Bulb install- electrical question

So i just upgraded my headlight bulbs to silverstar ultras. Pulled both old bulbs out. Put one new one back in. Then i tried starting the truck to test the one new bulb. The truck started and then died immediately. I assumed this was due to the one bulb socket still being empty. So i pulled the second bulb put of the package and it was scratched. So, i Went to the store to get a different set.

Installed BOTH bulbs this time, but tried starting it again and it started and immediately died again. I got out, jiggled the harness wires on both bulbs, and then it started fine and still seems ok.

Does this sound normal? Or might there be something else going on? Being a almost-new truck (8k miles), i wouldnt have expected bad connections in the harness.

 

Did you disconnect the battery?

 

Yea, Disconnected battery before putting in the first bulb (drivers side). Then hooked up the battery again to test the drivers side but hadnt yet installed the passenger side bulb (but the old passenger bulb was no longer in the socket- so it was empty). Thats when it started and died. And i bet i didnt unhook the batery again before installing the passenger side bulb. After i got it in, i started it and it died immediately. Then jiggled the harness and started it again and it worked just fine. What im afraid of is if i'm out and about- might it die on me again.

 

Basically, after the bulbs were installed and battery was hooked up again and the hood was closed, it started and died one time before it was started a second time and continued to run.

I can understand the dying engine when i tried to start it with one missing bulb- maybe thats normal??? But the question remains- why did it die once after it was all "put back together"? Did my starting it with one bulb out of its socket cause a short or something that needs to be looked at? Fried wires somewhere??

 

Its normal and common after the battery has been disconnected for the engine to idle rough or die, has nothing to do with your headlight bulbs.

 

Great. Thanks for your response.

 

There's no need to disconnect the battery to replace light bulbs. Just make sure the associated light is turned off.

Disconnecting the battery is only necessary for parts that go into the ECM (MAF sensor, ignition coil, etc.) and for parts related to the airbags or seatbelt pretentioners. And yes the engine will die the first time you start it up.

 

thanks much for your insight. unfortunately I had to remove the battery to install the headlight bulb.

when I remove the battery, what order should i disconnect the pos/neg terminals? and the order when I hook it back up?

 

unhook: neg first then pos
re-install: pos then neg

 

thanks!