Replaced headlight, driver's low beam still does not work.

[Xist]

This is for Mom's 2006 Camry, so I only have one day each weekend to troubleshoot it, I drive here each weekend.

Here is the fuse information:

Fuse box Toyota Camry 2001-2006

The second and third fuses in the fourth column are for the upper headlights. I do not have any idea what purpose these serve, I pulled both and both high beams still work, and the passenger-side low beam. On the top right are the fuses for the lower headlights. If I put either fuse in one of those, the passenger light goes out, but neither fuse in the driver's side makes any difference. Both bulbs work on the passenger side, but neither works on the driver's side.

Eric the Car Guy says to check all of the fuses:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLVu2HYtOhA

There are two above the huge fuses in the top center and another below without a white rectangle. They are spares, although they have different sockets and I cannot pull them with the fuse puller. The interior fuse box does not seem to have anything to do with headlights, although I should check them anyway.

From what I can tell, the next step is to check the fuse box, but while it seems like many people have asked Google how to check a fuse box, all that I find is how to check fuses. I have tried watching videos on fixing electrical problems, but I have not found any that seem to deal with this particular problem. Also, I believe that I have read to test the headlight socket, but not how to.

Also, I do not know how to use a multimeter...

Can any of you please tell me where to find the information I need? Thank you very much! Have a great day!

[freebeard]

That's probably 4 times as many fuses as a VW Beetle.

Replaced headlight, driver's low beam still does not work.

This is the sum total of useful information before you go down the fuses rabbit-hole.

The symptom that lead to replacing the headlight was, what? No low beam? Anything else?

The thing that is as likely as a short circuit (blowing a fuse) is an open circuit. Get a length of primary wire and clip it to the + on the battery. Use the other end as a probe. Test the old headlight and the new one separated from the vehicle.

Do you have a VOM? A blinky light is should be sufficient to confirm continuity. Probe on either side of the fuse and either side of the light socket.

[Xist]

I replaced the low beam because it did not work.

I had not realized there were cars with segregated headlight fuses and it seems like the sole purpose of the upper headlight fuses is to distract me.

What is a VOM? Google did not offer anything useful. Where would I connect the second wire?

Thanks!

[gone-ot]

VOM = Volt-Ohm-Meter; used to measure voltage and resistance.

[Xist]

I have a multimeter, but do not know how to use it.

[Fat Charlie]

I have a multimeter that I don't know how to use too. $20 many years ago as insurance- if I have it, I won't need one.

And this year a couple days after Festivus, we're hitting 8 year old Charlie Jr. with an Arduino starter kit. So I need to find it in the garage's depths and learn about it.

[freebeard]

Volt-Ohm-Milliampere. AKA multimeter aka what you have in hand. You can measure voltage drops across a component or switch to Ohms and chase bad grounds.

My problem is finding one of the two or three that doesn't need more than a battery.

You should be able to get by with a continuity tester. That and a length of wire to extend it's reach.

[redpoint5]

Corroded terminals on the headlamp harness?

VOMs are easy to use, just insert a probe into one terminal on the harness, and the other probe into the other. You should get a voltage reading when the lights are turned on.

I don't go a week without using my multimeter.

[Xist]

Which settings and into which plugs do I connect the terminals?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

Which settings and into which plugs do I connect the terminals?

You set the voltage range to be just above the voltage you expect to read. In this case, we expect to get about 13v, and many VOMs have a (DCV) 20v setting. Set it to that (Might show V with a --- on top which represents DC. ~ represents AC). It doesn't really matter what you set it to, it's just giving you as much detail as the display is capable of showing.

Plug the black lead into "Com" on the VOM, and plug the red lead into DCV

Doesn't matter which terminal on the harness gets which probe. If you get it backwards, the meter will just show a negative value instead of positive. The point is just to read the voltage.