High beams not working on 2nd gen

Hello all,

I am a new member, 1st time tacoma owner. I have a problem with my high beams, I used the search function and found some articles that are helping me hone in on the problem but still not sure where it is.

Here is the story, purchased this 2009 2nd gen and the headlight worked fine but the high beams didn't so I decided I wanted brighter lights so I purchased the spec d led lights. The install went fine, I hooked my voltmeter up to determine which lead was my hot for the headlights and found it but couldn't find the hot when I turned the bright lights on so I checked the fuse panel in the engine compartment and the fuses were fine.

I found an article that suggested two things could be wrong 1) the headlight lever switch could be bad or 2) some type of module in the steering wheel column could be bad. So I'm guessing my next course of action is to get a manual to tear those two apart and trace the wires unless of course somebody has any other suggestions? I'm getting a bit annoyed with everyone flashing their brights at me, suggesting that I'm rocking my brights, would be nice to show them what the brights really look like. Thanks for reading this.

 

Welcome to TW!

First thing I would do is swap in stock halogen bulbs and see if high beams work. This will identify the problem with the LEDs or your truck.

2nd. People are flashing you because you have done your headlight upgrade horribly wrong. Read this as to why:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/

 

Thank your for the reply crashnburn80,

Unfortunately I was a little too eager to get rid of the original headlight housing and bulbs so I can't test new bulbs in the headlight housings. Your post you reference is interesting and I'm not sure if I'm "lost in translation" so forgive me if I'm miss reading into what you're stating but I swapped out the OEM housings for the spec d housing. So I was under the assumption that the new housing would have been made in a way to optimize the light pattern for the LED halos but it sounds like since they are so bright that the housing design is bad?

 

I think the OP may have the "spyder" type we hear about?

https://www.carid.com/2009-toyota-tacoma-headlights/spec-d-halo-led-projector-headlights-260906.html

Regardless, if using halogen bulbs AIM them.

If using led or hid bulbs that may be your problem.

If using hid or led in stock type with large reflector bowls, scatter is blinding people.

Wanting to flash them back is NOT fixing the problem you are creating. Fix your scatter or aiming situation.
If you blind someone and cause an accident you can be held responsible.

 

Cheap aftermarket housings can have questionable optics, but yes going to a projector should prevent scatter. As mentioned people are flashing you because your headlights are mis-aimed or you have scatter. Park 20-25ft in front of a wall and look at your beam pattern and compare it to the beam pattern in the thread I linked. If you have clean cut offs, then you just need to adjust your lights down, which is a likely possibility since you swapped the housings and they need to be re-aimed. The right way to do this would be to have your headlight cut-off lines taped off before swapping out the assemblies so you have a reference point. Without reference it can still be done with a little more work.

Did you compare all 3 headlight prongs when testing with your volt meter? On low and high? The hot leads will differ if it is ground switched vs conventionally switched so if you read which lead is to be hot on high beam it can actually change depending on your trucks ground.

I see you are in Seattle. I'm on the Eastside and can gladly give you some bulbs or help you test/troubleshoot your high beam hot lead and help you aim.

 

On the HID retrofit I did, I had to wire in a rectifier from radioshack to keep the headlights on when the high beam switch was pulled.

I believe this is because from the factory the low beams turn off when the High beams are turned on, and since the HID unit got its power from the low beam, (High beam just being a cutoff that drops out of the way) When the high beam switch was pulled it would drop the cutoff but also turn off the power to the HID...

Im not exactly sure how the LEDs work, but if your low beams work fine, and then when you pull your high beam switch everything shuts off, you may want to look into this. The rectifier was wired across the high/low beam at the plug.

 

This wouldn't be the case with the LEDs as they don't use the drop shields like an H4 HID retrofit. There should be separate high and low diodes for LEDs. But if the OP is running the exact lights linked above, then they are using H1 bulbs, which have a completely separate bulb for high beam and low beam.

 

Illegal headlights are why you are being flashed.

Retrofits that do not conform to FMVSS are illegal in most states, including Washington.

 

Have you checked your fuses? There are 2 for low beams and 2 for high beams


never mind reread and saw fuses were fine.

 

Putting hids or leds on any vehicle that did not come with them as a headlight option is illegal on a FEDERAL level.

 

You may also check the relay, if it is not functioning it would disable the high beams:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/high-beam-relay-location-help.295988/

 

And most states have adopted laws requiring lights to conform with FMVSS. In Oregon non standard lights is a $160 fine.

 

Ill take a look at that relay tonight when I get off of work crashnburn80, and I appreciate the offer to help out which I might take you up on.

Ultimately I don't want to be blinding people and want to have a safe setup for not only me but others around me. It's not my intention to flash people, I was just a little annoyed after driving down a one lane highway early in the morning going out fishing, I had at least 50 big rigs turn their brights on me as well as drive into my lane to push me off the road. I've linked the lights that I swapped out at the bottom of this post. I think one of the problems I do have is that the alignment is off, I personally don't find the lights to be any brighter then what I see on the newer vehicles on the road however I do think one light is shining high which may give the appearance that the brights are on. Unfortunately what I can see from the spec d light is that they don't have adjustments screws to dial in the angle of the beams on the garage door. If that is the case then I may just need to look at doing what crashnburn80 suggested in his first reference. And for the record the problem of my high beams not working was also on the OEM lights before I upgraded to the spec d headlights so either way I go that is the problem that I am trying to resolve first and foremost.

http://www.specdtuning.com/2lhptac06jmbtm.html

 

Oh yeah, if ur pissing off rigs, u need to take 5 minutes and aim them.

U cannot just throw lights in a vehicle and expect them to be aimed.

As for your spyder type lights, watch for leakw and peeling from the inside.

Ur best bet for safer lighting for urself and others is oem housings.

 

The lights you linked have adjustment screws. Each lens area has 2 silver screws, one for left/right and one for up/down. Thats 4 screws per light. The passenger side is easier to adjust since the battery isn't in the way. Look at the picture, second row second column, you linked too.

 

well now I feel dumb anders99, I see the orange arrows in their pics of the adjustment screws.

 

The driver side is a PAIN to do in my opinion. I just found the right size socket and did 1/8 turns on it until they were aimed properly.

 

Right, it isn't that the lights are brighter, it is the beam is not under control so oncoming drivers are blinded. Two unrelated aspects. Do the wall test. Here is how to aim:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

I still have my aiming tape marks up if you need a reference.

If your highs didn't work before, it is safe to assume the problem is upstream from the bulb. On your headlight switch does it work if you pull back to flash high? Vs push forward for constant highs on? My bet would be on the relay first, then the switch.

 

If I pull back on the switch is turns the headlights off, I also don't see the high beam indicator light up on my dash when I pull back on the lever.

 

Does your switch not have 3 positions?
Forward = High
Center = low
Back (toward driver) = flash high (but will not stay in this position)