f1n-5

ok..
i got an 01 civic and the low beams dont work anymore..
my high beams and day time running lights work fine..

i saw the post about Honda recalls and it could be the light switch?
so i brought it into a near by Honda dealer and they said that it might be some electrical problem so they might have to charge me 1hr labor...

so i said **** that.. and left..

what can i do to make sure that its the switch?

and.. what size is my bulbs? H4?
should i just go out a buy 1 bulb to see if its the bulbs itself and then bring it back to Honda?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

Your size is H4. Correct me if I'm wrong but DRL are your high beams, only dimmed. So theoretically your low beam filaments could be burned out since the H4s use one bulb for high low. Get a bulb and try it out.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

most likely the switch blew up. and its a pain to take all that stuff apart and install a new one or change the burnt wires. the chances of both bulb burning at the exact same time are very small.

f1n-5

i will definately try a new bulb.

and.. would replacing the switch be free cause its a safety recall?
for me to check.. would i have to take off the top and bottom cover around the steering wheel?

thanks for the quick replies lordhelmet & gearbox

chkolny

I had this problem, but it was only in one of my headlights, my drls and highs worked, but the low beam did not. It was in fact a burnt bulb, and buying a new bulb is alot better than jumping to conclusions about wiring, try the cheap solution first, than work your way up (i think canadian tire has bulbs for like 15$)

chkolny

I'm also curious, are you implying to us that your bulbs both burnt out simultaneously? because my best guess would be that one burnt out and you didnt notice it for a few days possibly, then the next brunt out. Because if you KNOW for a fact that both burnt out SIMULTANEOUSLY, then i would be worried about the switch/wiring itself

f1n-5

i wouldnt have thought of that...
i'll try a new bulb.

anyone have experience with GE nighthawks?
friends tell me theyre the best out there.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

they are good, philips vision plus is pretty similar too. either one will work.

burke420

iTrader: (4)

change bulbs.. and goo back and say that you have the same problem..... and have it fixed..and see if they lie to you!

spudz904

honda will replace the switch free of charge since its a safety recall but i dunno if they will give you any problems since you might already have a problem with the switch

f1n-5

good advice people!!!

i really hope its the bulb... i think its like a 1hr job.. plus wait.. **** its gonna take 2-3hrs for them to diagnose and fix the damn thing..

civicarina

01 civics came with DRL !!! \


How come my 04 doesnt ?

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

This guy is in Canada. Canadian civics came with drl

CiViCPrAnInG2k1

iTrader: (1)

thanks for clearing that up... i was thinking the same thing.

civicarina

Is there anyway, we can do that system in our civics too ???

f1n-5

should be pretty easy..
all you would need is the DRL module.
but for the price of the little black box i dont think you should get it..
heck people up here try to get rid of it..

edrulz2003

i have a 01 lx and mine low beams went out also..i replaced both bulbs and still nothin. My dad says it might be the switch but havent switched it out yet..so its a safety recall?

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

The recall covers 01s and some 02s that loose low beams. They inspect and repair/replace the the headlight switch and mating connector.

Not sure if adding DRL is 100% plug and play or not (no DRL indicator on the US clusters)

chkolny

I do believe it is plug and play, the light on the display is so friggen useless, lol. Trust me, look at my location

And i think its hilarious the way that people in the states want DRL's so bad, and people in canada hate them, haha, its so messed. I persoanally think that DRL's are a great safety feature, as there have been many cases where if the light is in your mirrors, and its a white car, often time the only way you really see them is by the DRL lights.

civicarina

^^^ LOL ^^^
I hear ya man at the peoples preference !!! I guess the main reason behind this is that we want a little different look on our cars And ur right... I agree cent percent to the point that yes DRL's are a very important safety feature...

f1n-5

well...
i found the problem.. but after looking at the wiring diagram and removing the center console + middle dash to find the low beam relay i found nothing..

i really didnt think it could be the bulbs itself like CHKOLNY said.. but i decided to take the bulbs out and check.. right bulb had no filament remaining.. and the left bulb had filaments attach but after shaking the bulb it was gone..
so i bought 2 GE NIGHTHAWKS.. i thought they were suppose to be bright... i paid 62CDN for both.. i shouldve just bought the OEM bulbs for 10dollar each..

but its good to know that it was the bulb and not the combination switch.

let this me a lesson to all.. lol

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

wow, both bulbs going out at the same time is kinda rare(i think). Thats crazy.glad to know you solved your problem though.

electric130

iTrader: (44)

so you ripped apart the dash and console before you tried the easiest solution of changing the bulbs? always try the easy things first. fuse, bulb, etc before taking your car apart.

chkolny

haha i was thinking the same thing, it takes 2 minutes to change the bulbs, but anyways, im glad you got it fixed!

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

2 minutes to change bulbs??? I guess your hands arent as big as mine. That left side headlight bulb sucked big ones to replace. Sigh.. off to replace right headlight. Just burned out on me last night.

InanimateCarbonRod

iTrader: (6)

In case anyone is interested...


NHTSA recall 04V086000.

Here's a link for the lazy: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/c...n=YES

Text of the recall:

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

i have drls...and i have an 01...but mine are slightly modded.... =]

wisedude

For all you Civic owners having the (recall ) low beam light switch problem I can tell you that if the problem happens to you and dont want to deal with dealership now and later and or have to spend money on a new switch I have a simple and non expensive way of fixing the problem.

First you have to check the fuses under the hood (both L & R fuses burned)
Second check the bulbs on both headlights (burn out filaments)
If none of the above are youre problem then its 99% the swicth.

To save money and time what I did is checked the conector plug of the driver headlight (remove it first) and with a + & - meter checked for current and ground signals coming into the conector from the wiring. In my case the ground was not working so I took a small (6 inches) long wire peeled the ends plugged it into the ground small hole in the connector reconnected the plug to the bulb and then the other end of the wire hooked it up to a screw close to the bulb connector and that will ground the connector and bulb.

To me this was the easy and save money way since the switch looks like it will burn again in the future.

My tech language is not the best or correct so excuse my use of words to describe the issue and solution.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

Third, check the date of the last post, dude! 2 years ago!
have a good day, Cyclops!
To be fair, good info and more points for having used the search function of the forum!