Hello All! New to this forum. But loving all the information that people are sharing. Hoping someone can help with current problem I'm dealing with.

Problem, bought this used 2002 Mazda P5 back in Nov, 145K miles, typical rust spots, overall very nice little car to send back daughter back to school with in Jan.

I take said new car to drive and surprise her during pick up in Nov. BOOM both low beams burn out during drive. Hey, only owned car couple days, way old etc. No biggie, finish journey high beams only, replace over thanksgiving break.

Fast forward, 3 weeks, BOOM both low beams magically burned out again, replaced again. 3 days later shes driving home calls in a panic. Low beams and high beams now burned out. Limps home on fogs.

Now, i'm positive that that i didn't get finger smudges on glass of any of the low beam bulbs i replaced, and never touched the high beams, so that variable is eliminated.

Is there any other areas I need to check since I already have the alternator and battery out to get tested later today. I'm assuming that voltage reg bad and it's sending over voltage to the headlights. Any short circuits and poor connections would surely lead to dim lights, poor charging, dead battery, etc. CORRECT???

What other areas can cause extremely short bulb life like this??

TIA,

Lance

 

the first thing i thought of was water in the headlight or some electrical short? maybe this overcharging issue could be the culprit...
jim
"I have had issues with low beam headlight bulbs burning out prematurely. ... First, check the alternator output, as an overcharging alternator will cause premature headlight burn out. Second, the connection at the headlight bulb must be clean and tight. Third, look for any signs of moisture in the headlight capsule.Feb 4, 2015"

Auto Doc: Premature burnout, headlight failure frequent | Newsday

https://www.newsday.com › classifieds › cars › auto-doc-premature-burnout-...

 

Had the same problem. As soon as i would rev over 4000 rpm lights would flicker then burn out. tested alternator- 14.35 volts idling-18-19 volt and more over 3500rpm. blowing all bulbs at once. New alt. on order this afternoon.