need help!!!head lights wont work now...

[jr_1086]

As i was driving from home from work today my car started acting weird. First the gauge lights started to dim as if it was losing power then i noticed the headlights were not working, so now i had to turn on the high beams but they work. what would cause this? i have a 90 talon tsi

 

[steve]

Hard to say given what you have told us so far.

First thing I'd check the the electrical system voltage at the battery when the car is running.

It's a pain on a 1Ga to get at the headlight but the next thing is to check the sealed beam bulb and make sure they are not burned out. If the alternator was overcharging both low beams could have burnt out at the same time.

Your going to need a multimeter (volts/ohms/amps/etc) to test with. You can usually find a usable one for >$20

 

[Rob10_99]

Yeah, voltmeter would be a good investment if you don't have one. Sounds like your alternator is going out.
That's the biggest pain in the ass sometimes, it will work one day, give you 10 symptoms the next, then the next day work great. Electrical stuff can go out like that and it sucks when your stranded somewhere after you drove 10 miles on battery power alone =)

Check your idle voltage at the battery, it should be 13Vdc +

 

[luv2rallye]

Also check for a bad ground connection on the headlight low beam wire/connector.

 

[90gst_sean]

Yeah, voltmeter would be a good investment if you don't have one. Sounds like your alternator is going out.
That's the biggest pain in the ass sometimes, it will work one day, give you 10 symptoms the next, then the next day work great. Electrical stuff can go out like that and it sucks when your stranded somewhere after you drove 10 miles on battery power alone =)

Check your idle voltage at the battery, it should be 13Vdc +

Yes, the alternator can be tough... 1 hour. But, what really sucks is a bad dimmer switch!!! a few hours or all weekend.

Put the dimmer on your list of thing to think about.