FrustratedMomOf4

2006 HHR 2.4l LT vin code "P"
Let's start with my biggest issue!
Headlights
ok, headlights began being intermittent- high beams quit and come back on and quit again, low beams did the same and when low beams didnt work sometimes the high beams would.
shoot,
sometimes when neither high or low beam position on the multi function switch would work the FTP woul work! (Both, high and low beam filaments Too! Hmm?) So, not a dead bulb!

I decided to do some checking in the fuse box under the hood (I'm not a dummy when it comes to cars for "typical maintenance" I can change a tire, the oil, replace a bulb. Basic things!
Electrical... well that's not my expertise) but I am a one income household, 4 kids and one being medically fragile,
I cant afford to take this stupid thing to the dealer NOR get a new car!

I switched the relays between high beam/low beam. Got the low beams to work "YAY" right? Well high beams still wouldnt work even with the relay that is clearly good since it works for low beams?

But hey as long as I can see after dark, I'll look into the other issue as time goes on and I get a minute.

it's worked for about a week. I noticed headlights out again but turned the car off and back on again and they lit up until put in gear then the parking lights came on and head lights went out. The switch is in "auto lights on" mode. They should run at all times right? I constantly see HHRs driving the road with the "DRLs" on, I assume that is because of the "auto lights on"?
I'm going to pick up 2 new relays just to see if it happens to work again because well, now I cant get the dim lights to stay on (again. Clearly NOT a burnt bulb because they work when they feel like it)
I've come to two things other than new relays i need to try->

1) locate the ground wires (anyone have PHOTOS of where these are? I am not techy enough to look at the weird diagrams and figure it out lol, i need REAL photos of these on the actual cars or a VERY detailed description!)
2) remove the top portion of the fuse box and make sure all contact points are clean. BUT have some questions on doing that. A- do I remove all the fuses and relays prior to removing the top half? And B- do I disconnect the battery terminals in the back (neg/pos/both?) I dont want shocked and that's my biggest worry lol
I dont feel it has anything to do with the wiring in behind the bulbs simply because the one set worked after switching relays around.
when the lights worked as of yesterday, the FTP didnt work, and neither did bright position (I've been randomly trying it to see if it decided it wanted to work again lol)

if my low beams are working, what should I check about the high beams? Where are the wires and contact points for these located? Anyome notice a common specific spot that seems to be an area of concern for this exact issue?!

now onto the OTHER issues.
I have a CEL illuminated on the dash. I stopped to have it read, and the computer/scanner wouldnt turn on to read as there was no power to it.
so, the guy said "it might be a blown fuse, usually it's a cigar lighter fuse" which prompted me to remember that the cigarette lighter up front didnt work, i have another one that works so never really looked into that issue. About a year ago is when I got the car and the owner had the Sirius XM radio stuff removed just before, but they had said the lighter thing quit working a few months prior to that (about the time the Sirius XM was installed.?)
I checked the fuse for this, and it seems to be just fine, no cracks and not burnt? So what else should i look into on that?

I found a video on YouTube a couple days ago that a person had a blown fuse causing this issue and they said once the reinstalled the cigar lighter in place it would blow again so they wrapped the positive area around the lighter with electrical tape, as it was connecting with metal somewhere under the radio.

I'm sure I need an electrical tester of some sort, so if anyone can give an example of what I'd need to pick up, that would be SUPER awesome as well.
thank you for ANY over the web assistance! All j get from GM is I need to bring it in and have them look it over but, i dont have the money nor can i afford to leave it there for days on end as they give her a check up :/ it's my only car!

donbrew

I'm sorry, I can't read your post even after I edited some page breaks.

1. there is NO cig lighter, There IS a 12V aux outlet. They are different. If someone stuck a cig lighter element in it blew the fuse and might have fried a wire. Which fuse did you check? There are 2 fuse boxes. Should be #29 underhood.

I don't know what you are trying to describe re: the headlights. Maybe this will help.

Each headlight has 2 fuses 1 for low and 1 for high. #63 left hi, #65 left lo, #66 right lo, #67 right hi; Lo relay is #71, hi relay is #72.

DRL on a 2006 are the parking lights, other years it is low beams and no tail lights.

The auto lights control when the headlights come on. If you have fog lights on high beams will not work.

There is a link in my sig for a free digital Owner Manual; it explains how the lights work.

whopper

For reference - this thread is almost a continuation of the one started back in May this year: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/prob...-issues-60332/

That previous thread has the details on removing the fuse panel and should answer your questions regarding it.

Being a 2006 the daytime running lights are the turn signals (not the headlights) in Canada - aren't they the same in the US?

I'm not sure you want to really get into checking out the electrical system with a tester of some sort. You can really really cause some serious damage to various parts of the electrical system unless you are fairly well versed in how things work. If you are worried about getting shocked as you say, in working with the battery and 12 volts, that kind of indicates that diagnosing electrical issues with meters etc. might not be a good thing for you.

Doc brown

The other thread suggest the car was acquired recently. In spring the mid west had a fair share of rain and flash flooding. We certainly did in WI and MI often gets the same storms just a few hours later. Any chance this is a flood car that wasn't reported or stated on the title? There's just too many weird electrical problems that aren't common all together like this.

Whopper, yes the DRLs on my '06 are the running lights/turn signals.