I have a 1997 honda accord and the high beams and the high beam indicator in the dash do not work. I tried replacing the bulbs and that did not work. When I pull the high beam stick partially back, the low beams come on, as expected. But, when I pull all the way back I hear the click in the steering column but no high beams or indicator. I was wondering if there is a high beam relay that could be bad. If there is one. Anyone have any ideas for me?

 

Have you checked the fuses?

Did this happen all of the sudden, strange both go at once. Has any work been done recently.

 

This is a cash car I purchased a few month's ago. Went to renew the inspection sticker and the tech found this issue right off. So, not sure if both went at the same time or not. I did check fuses. I found a left headlight and right headlight, both are in working order.

 

Oh, how I hate wiring issues,,,,but that sounds like what you have. Let me guess the damage was in the front.

If you don't already have a wiring diagram I'd sugget one. My first guess is the ground. Can you verify power on both sides of the fuse. Check for ground at the socket.

 

I'm a little confused. Is this a car paid with "cash" or a "crash" car? That makes a difference in what this may be.

Otherwise, I would be suspecting the column light switch or the under-hood headlight relay.

 

This was paid for with cash. Inexpensive, reliable first car for my teenager. No damage to the front. Since this is common to both right/left high beam, is there a common place I should check the ground connection since it is unlikely the ground connection at both sockets would be broken...

thanks for all the replies.

 

The left and right headlights do not share a common ground. The left headlight ground is at G301 and the right is at G201. These are how the two grounds look like.

I would be suspecting the column light switch or the headlight relay in the under-hood fuse/relay box.

 

I was suspecting that component in the fusebox. I believe it is labled dimming lights or something like that. Of course, my teenager has the car right now. I tried to "pull" it out yesterday but would not pull straight out. I did not pull with much pressure because I did not want to break anything. What would I ask/search for at my local parts store to replace this component in the fusebox?

Thanks for the pics....btw very very helpful. It looks like from the pics that the light "casing" is grounded to the metal frame by the mounting screws? Just so I can check them in an effort to be thorough.

 

There are the dimmer relay and the headlight relay next to each other in the under-hood fuse/relay box (they are the two similar shape ones in that image). The headlight relay has 4 prongs, while the dimmer relay has 5 prongs. You would ask for a relay. However, there are ways to test the relays to check if they are bad.

Those are grounds for various wiring circuits; so, not just for the headlights.

 

To test the headlight relay (4 terminals):

There should be continuity between terminals A and B when power (+) and ground (-) are connected to C and D terminals.

There should be no continuity between terminals A and B when power is disconnected.

 

I do recall that the one the red arrow is pointing to is present and labeled dimming lights on the cover. The other one behind it is missing. Is that the relay you are talking about? The one closest to the firewall is missing.

 

The previous image was from the owner's manual. This image is switch around showing the labeled relays. The dimming relay is 5 terminals and the headlight is 4 terminals; so, they are different.

 

I believe it is the dimmer relay I need. I found a wiring diagram online and it looks like the headlights would not work at all if the headlight relay was missing.

 

Redbull-1... Thanks for all the information. I called the dealer looking for the part and they could not locate it without a part number. I found this site www.hondaoriginalparts.com that had a very thorough listing of the Honda parts.... Finally found the part number there and ordered the missing relay. Thanks again

 

No problem, just trying to help. Hopefully everything works afterward. Let us know if it works, as the info. could help someone else in the future.

 

Hello,

First, nice forum and some good info. I'm a real noob in cars.

I have a 97 accord and some problems with the high beam lights. When I pull the "switch" for high beam with lights off, normal lights turn on. If I turn on the normal lights and then pull for high beam, nothing happens, the lights stay normal. The blue indicator on the dashboard does work though. Checked the fuse, all looks ok.

Went to a garage, they didn't want to take care of it. Guess my chances to have the high beam work is to do it by myself.

Would it be the dimming relay ?

Thanks for any info, it will be appreciated.

Cheers

 

hey, just bought a 5th gen Prelude found on craigslist, and same problem. i pill the headlight lever to the back, and my high beams don't shine, although, the indicator shows op on the dashboard, what do you think is the problem?