My girlfriend has a 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. The left (driver-side) head lamp went out although the high beam still worked fine. Well me and her went and bought the correct bulb for the car and her father attempted to replace it the only problem is the headlamp never worked and the high beam stopped working too, well they realy didn't stop working they're just very very very dim and not near as bright as they should be. It only stopped on that specific side too. The is a place under the hood on the left side of the car toward the windshield called the fuse relay box or something similar to that. Well when the car is turned on a slight buzzing noise is being made by one of the switches in that box and when high beams are turned on the buzzing becomes more intense. Now, my girlfriend's father thinks we got the wrong bulb or something is wrong with the driver-side headlamp. I believe something is wrong with a fuse in that fuse relay box or maybe the fuse box on the inside of the driver-side door, I think I even saw something about headlamps on the underside of the fuse relay box cover. I don't know though and I am hardly an automobile expert. Does anybody have any idea what this might actually be. If any more information is need I will try to provide it. Thanks.
I am going to bump this now and if nobody has responded in the morning I will do so then too. I remember there being a number of automotive 'experts' on here.
instincts on the fuse is probably right. i would check to see if any of the wires are rubbing against on anything or loose.
Might as well ask this here. Recently I've been experiencing unusually high (not defeaning, but louder than normal) road noise in my car. Mostly in the form of a low-pitched hum that I can feel in the gas pedal. Anyone know what's the most likely culprit?
LilPun, I'd try another bulb. It is possible that you got the wrong one by mistake. Make sure the fuse for the headlights is still good as well. JeopardE, What kind of shape are your tires in? Worn tread can certainly raise the noise level of the car.
My tire treads are OK ... one of my rear tires looks like it might need replacement in another 7500 miles or so, but my car's FWD anyway. There has to be something else causing the noise.
Maybe it's the spark plugs! Seriously though, a bad fuse would knock out both headlights. Fuses are all or nothing. They just complete a circuit and "pop" if overloaded to save the more expensive components. IIRC, some relays are interchangable. You might switch some around and see how that works, but I'm not sure if that would affect both lights at the same time. It sounds like it may be a short in the bulb socket. That would be my guess. Grab a voltometer and happy hunting. Electrical gremlins are a PITA!!!
