High beams not working?

Court

New member
Joined
Apr 10, 2012
Location
Rockport,TX
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
I have a 2003 Jetta Wagon and the high beams have quit working, they only work when pulling the lever towards you (Flash maybe?). Fuses are all good but not getting voltage to the left and right high beam fuses. The only relay I can find is the one for the daytime running lights. Is there a relay for the headlamps on this model? Or could my problem be the switch located in the steering column?
Thanks in advance for help or suggestions.....
Court
 

beanboy33

Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Location
chelmsford, ma
TDI
03 jetta wagon
I had that same problem with my 03 wagon also.

What it turned out to be was one of the headlight bulbs.

Replace them and that will fix your problem.
 

Court

New member
Joined
Apr 10, 2012
Location
Rockport,TX
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Thanks, both bulbs seem to be working.......just not getting electricity to the bulbs when the high beams are switched to the on position.....was hoping it might be a relay but can't seem to find one.
 

04SlvrJetta

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Location
Wheeling, WV
TDI
15 Passat SE DSG
One failed bulb will cause both not to work. Also, sometimes the filament will break and then flop around and make a connection, work again, fail again, etc. since they are the cheapest and easiest to rule out I would pull them out and visually inspect the filaments inside. If they check out I think you're probably looking at the high beam/turn signal stalk. I have read here of folks cleaning them and not needing to replace. Somebody will chime in about it. I do not believe our cars use relays in the headlight circuit.
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
Every thing points to the switch. The high beam bulbs work when you pull back on the lever, but not when you push forward, so the bulbs are both good. The circuit is good from the fuses to the bulbs. The circuit is good from coming out of the switch to the fuses so it must be losing power inside the switch.

Or am I missing something? I looked at the wiring diagram and I don't see how it would be possible for one bulb being out causing the other to not work.
 

Court

New member
Joined
Apr 10, 2012
Location
Rockport,TX
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
I agree with you about the bulbs and I'm starting to think it is definitely in the switch. I was just hoping there was a relay so I didn't have to mess with the airbag on the steering wheel..I poured over all the wiring diagrams as well and just don't see anything else that it could be other than the switch........lot of posts here and elsewhere say its the bulbs but they work when you flash them and they work for low beams and the daytime running lights, I just don't see how that is the problem and if there is no voltage at the high beam fuses then it couldn't possibly be down stream from there.

Thanks for the help....
 

beanboy33

Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Location
chelmsford, ma
TDI
03 jetta wagon
I'm telling you, it's the bulbs. Mine was the same way. I had to hold the high beam switch for them to work. Just try new bulbs
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
Every thing points to the switch. The high beam bulbs work when you pull back on the lever, but not when you push forward, so the bulbs are both good. The circuit is good from the fuses to the bulbs. The circuit is good from coming out of the switch to the fuses so it must be losing power inside the switch.

Or am I missing something? I looked at the wiring diagram and I don't see how it would be possible for one bulb being out causing the other to not work.

I agree about the switch and no a single head light bulb out has no affect on the other side unless you have botched wiring. They both have their own seperate earth and power.
 

jasonTDI

TDI GURU Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Location
Oregon, WI
TDI
20' RAM 3500 CCLB dually HO/Aisan. 2019 Cherokee 2.0T
Bet it's the bulbs....see it fairly often.
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
With the evidence of people with WAY more experience on these cars than me, I am certainly questioning my thinking, so don't assume that I'm (now) saying that it can't be the bulbs, but I'm just throwing out the way I'm thinking of this, hoping to learn something new.
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
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Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
With the evidence of people with WAY more experience on these cars than me, I am certainly questioning my thinking, so don't assume that I'm (now) saying that it can't be the bulbs, but I'm just throwing out the way I'm thinking of this, hoping to learn something new.

It's right there in the very first post though whitedog,

"they only work when pulling the lever towards you (Flash maybe?)"

If the bulbs were bad this WOULDN'T work so your thinking is sound imo. Switches do go bad, I mean people also get that clicky turn signal from it too so why not a high beam problem.
 

beanboy33

Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Location
chelmsford, ma
TDI
03 jetta wagon
You have people saying they had the same exact proble and it was the bulbs. Why not try it before you start ripping apart your stearing column.
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
Then explain how it's possible they work with the flash but not when switched on? If they were blown they wouldn't work with the flash, how could they? If a bulb blows it's blown. I think some people missed the line that said they work with the flash and that's why they said they had the same problem because they thought it was just the high beams not working as per the title of the thread.
 

jwp175

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Location
Baden, PA
TDI
2002 & 2010 Jetta
My '02 is doing the exact same thing ... pull on the turn signal lever, they light up like a champ ... push on the turn signal lever and they GO OUT !

I was convinced it's the switch assembly in the signal stalk. I've had it apart once already and cleaned up the contacts, but that didn't help.

I suppose I can try swapping out the old bulbs for new ones tomorrow.

jwp
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
Does the high beam indicator come on?

Go ahead and swap them, I'm very intrigued about this now. I can't understand how it could be, but I'm open to weird electrical stuff.
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
Does the high beam indicator come on?

Go ahead and swap them, I'm very intrigued about this now. I can't understand how it could be, but I'm open to weird electrical stuff.

Yip, me too. Could be a tear in the time warp continuum or maybe a parallel universe touching ours :eek:
 

04SlvrJetta

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Location
Wheeling, WV
TDI
15 Passat SE DSG
Does the high beam indicator come on?

Go ahead and swap them, I'm very intrigued about this now. I can't understand how it could be, but I'm open to weird electrical stuff.
Just to add: my findings were barely scientific...I simply decided to eliminate the bulbs as suspect when I had this problem. I do not recall if the flash to pass feature worked the first time but it did the second time I had the problem. Both times it was a different light bulb and I think what was out was the low beam both times. Is it possible that the low and high beam filaments light on high and only the high beam filaments illuminate on flash? It made no sense to me, but the reason I have repeatedly posted on this same topic was purely to help folks out. I had little time to resolve the problem the first time and did the quickest thing I could think to check. Trust me, I'm the type that if I had all day to mess with it would have probably been able to explain how the whole thing works! I'm not trying to argue what seems like a strange problem...just trying to share from my experiences. I wish both of you having this problem right now the best of luck and if you come up with some findings that will help us all understand this, please post back and enlighten us all.
 

04SlvrJetta

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Location
Wheeling, WV
TDI
15 Passat SE DSG
My '02 is doing the exact same thing ... pull on the turn signal lever, they light up like a champ ... push on the turn signal lever and they GO OUT !

I was convinced it's the switch assembly in the signal stalk. I've had it apart once already and cleaned up the contacts, but that didn't help.

I suppose I can try swapping out the old bulbs for new ones tomorrow.

jwp
If you look at the filaments you can see the one that's blown. When I had this I changed only the bad one and held on to the other one. About a year later same problem....changed other bulb and all better ever since. Well, till I hit a deer that removed the whole headlight assy from existence;)
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself


That's a link to my drawing of the headlight system. It's a bit confusing at the headlights since it shows the Golf and the Jetta though the Jetta has one filament and the Golf two.

The low beams wouldn't come on in high beam or flash since they go through the hi-lo switch and the low beam circuit is open in high or flash. (Though they both would be on when the DRLs are on and you flash.)

Here is another diagram showing the same thing.
 

Rmad

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 11, 2006
Location
New Hope ,PA
TDI
02 Jetta 1.9TDI ALH
FWIW mine (2002) has done this twice over the years. Both times, a quick shot of contact cleaner, a bit of "switch exercise "and all was well. Didn't touch the bulbs in my case. I have never owned a car where so many of it's issues were solved by cleaning /cycling connections?!?! (Coolant sensor, window switch, multi function switch, glow plug harness, etc.) Knock on wood, she rarely needs a component for electrical issues. Also FWIW, on mine the high beam indicator lights on flash to pass and both beams fire. Having said all that, I could see a crossed filament in a bulb being the cause also. Seen weirder things.
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
I could see a crossed filament in a bulb being the cause also.
Hmmm.

I think I can see that. If the LB filament broke so that it fell across from the ground side to the HB filament, maybe it would take that path to ground rather than lighting the HB filament. This would still light the HB indicator, but why would the flash work? Maybe because it has fewer switches to go through? I dunno.
 

Jackilus

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2005
Location
Apache Junction
TDI
His: 03 Candyweiss 2dr Golf, Hers: 2K Black Jetta
So.... what happened?? :confused:

I'm having this problem too now.

Pull back and they come on, push forward and everything goes dark.
 
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