Foglights failed to work for a short while...

[dzcab]

Hey not to highjack this thread but my fogs started acting up
Today. They are flashing on and off very rapidly so is the dashboard indicator and underneath my steering wheel they are making noise like it's arcing but it's not. Does anyone have an idea what it can be. I was thinking it was a relay.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by dzcab

Hey not to highjack this thread but my fogs started acting up
Today. They are flashing on and off very rapidly so is the dashboard indicator and underneath my steering wheel they are making noise like it's arcing but it's not. Does anyone have an idea what it can be. I was thinking it was a relay.

It probably is the relay, but due to a loose pin on the headlight stalk connector. Pop the lower steering column cover and check your connections.

[dzcab]

I don't see anything that can be loose. I went and checked yesterday and now it is not make the flickering noise like it was and when I turn the light switch on now they do not work at all. The switch is still lit and occasionally would flicker but the fog light would not come on. I took the relay out and it looks fine, I cannot tell if it is no good since I do not know how to test I went to radio shack and local auto parts but no one carries that relay. Where can I look next?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by dzcab

I don't see anything that can be loose. I went and checked yesterday and now it is not make the flickering noise like it was and when I turn the light switch on now they do not work at all. The switch is still lit and occasionally would flicker but the fog light would not come on. I took the relay out and it looks fine, I cannot tell if it is no good since I do not know how to test I went to radio shack and local auto parts but no one carries that relay. Where can I look next?

You can test the relay with a multimeter and a 9 volt battery. If you put the 9 volt battery to the two coil contacts (see my line drawing below) the relay will click on. When it is on the contacts will close, so with a multimeter you can check between the two contacts. They should be open when the 9 volt battery is not on the coils and closed when it is.


- Contact
- Contact
|| Coil

[dzcab]

Originally Posted by CTScott

You can test the relay with a multimeter and a 9 volt battery. If you put the 9 volt battery to the two coil contacts (see my line drawing below) the relay will click on. When it is on the contacts will close, so with a multimeter you can check between the two contacts. They should be open when the 9 volt battery is not on the coils and closed when it is.


- Contact
- Contact
|| Coil

When I do this what should the multimeter say or what setting should I put it on. I have never done this before and I have someone letting me use their multimeter.

Thanks

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by dzcab

When I do this what should the multimeter say or what setting should I put it on. I have never done this before and I have someone letting me use their multimeter.

Thanks

If the multimeter has a "continuity setting" (sometimes has a diode symbol to indicate that setting ->|- ) you can set it on that and when you do the meter should beep if you touch its probes together. If it does, then use that setting and it should beep when you have the tips on the two contact terminals and touch the 9V batter to the two coil terminals.

If the one you borrowed doesn't have "continuity" then put it in Resistance mode (Ohms). If it has multiple ranges for resistance, it doesn't matter which you use. In resistance mode it will say something like "OL" on the screen with the probes not touching anything and if you touch them together it should go down to zero (or mighty close there to). Same as above, when you touch the 9volt battery to the coil terminals the reading should change to just like you touched the probes together (that is it should be near zero).