How to Fix a Low Beam Headlight

If a person doesn't drive much at night, he may not know that a headlight is out until somebody tells him. When the low beam of a car headlight quits burning, there could be several reasons why. Follow these steps to determine how to fix a low beam headlight that is out of commission.

Instructions

1

Locate the fuse box. Different makes of cars have the fuse box in different places. Some of the fuse boxes are under the hood, but most of them are on the driver's side, beside the steering wheel.

2

Look for the diagram of the fuses inside the fuse box cover. Locate the fuse to the headlights and remove it. Inspect the fuse to see if the wire connecting both sides of the fuse is broken. If the wire is broken, then the fuse is blown and you need to replace the fuse. If the wire isn't broken, then there's another problem causing your low beam headlight to not work.

3

Change the headlight bulbs. To see if it's just a blown bulb, take the bulb from the side that works and put it in the side that doesn't. If the bulb shines, return the bulb and put in a new headlight bulb where one burned out. If the bulb doesn't shine, then the problem may be in the headlight switch or the wiring.

4

Use a voltage meter. Turn on the ignition and the light switch to find out if current is getting to the headlight. Use the voltage meter to see if fire is getting to the headlight. If the voltage meter shows there's no current, then the problem is either the wiring or the headlight switch.

5

Replace the headlight switch. If this doesn't fix the problem, then replace the wiring yourself or have a reputable shop replace it for you.