So my passenger side low beam went out, I replaced the bulb and it did not come on even though it was a brand new bulb. . . Slammed the hood and it came on and stayed on the whole ride. Came home and parked it, went out the next day and the light was out again, got out to check all the wires again to find no issues. . . Slammed the hood down hard again and the light came on again, worked that whole trip and go back out today and it's off again. Can someone tell me wtf is going on before I lose my mind ?

 

Something is loose. It could be a connection at the end of a wire, or the ground wire connection to the chassis (needs to be clean, shiny, & tight), or a worn and loose socket for the bulb. Get in there with the lights on and wiggle one thing at a time to find the culprit. Or maybe a headlight relay. Locate the relay and with the lights on lightly tap it. If the lights flicker, that's the trouble maker.

 

Piggybacking off this thread... My 2011 driver side headlight keeps going out. I just need to take it out put it back in and it works for a while. It is a pretty new bulb. Socket of the harness gets really hot, I don't know if that is normal. I cleaned the connection with contact spray cleaner, and slathered the connection with dielectric grease. No improvement. Maybe the harness needs replaced? Is there another way to test the relay?

 

I have wiggled each wire and checked the wires as far back as I can see for myself 😂 any suggestion on where the relay would be ? I'm a body work girl so electrical/mechanical is not my usual area and I'm stumped. It works fine for the trip once the hood is slammed and it stays on the whole drive, but once I shut the car off and have to turn it back on it's the same problem but just one bulb

 

I haven't checked mine yet but the relays are usually in a box next to the fuses. CX-7 has the relay box as part of or next to the fuse box in the engine compartment.

Per internet, a relay failure would likely impact both headlights.

Did you try cleaning the contacts and apply dielectic grease?

 

I have not. . . The grease part. I have cleaned the connector, there's nothing visible that is causing it from what I can tell. It's only my low beam. The high beam works no problem. And I'm wondering if the light that's on is a separate relay because it's the "running light" and maybe the low beam "headlight is separate ? I'm hoping. Gonna go check it out

 

Best of luck! I'm probably going to take mine to the shop. Unfortunately, I don't have time to rip off the bumper and all to get to the wiring harness and all which I think is what I probably need to do.

 

Figured it out. I played with the wires while the light was on and installed and didn't notice flickering. I tried swapping the passenger one for the driver side one to see if it was a bulb issue. I had the same problem so it wasn't the bulb. I tried dielectric grease to improve the contact. That didn't help. Finally, after stewing for a couple weeks, I wiggled the wires again with the bulb out (warning. It is hot and will melt plastic it touches in the engine compartment). Success - the ground wire was loose where it enters the socket.

So I bought an H11 high temp socket, some connectors, and heat-shrink tubing and replaced the socket (cut the wires at the socket). Done.

 

Definition: Dielectric..."A nonconductor of electricity, especially a substance with electrical conductivity of less than a millionth (10−6) of a siemens."

Dielectric grease is a silicone grease that does not conduct electricity. It lubricates electrical parts that need to slide together, and it seals out some moisture and dirt. When used on parts for an electrical contact, like the base of a light bulb, we're counting on the dielectric grease being pushed aside so the metal parts make contact.

 

Thank you! That never made sense to me until now.