High Beams work, low beams don't

Did a search but could not find a thread with my exact situation.

Lights were working in the morning, but when I turned on my rig in the evening no headlights. I was able to turn my high beams on and I drove home like that. I checked some things and here is the complete situation as far as I can see.

No low beams but high beams work. When I turn on the lows there is no indicator on the dash saying the lights are on, when the highs are ON the the blue indicator on the dash still does NOT turn on.

All other lights including running lights still work
Fuses look good
I checked the bulbs and they look new (first time I have had a car with duel filament bulbs so if they look different from a normal bulb when they are burned out let me know)

Any help, I have very little electrical experience so if I need to take this in to have someone smart fix let me know

Eric

 

With out without DRL? (daytime running lights)

 

DRLs working just fine

 

both filaments present and connected when you pull the bulb?

check the fuses for headlight?

aren't DRLs the low beams?

 

DRLs use low beam filament of bulbs. But differant circuit.

 

so glad mine didn't come with DRL

 

Try replacing the bulbs. I had this exact same problem. Swapped the bulbs and it fixed the problem. I don't have daytime running lights though so YMMV.

 

Toyota uses a clever design to light the high beam indicator. They route the power through the low beams to the indicator bulb when high beams are on.

Bottom line is either both low beam filaments just happen to burn out at the same time or you have a bad wire somewhere (if the fuse isn't bad).

Before paying a shop to look, it's worth replacing one bulb yourself to verify you don't have 2 burned out bulbs.

Just be very careful to not touch the bulb's glass with your fingers or touch the glass to anything. Any dirt or oil will cause it to burn out prematurely.

 

I guess I was mistaken about the DLRs, I thought those were the small lights positioned just to the outside of the headlights, not the turn signals. The ones that go on with one click up on the light switch, they work. If DLRs are the low beams on the regular headlight bulbs then they don't work.

Both bulbs looked new when I pulled them out but I guess it only hurts my wallet a little bit to replace them so I'll give that a try. By the way my truck is a 2004 TRD Off Road V6 if that matters at all.

Eric

 

Those on the outside are marker lights. DRL's come on with lights turned off. It uses the low beam bulbs but there a little dimmer.

 

With no DRL's check the 2 wires for ground, If ones is not getting ground. Then the dimmer switch is bad.

 

Thanks for the diagram, mechanicjon, but those points you highlighted can't but be the problem. He said the high beam indicator doesn't work even though the high beams are on.

Follow the dark red wires and see how Toyota cleverly routes the low beam circuit through the high beam indicator bulb then to ground when the headlight switch is on high beams.

 

Could be a burnt out bulb or he has DRL's. High beams wont be effected by burnout high beam indicator bulb in cluster on nonDRL. The bulb uses residual voltage the bleeds across lowbeam side.

 

OP how many head light fuses do you have outside in relay box? 2 or 4?

 

FSM pages

 

That's exactly what I pointed out, and since his high beam indicator isn't working it's likely to be 2 burnt out low beams or a wire problem upstream.

 

Could be a burnt out bulb in the dash to.

 

But a burnt out high beam indicator bulb wouldn't stop the low beams from working. It wouldn't explain everything.

I guess we just wait and see if the new headlight bulbs fix it.

 

True

 

Put in new bulbs today, problem solved!

The old bulbs looked new still but I guess that's how they look when burned out.

Thanks for the help