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Voltage Issue With Head Lights

Milcommoguy

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I’m definitely confused on the ground issue too. Was sitting here reading through troubleshooting (no help) and then the wiring harness picture. Like you say, would seem all grounds would tie together. And, yes, that harness looks to be in pristine condition.
Looks like a couple chassis grounds over on corner lights I can touch up. I’ve already run all the factory grounds from engine rear (as well as adding the 5-point supplemental ground harness from the drivers rear engine head bolt).
But, tomorrow I’ll swap the working headlight for the bad side and see what I get.
Thanks for the input. Will advise…
I am not confused... Too, Just not the boots, hands and eyes on the problem. Thumb back thru this / these threads a couple years might help. History seem to repeat itself on a HumV, LOL

Remote control robot driven over the interweb, CAMO
 
Last edited:

mccullek

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Oxford MS
If you still haven't solved this, double, double check your wire numbers and plug locations, and make sure they match up. I was having problems with one of mine and I would have sworn that everything was plugged in correctly, but it wasn't. If you check that again and all is good, it's likely a ground. You might verify your bulb is good too, just to be sure.
 

rossbart

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Location
Waurika, Oklahoma
If you still haven't solved this, double, double check your wire numbers and plug locations, and make sure they match up. I was having problems with one of mine and I would have sworn that everything was plugged in correctly, but it wasn't. If you check that again and all is good, it's likely a ground. You might verify your bulb is good too, just to be sure.
Thanks for the followup. I’m kind of embarrassed to expound but, basically, the bulb was bad. I tested it direct to battery and both high and low beam sides were bad.
The reason I didn’t check earlier was that it was a brand new bulb right out of the box from a big name military vendor (who I will not mention by name). Oh well…
But, I do have a followup question for the forum: truck starts on first pop every time. When cold, wait light stays on about 6 seconds and goes off just like it’s supposed to. Then, after it starts, the volt meter cycles between yellow and green about every second or so for about a minute. I do not hear any solenoid noise from under dash.
I’m going to try and attach a quick video of the cycle but bear in mind it does this maybe 60 times like this before it stops and stays on the green hash. Doesn’t do this on hot restarts.
Is this how the 200 amp alternator pulse charges. Or, is this a glow plug issue? And, is it normal or indicative of an issue? The engine only has 500 miles (177 hours) on it. All the glow plugs that I could reach to test, tested in good range (5 of the 8)
 

Coug

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Olympia/WA
Thanks for the followup. I’m kind of embarrassed to expound but, basically, the bulb was bad. I tested it direct to battery and both high and low beam sides were bad.
The reason I didn’t check earlier was that it was a brand new bulb right out of the box from a big name military vendor (who I will not mention by name). Oh well…
But, I do have a followup question for the forum: truck starts on first pop every time. When cold, wait light stays on about 6 seconds and goes off just like it’s supposed to. Then, after it starts, the volt meter cycles between yellow and green about every second or so for about a minute. I do not hear any solenoid noise from under dash.
I’m going to try and attach a quick video of the cycle but bear in mind it does this maybe 60 times like this before it stops and stays on the green hash. Doesn’t do this on hot restarts.
Is this how the 200 amp alternator pulse charges. Or, is this a glow plug issue? And, is it normal or indicative of an issue? The engine only has 500 miles (177 hours) on it. All the glow plugs that I could reach to test, tested in good range (5 of the 8)
The pulsing of the gauge isn't the alternator, it's the glow plug controller. The glow plugs are pulsed every few seconds in order to help warm up the engine faster, but can't be run constantly or they would burn up.
Some controllers do the pulse method, others use a constant lower voltage.
It is operating normally if it only lasts for a minute or two.
Doesn't do it with warm engine because there is a thermal sensor on the engine that the controller uses to see if it needs to do the glow plugs or not.
 

rossbart

Member
69
34
18
Location
Waurika, Oklahoma
Thanks for the followup. I’m kind of embarrassed to expound but, basically, the bulb was bad. I tested it direct to battery and both high and low beam sides were bad.
The reason I didn’t check earlier was that it was a brand new bulb right out of the box from a big name military vendor (who I will not mention by name). Oh well…
But, I do have a followup question for the forum: truck starts on first pop every time. When cold, wait light stays on about 6 seconds and goes off just like it’s supposed to. Then, after it starts, the volt meter cycles between yellow and green about every second or so for about a minute. I do not hear any solenoid noise from under dash.
I’m going to try and attach a quick video of the cycle but bear in mind it does this maybe 60 times like this before it stops and stays on the green hash. Doesn’t do this on hot restarts.
Is this how the 200 amp alternator pulse charges. Or, is this a glow plug issue? And, is it normal or indicative of an issue? The engine only has 500 miles (177 hours) on it. All the glow plugs that I could reach to test, tested in good range (5 of the 8)
The pulsing of the gauge isn't the alternator, it's the glow plug controller. The glow plugs are pulsed every few seconds in order to help warm up the engine faster, but can't be run constantly or they would burn up.
Some controllers do the pulse method, others use a constant lower voltage.
It is operating normally if it only lasts for a minute or two.
Doesn't do it with warm engine because there is a thermal sensor on the engine that the controller uses to see if it needs to do the glow plugs or not.
thanks for the feedback. I’m relieved to hear that it’s normal. Sure am enjoying working this rig!
 

mccullek

Well-known member
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288
63
Location
Oxford MS
thanks for the feedback. I’m relieved to hear that it’s normal. Sure am enjoying working this rig!
Mine does the same thing, bothered me at first too, but I could never find anything wrong, and it still did it after putting in fresh new batteries, so I just assumed it was normal.
 
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