Driver side low-beam and fog stopped working - Help!

[Heli0s]

Hey guys, I have a '99 Legacy Outback that has been having some electrical issues recently. I haven't done much DIY maintenance to my vehicle in the past, but I would like to avoid taking her into a shop if at all possible. I scoured this and similar forums for a solution to this issue, but didn't find anything, so my apologies if this post is redundant.

About a week ago my driver side headlight blew. I took the car to Jiffy Lube (probably my first mistake) for a quick oil change and bulb replacement. I drove about 10 blocks before getting out of my car to notice that the lamp was again not working. I went back to Jiffy Lube, and they inspected the bulb and said it hadn't blown again, so must be an electrical issue. My high beams work fine, but both the driver side low and fog lights are not. I have checked the fuses, and all are still intact, although there is some dark discoloration towards the top on a couple.

On a separate note, my horn/alarm stopped working a couple months ago, and a couple lights on the dash haven't worked since I bought the car. I dont believe the issues are related, but it may point to a larger electrical issue since all the fuses seem to be okay?

I am a complete amateur when it comes to car maintenance, so any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

[subiesailor]

#1 why do you need the driving lights on in an area with street lighting and apparently a large enough town or city to support a Jiffy lube?

Those lights take a beating chances are the socket or wiring has a short due to the grime and abuse they take a 99 is getting up there in age. Take it all apart clean up all the contacts check all the wire connections re assemble.

OR! turn them off and don't worry about them.

Even living in a rural area with no street lighting the only time I use them is when there is no oncoming traffic - its dark as heck out and I'm on one of the many very narrow roads with no shoulders and lots of wild critters lurking about. These short range flood lights actually reduce night visibility when used in heavy rain and fog given they reflect light back at you off the rain and fog cutting down your night vision.

[Heli0s]

Thanks for the reply.

I am less concerned about the fog light than the headlight, both of which are out. I believe their is an electrical short somewhere that has cause both to stop working at the same time.. The high-beam works fine, so there is power going to the headlight. Any ideas about what could be causing this issue?

[1 Lucky Texan]

I don't have much to offer except, the tech at JL may have shortened the lifespan of the replacement bulb by getting his greasy fingers all over it so, that may be unrelated to the other issues.

[subiesailor]

Low beam light is not the same as the high beam. I doubt there is anything wrong with it - suspect the bulb failed or the jiffy lube flunky messed up the bulb when they installed it. You need to wear thin gloves to keep any oil from your skin or even dirt or auto oil from getting on the bulb. The oil causes the bulb to get hotter than normal and speeds up its failure point.

I recall a pack of two bulbs at the auto shop were around $10 and they are not that hard to install per your owners manual. Be gental with the wiring though your car is old.

[Heli0s]

The bulb looks to be ok...

[Heli0s]

I have yet to take this OBW into the shop for an inspection, but will probably do so next week if I cant resolve it myself. Does anyone have any insight into what might be going on?

To reiterate, my horn stopped working and the driver-side fog and headlight dont work, although both bulbs are intact and NOT blown! I have checked ALL fuses, and all are fine. Can anyone help? If I take it in to a shop, any idea what I might be charged? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[1 Lucky Texan]

could they all have a common ground point?

[Heli0s]

Originally Posted by 1 Lucky Texan

could they all have a common ground point?

How would I check? What would I look for if it was a grounding issue?

Anyone know where I might find a wiring diagram for a '99 OBW?

[Heli0s]

Alright, so I just took out my battery and cleaned the terminals, as well as a couple grounds I found in the engine compartment. This one split from the negative battery terminal wiring bundle.


After cleaning it and the battery, the driver-side low beam and fog lights still dont work. While snooping around I found several wiring harnesses that weren't connected to anything.. Is this typical, to make it easier to install new options? Below are a couple photos of the unconnected harnesses I found -

This one (bottom center/left) appears on both sides of the car, and look like they are supposed to be for a horn?? (My horn also stopped working several months ago)


These were all in the drivers compartment under the steering wheel -




I connected the green one, and the Check Engine light started flashing rapidly. Once I disconnected it again the check engine light illuminates briefly when I start the car, but turn off quickly, as normal.

Any thoughts?