Question for any Mazda techs

[anodyne33]

I've an 08.5 3 5 door and lost my headlights. Getting in the car yesterday morning I noticed that I didn't have any low beams but (and I'm wracking my brain to make sure I remembered this correctly) I still had high beams. When I got home last night I had no low or high beams.

The whole time I've had flash to pass and fogs/marker lamps.

Fuse 60 and 61 under the dash are fine, and 4 under the hood tests good for continuity as well.

When I turn the switch on I can hear the relays clicking under the dash for both positions.

If it were the switch, would I expect to hear relays? With all the fuses good I'm not sure where to go next except for all four lamps.

 

[Wiggum]

Are you part of Mazda3Club? That would be a good start...

I was a Moderator on Mazda6Club, so I know some techs... let me dig around...

 

[mrbreezeet1]

I'm not a Mazda tech, but yea, see if you have power to the headlights.
Sometimes the low beams would burn out, but you still had high beams, there were 2 filaments in the low beam bulb. That was the older 4 headlamp system though.
But yes, I would check for power at the headlights with a test light, of just try a new bulb.
Tony

 

[anodyne33]

Holy fast responses!

I've got a login over at the corporate Mazda3Forums and searched there, but didn't find exactly what I was looking for.

Yeah, I guess I really should go and check at the bulbs for power, eh?

 

[Wiggum]

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=165860.0

 

[sstruckguy]

I have seen stranger things happen. Voltage at the bulb will tell the tale.

BTW, I am an ex parts manager at a Mazda dealership

 

[anodyne33]

I did see that thread... I figured it could be a possibility. Then I took the voltmeter back out...

No voltage at the passenger low beam, and 12v at the high beam despite having no light. Sounds like a bulb... I plug it back in and still nothing. Makes sense for the high beam side anyhow.

So I drop the hood... and the passenger high beam comes on.

So I start to think I need to get a can of contact cleaner and go all around them tomorrow.

15 minutes later I go back out and turn it on again and it's all out again. Are these wired in series?

So I'll clean the connectors on the high beams, but it still doesn't explain no voltage at the low beam lamps.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

You have filaments flopping around in the bulb, making contact with the other filament. Makes weird things happen. Change the bulbs (all of them) and then see what you have.

Charles