No headlights

[Lofty]

I don't have headlights on my car.
I jumped the relay, the headlights DO infact work. So it's not wiring from fusebox to headlights. BUT the relay is only receiving 8 volts, which isn't enough to make it pick over. So. I have a bit of a wiring mess under the dash. I had indiglo gauges and some ricer narrowband and shit. Everything works fine. The headlights did infact work for a while, but then they started to work intermittently, then stopped all together. So what is this? The stalk switch going bad? Bad ground? Wiring? If anyone can help rep will be given.

 

[luv2rallye]

You've either got a bad battery, or a partial short on the relay pic line, bad ground for the stalk switch, or a device has been wired for power into the relay pic line (which should never be done).

 

[Lofty]

Hmmm. Dammit. Wheres the ground for the stalk? Is it still possible it's bad?

Also what do you mean a device has been wired through the pic line?

 

[luv2rallye]

If you have a theft alarm (factory or not) try unplugging that first.

Do the lights work if you ground the headlight relay's small red control (I call pic) wire to activate the relay so the relay powers the lights?

When you say 8V do you mean on this control wire or on the relay's large red or red-blue or?

Do headlights work when you pull the stalk back towards you for momentary on operation?

The stalk ground is a black wire on pin 4 of its 20 pin connector. It should go to ground. Yes it's possible the stalk is bad, especially if the ground is ok but it does not put a ground on the relay's control wire when it's turned on.

Many people when searching for power to install a new device (eg. radio, TT, gauge lights, etc) just check for 12v with a voltmeter. Just reading 12v does not mean its a power wire. A control wire will also read 12v when the device is off. This is what I mean by "a device has been wired through the pic line". If someone connected something up to the relays control (pic) wire, you would have problems (like only getting 8v there, etc).