBLEM DEVELOPS. Inspect each little "dab" and see if any have burn/smoke from shorting, if any look different from the rest, or if any look like they just aren't held into the circuit board tightly.
If any of these soldered posts (there's maybe about 15 to 20 of them) look like they are not secure, this is where your problem is.
If you are good (or just decent) at soldering you might be able to fix it. If not, you can look for someone good with solder (an electrician, someone who works on telephones, someone from a car stereo shop, electronics shop, cell phone/pager store, etc. etc.). I had electric shop in high school so I know how to solder, but it's a very tiny joint and I don't feel confident enough in my abilities to try, so I gave it to my father's friend who works on electronics. Someone like this can do it in about 10 seconds (literally!). If you don't know someone like this personally, maybe just call or stop by a car stereo shop or cell phone store and explain the problem. Maybe they will just charge you a couple of dollars. Unless you get a heartless devil (like the people at Ford) I'm sure someone will help you with the soldering part.
If you are familiar with soldering but need a refresher course, just search the Internet for "how to solder" (or similar) for pictures/info. There's a ton of resources out there.
After fixing the solder, reverse the removal process and reinstall the module. Make sure it's clipped back in tightly (into the wiring harness) but again, be gentle with it (remember, it's a piece of junk!).
IMPORTANT:
If you remove the center console and this module, the car will still start and drive fine without the module clipped in. The high beams WILL still work if you need to drive at night, but the brake lights will NOT work with the module removed (only the high brake light - the third one - will still work). So either take another car when you go out to get the solder fixed, or put the circuit board back in its black plastic box, clip the piece back in, go to get it fixed, and then remove it at the shop. Don't drive with the module removed - you will have no brake lights.
I know this whole thing seems really long, but I just wanted to explain thoroughly. To take out the center console and the Lamp Out Module takes no more than 5 minutes (literally). The inspection/soldering another couple of minutes. And putting it all back together another 5 minutes.
If you have headlight problems with your Explorer, are out of your warranty, and are even the slightest bit handy, you can save yourself 300 dollars and not give in to the Ford thievery machine. I initially wasn't even going to fix mine, I was going to buy the piece from my local dealer and install myself, but after getting the runaround and learning they want 300 dollars, I said screw them. It's very easy to do yourself. Even if you are not up for the soldering part of it, buy the module from your dealer, or a local junkyard (good deal for low price but maybe you get another bad one - still worth a shot though - screw the dealer) and just do the install yourself. I agree the soldering is the most touchy part of the process, but the removal/installation is SO easy and should not cost over 200 dollars from the dealer. Good luck to anyone with this problem!
I'm thinking of taking some pictures of this whole process and starting a web page with better explanations (I just typed this quickly). If I do that, I will post a link here on this board. If anyone has problems with this whole process and wants my opinion/advice, please leave me a message here or e-mail me from the "View User's Gallery" link on the left (under my name). Good luck!
Last edited by CC77; 11-21-2003 at 01:54 PM.
#5
11-21-2003, 04:47 PM
cc 77 thanks for the info...i'm going to tear it apart tomorrow and try it. I called the dealership today and asked where the switch was and they told me it was under the dash,the guy didn'y sound confident so i called another dealer and he said that if I had a lamp out module it would be on left inner fender. so i kind of still at a loss. I am definately going to try where you said to find,seeing as you have experience with this.
#6
12-15-2003, 08:46 AM
This post worked exactly as stated. I have a 96 Eddie Bauer with only the driver's side low beam headlight not functioning. I replaced the bulb but this didn't work. I found this post and followed the instructions. Job took about an hour all together and problem solved!!!!!! Thanks for saving me anywhere from $200 - $300 dollars.
#7
12-15-2003, 11:08 AM
Trending Topics
#8
12-16-2003, 05:22 AM
Hi 96exxxplorer,
I'm SO happy that someone was able to use this info and save themselves some money/hassle. Thanks!
Hi Mike W,
I don't think you will find this piece on Rangers. To my knowledge, they are mostly on Navigators, Mountaineers, and Explorers. And on the Explorers, I believe you will only find them on Limited and Eddie Bauer styles. Basically any Ford/Lincoln truck that has one of those trip computers that tells you gas mileage, oil life status, washer fluid status, etc. This little piece of junk goes between that trip computer and the car's exterior lighting. Then, when a headlight or taillight bulb goes out, this little board sees that and tells the trip computer that you have a bulb out. The computer then alerts you with a "ding" and a "light out" message. The whole thing is GREAT in theory (really, how else would you know you had a taillight out?), but poor in execution. Ford didn't design the module (or its placement) properly and they are prone to the problems outlined in this thread. All that is fine though; people, designers, and companies all make mistakes. The real problem is that Ford has never acknowledged this mistake - a MAJOR safety issue of the headlights just spontaneously going out - and issued a recall. I say shame on them!
I'm SO happy that someone was able to use this info and save themselves some money/hassle. Thanks!
Hi Mike W,
I don't think you will find this piece on Rangers. To my knowledge, they are mostly on Navigators, Mountaineers, and Explorers. And on the Explorers, I believe you will only find them on Limited and Eddie Bauer styles. Basically any Ford/Lincoln truck that has one of those trip computers that tells you gas mileage, oil life status, washer fluid status, etc. This little piece of junk goes between that trip computer and the car's exterior lighting. Then, when a headlight or taillight bulb goes out, this little board sees that and tells the trip computer that you have a bulb out. The computer then alerts you with a "ding" and a "light out" message. The whole thing is GREAT in theory (really, how else would you know you had a taillight out?), but poor in execution. Ford didn't design the module (or its placement) properly and they are prone to the problems outlined in this thread. All that is fine though; people, designers, and companies all make mistakes. The real problem is that Ford has never acknowledged this mistake - a MAJOR safety issue of the headlights just spontaneously going out - and issued a recall. I say shame on them!
#10
12-28-2003, 11:39 AM
CC77..........THANK YOU so much for the instructions on how to fix this problem. My 97 Explorer Limited lost its driver's side lowbeam, tried a bulb, nope, did a search on the Internet and found your instructions. Couldn't have done it without them. The Ford dealer tried to tell me they had never heard of this problem, yeah right.
I love my Explorer, but with no warranty I'm worried about what's next. I already have the dreaded blend door problem, going to try to tackle that next weekend, if I don't trade the truck in before that. I would think that a truck with only 56k on it would have less problems.
I did call Ford to make them *aware* of the headlight problem, doubt that will go very far.
I love my Explorer, but with no warranty I'm worried about what's next. I already have the dreaded blend door problem, going to try to tackle that next weekend, if I don't trade the truck in before that. I would think that a truck with only 56k on it would have less problems.
I did call Ford to make them *aware* of the headlight problem, doubt that will go very far.
#11
03-08-2005, 03:35 PM
1995 Explorer headlights not working low beam
I have a 95 Explorer XLT and couldn't find the Lamp Out module(doesn't appear to be one on my model), so I traced my problem down to the multiswitch. Instead of replacing it, I jumpered the Red/Blk wire out of the fuse block going to fuses 4 & 8 to the Red/Yel wire out of the back of the main headlight switch with an 18AWG wire using crimpable-splices. Basically, I bypassed the dimmer switch. My brights work on flash only, but not on sustained use. when I come across $100-$300 I don't need I'll take it in to have the multisw replaced. I used the Chilton's chassis wiring schematic. You must use at least an 18 AWG wire to handle the 20A current branched to 10A per headlight.
good luck!
good luck!
#12
03-08-2005, 09:54 PM
#13
03-12-2005, 11:22 AM
I also had the burning smell. The wires in the multi-function switch actually melted. This has happened twice,both times I replaced the multi-function switch and both times the wires were melted.I finally figured out the problem.I have automatic headlights and also a manuel headlight switch.I can use the headlight on the auto setting,but if I turn them on manually with the switch it melts the wires in the multi-function switch. If you need more help let me know.
#14
03-12-2005, 01:53 PM
how much did you give for the multifunction switch? i have a 98 XLT WITHOUT auto headlamps. run through the procedure of changin' the MFS if you could. pain in the tail! never heard of this before now and now it seems it happens regularly. i filled out a complaint with the NTSB about this. seems they're already investigating it. it was a pretty dangerous situation. 6 inches of snow, at night, no lights, etc. thanks jaylie!
#15
06-27-2005, 04:12 PM
Hey CC77 You are the Bomb Dude!
I have a 97 Explorer Eddie Bauer.First 1 headlight went out,so I replaced the bulb.nothing.But my hi beams worked.Then soon after the other headlight went dead and my brakelights were gone.Your description of the problem and how to fix it was Right on!Just wish I found your post before I spent 2 days on this problem and have half of truck torn apart.Let me know when you get your website together.
You are a Lifesaver!
Thanks
vortechx
I have a 97 Explorer Eddie Bauer.First 1 headlight went out,so I replaced the bulb.nothing.But my hi beams worked.Then soon after the other headlight went dead and my brakelights were gone.Your description of the problem and how to fix it was Right on!Just wish I found your post before I spent 2 days on this problem and have half of truck torn apart.Let me know when you get your website together.
You are a Lifesaver!
Thanks
vortechx