Nissan Repair: headlamps, low beams, fuse box

Question
hi i have a  2 wheel drive, 4 cyl,  96 nissan pickup and the headlights kind of flickered then went out, (high and low beams). i checked the fuses. could it be the relay? if so, where is it located? which one is it, because there are a few relays above the fuse box (inside the car)with no labels or anything. how do i tell?

Answer
HI George -

Although rarely - it could be the fuse. Unless some electrical work was done on the car, the fuse should be OK. It should be located in the engine compartment on one of the fenders in a plastic box with other large circuit fuses and relays. Should be clearly marked "low beam" and "high beam". Relays should be in that box as well.

I would check this first -

Check the headlight switch, which is located in your steering column. The steering wheel needs to be removed for access with a special puller.  Do this only after checking the fuses. It would help if you have a 12V lamp circuit tester. Verufy that you have no pwer with the light switch on at the terminals of both headlamps. Then check the power going to the switch. With the switch off, only one terminal should have power, with the switch on, 2 terminals. You can check this with the switch still on the car. Remove the plastic shrouds on the steering column, and then you will see the harness.


Hope this helps  -
aloha
calvin