Help finding a short in foglights/headlights.
#1
01-04-2006, 12:34 AM
Help finding a short in foglights/headlights.
My mom has a '97 Chrysler Town&Country LXI with factory fogs, and there seems to be a short in the foglight system that's affecting the headlights, too. Here's what happens:
Put in a fresh fuse and turn on the headlights, all goes well. (Fogs and headlights share a fuse.) Turn on the foglights, the fuse for the right-hand lights blows and both the right foglight and right headlight go dead (duh). Here's what's strange: After the fuse has blown, I can turn the foglights off and the right headlight comes back on, but only at about 1/3 brightness. I'm still getting 12V at the low-beam connector for some reason but it's not putting out enough current to run the low-beam filament at full output. So I think it's safe to say that there is a funky short somewhere in that lighting system.
Can anybody point me in the right direction as to where the short could be? I'm trying to visualize how this thing would be wired and I can't imagine what would cause it to do this. Thanks for any help you can give!
**EDIT**
I found a wiring diagram for the headlight system and have noticed something peculiar. For some reason there is a lead from the right-hand headlight fuse that feeds 12V+ back to the headlight switch, but there is no such lead on the left side. I suppose that if that lead shorted to ground you would blow the right-hand headlight/foglight fuse. Since the headlight switch appears to be grounded I imagine that a fault within the switch itself would do the job. So now I'm suspecting the switch itself...maybe?
Put in a fresh fuse and turn on the headlights, all goes well. (Fogs and headlights share a fuse.) Turn on the foglights, the fuse for the right-hand lights blows and both the right foglight and right headlight go dead (duh). Here's what's strange: After the fuse has blown, I can turn the foglights off and the right headlight comes back on, but only at about 1/3 brightness. I'm still getting 12V at the low-beam connector for some reason but it's not putting out enough current to run the low-beam filament at full output. So I think it's safe to say that there is a funky short somewhere in that lighting system.
Can anybody point me in the right direction as to where the short could be? I'm trying to visualize how this thing would be wired and I can't imagine what would cause it to do this. Thanks for any help you can give!
**EDIT**
I found a wiring diagram for the headlight system and have noticed something peculiar. For some reason there is a lead from the right-hand headlight fuse that feeds 12V+ back to the headlight switch, but there is no such lead on the left side. I suppose that if that lead shorted to ground you would blow the right-hand headlight/foglight fuse. Since the headlight switch appears to be grounded I imagine that a fault within the switch itself would do the job. So now I'm suspecting the switch itself...maybe?