[cpkaiser]

If this has already been addressed somewhere on here I apologize. Couldn't find anything when searching.

My passenger low beam went out the other day. Thinking it was just a bulb I replaced it and quickly learned that wasn't my problem. High beam works fine. Got out the meter today and I have 12 volts at the plug. So I put the leads in the back of the plug and plugged the bulb in just to see. The minute I plug the bulb in voltage drops to zero. I'm thinking there is something wrong inside the plug but thought I'd throw it out here and get everyone's thoughts or ideas of what to check next??

'03 Durango

 

[petrock]

If memory serves, there should be three wires going into the plug. Power for high beams, power for low beams and ground. Do each of those wires have what they are supposed to when you have the lights on? If so, then the problem is the plug. If not, then the problem is further upstream in the circuit. Good luck...

 

[cpkaiser]

So I went ahead and replaced the plug. Same problem. At the plug I have 12v on low beam when its on and 12v on high beam side when its on. Plug the bulb in and no light on low high works great. Check voltage at back of the plug (with bulb in)on low side with lows on and get 0v.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[petrock]

Now that I'm back home, I whipped out my factory service manual and took a look at the circuit diagram for the headlights. Its a very very simple circuit. You may know this already, but for those who don't, at the passenger headlight plug the black wire goes directly to ground, the violet & red wire is power for the low beam, and the red & orange wire is the power for the high beams.

Power for both high & low beams comes from the CTM (Central Timing Module, located in the kick panel on the left of the drivers foot well) through the pins with the same colored wires.

Check voltage at back of the plug (with bulb in)on low side with lows on and get 0v.

Let me get this straight: you have the light switch in the low position, the bulb removed, the negative/black meter lead connected to ground and the positive/red meter lead back probed into the violet & red wire for the low beam at the socket and you got 12V. But when you put the bulb in the socket, you get 0 volts? That doesn't sound right. If you wiggle the wires around do you get power? You may have a brake in the wire and putting the bulb in the socket moved the wire in such a way that separated the metal wire inside the colored shrink wrap tubing.

What happens if you do the same test, but with the red & orange wire and the light switch on high?

It sounds like you either have a bad bulb (it can happen even with new ones), or you have your wires crossed in the connector or the ends of the wire that go into the socket is loose and not making a good connection to the bulb or there is a short in the socket somewhere.