Serviced brakes on my Forester...now my headlamps don't work

[Greg Smith]

Help!

I just had my brake rotors/drums machined and replaced my pads/shoes.
Brakes work great now but my headlamps no longer come on. I suspect it
has something to do with the hand brake circuit. The hand brake is
stiffer and has less travel than it used to. I assume this is due to
the rear brakes being tighter.

I also had a rear outer CV joint boot replaced at the dealer (which
sucked, but that's another story).

Could either proceedure have something to do with my headlamps not
working? How can I check?

Greg Smith

 

[mulder]

Are you talking about your regular headlights or the daytime running
light? The regular headlights should have nothing to do with the brakes,
however the DRLs might. The DRLs will go off if the handbrake is up,
they are connected to the switch (the same one that turns on the "brake"
warning light). When the light is on, the DRLs will be off. Is your
"brake" light on all the time now?

 

[Greg Smith]

No. My dash brake light is not on except when the brake lever is
pulled. I have a 2000 Forester so I don't have DRLs (though I do drive
with my headlamps on during the day) however, my headlamps will
normally turn off when the brake handle is pulled.

 

[Cam Penner]

@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>, (e-mail address removed)
says...

No. My dash brake light is not on except when the brake lever is
pulled. I have a 2000 Forester so I don't have DRLs (though I do drive
with my headlamps on during the day) however, my headlamps will
normally turn off when the brake handle is pulled.

Yikes. That is frightening. Good thing they fixed it. I
suspect you DO have the DRL, and that you HAVE been driving
with just them on.

 

[Greg Smith]

New info just in. My high beams work. My low beams do not. Also, my
interior, overhead clock is out. Last week, during a period of extreme
cold, I recall smelling an electrical short smell right after starting
the vehicle.

I now think this problem occurring at the same time as the brake work
is just coincidental. I think I have another problem at work here.

Headlamp fuses check out okay. What are the chances of both low beam
elements burning out at the same time? I would think not very high.

I'll pull the bulbs and have a look.

I assume there is a relay that cuts power to the headlamps when the
engine is off. I typically leave my lights turned on at the stalk
switch so they are on whenever the engine is running. Is this a bad
practice?

 

[mulder]

It is entirely possible for both low beams to burn out at the same time,
or very close together. It's also possible that one was already burned
out and you didn't realize it.
Leaving the switch on isn't the best thing for bulb life because of the
surge they will experience at startup. They'll go on when you first turn
on the key, then off as the engine cranks, then back on again after you
release the key after it starts. It also take a few seconds for the
voltage to stabilize. So it's better to turn them on after the engine is
already running, and turn them off before shutdown.

 

[Greg Smith]

This appears to be the case. I don't know the reason nor do I know if
it will happen again in the near future but both low beam filaments
were broken.

I have replaced the bulbs, which, true to form for every auto repair I
have performed lately, were an absolute bitch to get out. The contacts
were not corroded but they felt like they were soldered to the
connector. Took a huge amount of force to get the wiring connectors
off. One of the bulb's blade connectors tore off and had to be
extracted from the connector.

Thanks for all the hints. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was
just a coincidence and some kind of electrical spike that caused both
bulbs to burn out the same day. If not, I'll be back for more advice
I'm sure.

Thanks again.

 

[John Varela]

It is entirely possible for both low beams to burn out at the same time,

Yes. It happened to me.

 

[John O]

Yes. It happened to me.

Me too. Made for a fun nighttime trip to the auto store. I suppose it had to
be a power surge or something, because the chances of two bulbs blowing
simultaneously is pretty slim otherwise.

-John O

 

[Jim Stewart]

Me too. Made for a fun nighttime trip to the auto store. I suppose it had to
be a power surge or something, because the chances of two bulbs blowing
simultaneously is pretty slim otherwise.

Carefully check your battery connections. If
one comes loose while you're driving you can
get a huge short-term voltage surge, called
a 'load dump' You may get 30-40 volts on the
12 volt buss for up to 1/2 second.

 

[Greg Smith]

Replaced both bulbs and all is fine. Had to be a power spike. Nobody
can manufacture bulbs with MTBFs that consistent.

I am also heeding (e-mail address removed) advice and turning off my lights
before shutting off my engine.