Loki68

Yippy...!!! Only 2am and after trying everything suggested, even the stuff I didnt think relevant, cuz hey, what do I know about auto electrical, right? Last ditch effort, I looked at the ground pin and wire at the plug a bit closer...gave it a harder tug...and apart it came, about half a centimeter from the connector! I soldered in a new connection, including a jumper straight to the battery negative wire closest, and I have nice mediocre dodge ram headlights. Thank you all, even if none of your comments hit the nail on the head, you were all pointing me at the right issues and that kept me digging rather than smashing this bastard with a hammer.

I dont know if this starts a new thread, as HAGGAR suggested, I'm new to the forum, not tech savvy, and have only a tiny phone to post with...so please, bear with me. I'll try and recap, I've cleaned and reinstalled ALL the grounds for the headlight circuit to the best of my ability. I had no broken or loose wires., and the SINGLE 40 amp fuse checks out. I have no other current wiring or lighting issues, stop, turn, and tail all work, as do all running lights and in cab lighting. in the below pick, with selector on high beam, the passenger side light plug works, with 12+volts at the pin on the right as seen. On the drivers side, this pin registers .52volts. Ok, I'm now nearly certain that, despite my efforts to track, clean, repair all grounds, it is the ground that is bad on the drivers side. At the plug, it elsewhere, I dont have a clue.

Ok guys, I really do appreciate the advice. BAW, I had no broken off wires, just a highly corroded fastener, hell, the terminal ring itself was not that bad. HAGGAR, that diagram, like all I've found, shows the system with two 15 amp fuses...mine is a single 40 amp marked for headlamps with no others to be found in cab or under hood. I WOULD start a new thread, but I am the LEAST tech savvy person on earth, and am feeling lucky just managing to navigate back to THIS thread using my phone. Can any of you tell me exactly how this 3 pin connector is supposed to work? The pin on the right, as seen in the pic, is dead. That is the plug for the left,(drivers) headlamp. The wire to the pin in question appears fine, and is tight in the pin. When on high beam, that pin on the other headlamp register over 12volts, but only .52volts on drivers side.

Brian, "how" did you know that ground down low was the culprit? Did it have broken connection you replaced/repaired, or did you just clean it up and the light then worked. I've cleaned that hard to find one up, but no bueno.

I also cleaned/replaced a multi wire bundled ground low down on the horizontal in front and below the battery box, hadn't spotted that one initially. Unfortunately, no results. I'm adding this, in case it has relevance...my alternator has been experiencing sticking brushes, assume it is worn and time to rebuild. Local rebuilder/repair has said it's most likely JUST in need of brushes from the look of things, but could that be playing a role here? Battery maintains proper voltage still, as when the brushes stick I've just tapped the alternator housing to get it to engage. Again, thank you all for any advice.

Ok, thanks guys. I've cleaned and reinstalled the grounding block by the footwell/kickpanel...no result. I also removed, cleaned, and replaced a two wire grounding stud just forward of the battery box on drivers fender, also no result. Sorry I haven't gotten back to this sooner, but it's been hectic and doing this on my phone sucks.

Which ground was bad...I'm having the same exact issue.

Hi there, new to the site. Name is Mark Loken, and I've got a 98 ram 1500. I reference these owners forums far more than the brands sites or the dealer or supplier sites because my experience has been that there are more owners dealing with real world issues on vehicles hands on than there are shops that can possibly know this much firsthand. Anyway, my problem is a very dim, nearly nothing there drivers side headlight, and a "not very bright" passenger headlight. I read the posts here and see a few key issues, but haven't the experience to know my truck, or electronics beyond the very basics. So, I find only ONE fuse in the pdc for headlights, obviously it works, as it is the only fuse and the lights are both lit...if very poorly. So, can anyone tell me if my system shares features with the ones discussed above, or do I need to look elsewhere on the 98 vs your 2000 and newerm