Both headlights out, new bulbs and fuse. Thoughts?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Caplappy, Sep 18, 2015.

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  1. Caplappy

    Caplappy Junior Member

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    I have a 2010, one low beam headlight went out, when I replaced it with a new bulb it didn't come on so I took the other bulb out from the side that was working to compare it and make sure it was the same one. It was, but then when I put the bulb back in on the side that was working, that one wouldn't turn on. So I put in two Sylvania H11 bulbs (9005) and neither light will work. I looked at the fuse that operates both headlamps and it's fine but switched it anyway and still nothing. I called the dealer parts shop, the guy says the factory bulbs are Sylvania, and offered that it could be a "switch" or "relay."

    Anyone else having this trouble? Ideas, thoughts, questions, help?
    Thanks!
     
    #1 Caplappy, Sep 18, 2015
  2. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    The bulbs should be H11, why do you have 9005 in parentheses? 9005 are the highbeam bulbs.

    There are two fuses for the lowbeam headlight bulbs, one for each side, in the engine compartment fuse box.

    Are you checking the fuses with a meter? Don't rely on only a visual inspection.

    Do the highbeams work? Do the lowbeams come on when the highbeams are on?
     
    #2 xliderider, Sep 18, 2015
  3. Caplappy

    Caplappy Junior Member

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    In my owners manual, it shows there are two fuses for the high beams but one fuse for both the right and the left low beams, in position 19 in the engine compartment. I didn't use a meter to check the fuse. The rest of the items on that fuse are working. I used H11 for the little round lowbeams on the outside of the headlamp assembly and HB3 9005 for the square ones. The low beams are the square ones on the inside, and they no longer turn on unless the brights are on too.
     
    #3 Caplappy, Sep 18, 2015
  4. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    I think you are confused. The square reflector lights on the inside with the 9005 halogen bulbs are the highbeams, not the lowbeams. The lowbeams are the round projector lights on the outside, they take H11 bulbs.

    The highbeams only come on (along with the lowbeams) when the stalk is moved to the highbeam position or flicked when using the "flash to pass" function.

    On the lowbeam position, only the round, outer projector lights (H11 bulbs) are on.

    What you are describing sounds like normal lowbeam/highbeam operation.

    Edit: Ignore my avatar pic, I modified our car to enable highbeam DRL functionality. ;)
     
    #4 xliderider, Sep 18, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2015
  5. Caplappy

    Caplappy Junior Member

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    Thank you, I think what happened is that a guy at the local shop was showing me the specs from a prius with LED lights, which caused confusion about which light was which. Plus, I ended up having one light out of both low beams and high beams. So, I replaced all four of them unnecessarily, but oh well, live and learn.

    I really appreciate your patient response! I had a giggle at myself when I figured it out.
     
    #5 Caplappy, Sep 19, 2015
  6. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Glad everything is sorted out. FYI, when replacing bulbs, it's always best to replace them in pairs, not individually, because the bulbs get dimmer over time.
     
    #6 xliderider, Sep 19, 2015
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