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1996 Tacoma headlights not working at all...help!

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Old 12-29-2013, 09:37 AM
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1996 Tacoma headlights not working at all...help!

Just finished putting the dash back together after fixing up a broken heater HOT/COLD adjustment bracket and now the headlights don't work at all. I don't think its anything I unplugged while in the dash as the disassembly was quite simple.

Tail lights and signals work. Headlights don't work at all and it doesn't display the blue high beam light on the cluster either.

I tested it with a new sealed beam headlight today and no luck...the problem is hiding elsewhere. Fuses look good.

Any ideas? headlight switch maybe? relay?
Old 12-30-2013, 11:06 PM
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Red face

Your lights worked before tearing the dash apart??

Put the dash back together now they don`t work??

Did you have your negative battery terminal disconnected??

Had you checked the fuses with a meter not just by looking??

Put a connector back together forced it because it was not lined up and bent a pin or two.

Like any other electrical issue start at the power source and trace the circuit looking for where it is open.

Open fusible link or fuse

poor connection some where

something not plugged back together.

bad switch.

I have had some every once in a while the dimmer switch gets bumped gets in the middle and one has no lights.

That one just about got me cranky figuring out A few cycles and it worked just fine.
Old 12-31-2013, 11:55 AM
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Lights worked before I took passenger side dash apart yes, once put back together we took the truck for a wheel and when night fell noticed the lights weren't working..


I just checked the fuses visually, and tried other fuses. I grabbed a couple relays from the junkyard yesterday...still doesn't work.

Could the switch on the column have gone bad?? Taillights and signals work still.

Are you referring to the round dimmer switch that dims the gauge cluster as a possible culprit?
Old 12-31-2013, 02:19 PM
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No part of the combination Switch that goes from High beams to low

Have you checked if you have battery voltage at the head light relay??

Have you checked that the relay contacts pulled in when 12VDC is applied to the coil??

One must start someplace !!
Old 01-03-2014, 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by wyoming9
No part of the combination Switch that goes from High beams to low

Have you checked if you have battery voltage at the head light relay??

Have you checked that the relay contacts pulled in when 12VDC is applied to the coil??

One must start someplace !!

Ok, I checked two of the terminals at the headlight relay and it showed 12v. I pulled the dash apart again and didn't see anything I missed plugging back in (as suspected, my tear down was fairly straight forward).

I'm kindof a noobie to electrical testing... any advice on what else I can test for voltage, or the proper terminals to test on the relay?
Old 01-05-2014, 11:30 AM
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Well....I finally figured it out. The damn DRL relay under the column had come unplugged.

THanks for the help Wyoming!
Old 01-06-2014, 12:56 AM
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Glad you found the problem!!
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