2000 Corolla CE: Headlights wont turn on, lock/window control switches non functional

Hello everyone,

My father drives a 2000 Corolla CE. Recently the headlights stopped
working. All the fuses appear to be okay according to a multimeter. The
failure was not immediate; the headlights would turn on sometimes and not
other times. This went on for a period of time and now they will not turn
on. Does anyone have suggestions as to where I can begin troubleshooting
this?

Also as you know there are switches embedded in the armrests on the doors
which control the power windows and power door locks. All of the switches
in the car stopped functioning. Again the failure was not immediate
sometimes we could get a window down or the doors locked / unlocked and now
they simply don't function. I believe the actuators and power window motors
are fine. When the key is placed in the drivers side door the locks will
unlock / lock appropriately. Also I would not think all 4 window motors
would die at the same time. Does anyone have suggestions as to where I can
begin troubleshooting this also?

Regards,
Andrew

"Andrew Budwill" <andrew.trash@phorum.net> wrote in message
news:Rl2Wg.2421$fl.777@dukeread08...[color=blue]
> Hello everyone,
>
> My father drives a 2000 Corolla CE. Recently the headlights stopped
> working. All the fuses appear to be okay according to a multimeter. The
> failure was not immediate; the headlights would turn on sometimes and not
> other times. This went on for a period of time and now they will not turn
> on. Does anyone have suggestions as to where I can begin troubleshooting
> this?[/color]

I would check for voltage at the headlights and work backwards to the relay.
If the relay is good, then you will need an electrical wiring diagram to
check the combination switch and harnesses.

You can get online access to U.S. factory service manuals ar
techinfo.toyota.com for $10/day.[color=blue]
>
> Also as you know there are switches embedded in the armrests on the doors
> which control the power windows and power door locks. All of the switches
> in the car stopped functioning. Again the failure was not immediate
> sometimes we could get a window down or the doors locked / unlocked and
> now they simply don't function. I believe the actuators and power window
> motors are fine. When the key is placed in the drivers side door the
> locks will unlock / lock appropriately. Also I would not think all 4
> window motors would die at the same time. Does anyone have suggestions as
> to where I can begin troubleshooting this also?
>
> Regards,
> Andrew
>[/color]
Again, you will need an electrical wiring diagram to diagnose. Most likely,
the master switch is bad so start by checking there.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I appreciate your response Ray. I will troubleshoot accordingly and if I
think to stop back in I'll post what was broken.

Andrew

"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:70914$452944b4$180ffe52$25665@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Andrew Budwill" <andrew.trash@phorum.net> wrote in message
> news:Rl2Wg.2421$fl.777@dukeread08...[color=green]
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> My father drives a 2000 Corolla CE. Recently the headlights stopped
>> working. All the fuses appear to be okay according to a multimeter. The
>> failure was not immediate; the headlights would turn on sometimes and not
>> other times. This went on for a period of time and now they will not
>> turn on. Does anyone have suggestions as to where I can begin
>> troubleshooting this?[/color]
>
> I would check for voltage at the headlights and work backwards to the
> relay. If the relay is good, then you will need an electrical wiring
> diagram to check the combination switch and harnesses.
>
> You can get online access to U.S. factory service manuals ar
> techinfo.toyota.com for $10/day.[color=green]
>>
>> Also as you know there are switches embedded in the armrests on the doors
>> which control the power windows and power door locks. All of the
>> switches in the car stopped functioning. Again the failure was not
>> immediate sometimes we could get a window down or the doors locked /
>> unlocked and now they simply don't function. I believe the actuators and
>> power window motors are fine. When the key is placed in the drivers side
>> door the locks will unlock / lock appropriately. Also I would not think
>> all 4 window motors would die at the same time. Does anyone have
>> suggestions as to where I can begin troubleshooting this also?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Andrew
>>[/color]
> Again, you will need an electrical wiring diagram to diagnose. Most
> likely, the master switch is bad so start by checking there.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
>[/color]

Hello Ray,

So I had was visiting my parents tonight and had my multimeter. I checked
for voltage at the headlight harness. The headlight harness would put out
6v when the normal beams were on and 4v when the high beams were on. This
made zero sense to me. The bulbs light up when I hook them to a 12v power
source. It seems not enough voltage is being supplied to the headlight
harness.

I am not quite sure what to check yet. I checked all the relays and they
are functional. I checked all the fuses for continuity and they are good.

Not being very familiar with Toyotas, I assume the headlight harness should
be receiving 12v not 6v/4v.

Do you have any advice on how I should proceed?

Regards,
Andrew
[color=blue]
> You can get online access to U.S. factory service manuals ar
> techinfo.toyota.com for $10/day.[/color]

"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:70914$452944b4$180ffe52$25665@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Andrew Budwill" <andrew.trash@phorum.net> wrote in message
> news:Rl2Wg.2421$fl.777@dukeread08...[color=green]
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> My father drives a 2000 Corolla CE. Recently the headlights stopped
>> working. All the fuses appear to be okay according to a multimeter. The
>> failure was not immediate; the headlights would turn on sometimes and not
>> other times. This went on for a period of time and now they will not
>> turn on. Does anyone have suggestions as to where I can begin
>> troubleshooting this?[/color]
>
> I would check for voltage at the headlights and work backwards to the
> relay. If the relay is good, then you will need an electrical wiring
> diagram to check the combination switch and harnesses.
>
> You can get online access to U.S. factory service manuals ar
> techinfo.toyota.com for $10/day.[color=green]
>>
>> Also as you know there are switches embedded in the armrests on the doors
>> which control the power windows and power door locks. All of the
>> switches in the car stopped functioning. Again the failure was not
>> immediate sometimes we could get a window down or the doors locked /
>> unlocked and now they simply don't function. I believe the actuators and
>> power window motors are fine. When the key is placed in the drivers side
>> door the locks will unlock / lock appropriately. Also I would not think
>> all 4 window motors would die at the same time. Does anyone have
>> suggestions as to where I can begin troubleshooting this also?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Andrew
>>[/color]
> Again, you will need an electrical wiring diagram to diagnose. Most
> likely, the master switch is bad so start by checking there.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
>[/color]

"Andrew Budwill" <andrew.trash@phorum.net> wrote in message
news:yDkZg.6683$fl.1067@dukeread08...[color=blue]
> Hello Ray,
>
> So I had was visiting my parents tonight and had my multimeter. I checked
> for voltage at the headlight harness. The headlight harness would put out
> 6v when the normal beams were on and 4v when the high beams were on. This
> made zero sense to me. The bulbs light up when I hook them to a 12v power
> source. It seems not enough voltage is being supplied to the headlight
> harness.
>
> I am not quite sure what to check yet. I checked all the relays and they
> are functional. I checked all the fuses for continuity and they are good.
>
> Not being very familiar with Toyotas, I assume the headlight harness
> should be receiving 12v not 6v/4v.
>
> Do you have any advice on how I should proceed?
>
> Regards,
> Andrew
>[/color]

When you checked the voltage at the headlight harness, how did you ground
the meter? Did you use the ground at the headlight connector or did you
ground the meter to a nearby chassis ground?

If you used the headlight connector's ground, then check to make sure that
wherever the that wire is grounded, the cocnnection is good. You can also
check continuity between the headldight connector ground wire and the
chassis - you should have continuity with the chassis at the point where the
connector is grounded. If the ground connection is good, then check the
voltage passing through the headlight relay and check for a loose connection
somewhere.

If you used a nearby chassis ground to check voltage at the headlights, then
check for a cut or chafed wire somewhere in the circuit.

--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Hello Ray,

This evening I stopped by my parents house. Mysteriously I measured the
voltage at the headlight harness again (using the ground in the harness) and
this time read 12 volts. I tried to turn the headlights on, all the relays
clicked (headlight relay near the battery, DRL relay near passenger side
fender, dimmer relay when I tried to brights) but the lights did not
respond. I hadn't eaten dinner yet so headed inside to grab some food.
When I came back out NONE of the relays would respond at all when I flipped
the headlight switch in the car.

I removed the relays 1 by 1 and hooked them up to a 12 volt source, they all
work properly.

I tested for voltage where the headlight relays plugs in, I used the battery
as a ground and read 12 volts. I then checked for continuity between where
the relay should have been grounded to the battery and continuity was not
present.

According to the schematic in my shop manual the grounds for all the relays
run to the DRL main relay harness. I am beginning to suspect the DRL relay
which if I understand correctly is located behind the glove box.

Do you have any thoughts?

Andrew

"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:5a033$45364b6d$44a4a10d$11385@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Andrew Budwill" <andrew.trash@phorum.net> wrote in message
> news:yDkZg.6683$fl.1067@dukeread08...[color=green]
>> Hello Ray,
>>
>> So I had was visiting my parents tonight and had my multimeter. I
>> checked for voltage at the headlight harness. The headlight harness
>> would put out 6v when the normal beams were on and 4v when the high beams
>> were on. This made zero sense to me. The bulbs light up when I hook
>> them to a 12v power source. It seems not enough voltage is being
>> supplied to the headlight harness.
>>
>> I am not quite sure what to check yet. I checked all the relays and they
>> are functional. I checked all the fuses for continuity and they are
>> good.
>>
>> Not being very familiar with Toyotas, I assume the headlight harness
>> should be receiving 12v not 6v/4v.
>>
>> Do you have any advice on how I should proceed?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Andrew
>>[/color]
>
> When you checked the voltage at the headlight harness, how did you ground
> the meter? Did you use the ground at the headlight connector or did you
> ground the meter to a nearby chassis ground?
>
> If you used the headlight connector's ground, then check to make sure that
> wherever the that wire is grounded, the cocnnection is good. You can also
> check continuity between the headldight connector ground wire and the
> chassis - you should have continuity with the chassis at the point where
> the connector is grounded. If the ground connection is good, then check
> the voltage passing through the headlight relay and check for a loose
> connection somewhere.
>
> If you used a nearby chassis ground to check voltage at the headlights,
> then check for a cut or chafed wire somewhere in the circuit.
>
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
>[/color]

"Andrew Budwill" <andrew.trash@phorum.net> wrote in message
news:zfGZg.6738$fl.4373@dukeread08...[color=blue]
> Hello Ray,
>
> This evening I stopped by my parents house. Mysteriously I measured the
> voltage at the headlight harness again (using the ground in the harness)
> and this time read 12 volts. I tried to turn the headlights on, all the
> relays clicked (headlight relay near the battery, DRL relay near passenger
> side fender, dimmer relay when I tried to brights) but the lights did not
> respond. I hadn't eaten dinner yet so headed inside to grab some food.
> When I came back out NONE of the relays would respond at all when I
> flipped the headlight switch in the car.
>
> I removed the relays 1 by 1 and hooked them up to a 12 volt source, they
> all work properly.
>
> I tested for voltage where the headlight relays plugs in, I used the
> battery as a ground and read 12 volts. I then checked for continuity
> between where the relay should have been grounded to the battery and
> continuity was not present.
>
> According to the schematic in my shop manual the grounds for all the
> relays run to the DRL main relay harness. I am beginning to suspect the
> DRL relay which if I understand correctly is located behind the glove box.
>
> Do you have any thoughts?
>
> Andrew
>[/color]

I'm running out of thoughts. You can check the DRL relay, and since the
combination switch (headlight switch) has been problematic on these vehicles
in the past, I would check that as well.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)