daytime and low beam headlights flickering/shutting off? freightliner 114/108sd

Discussion in 'Freightliner Forum' started by skunkmann, Nov 8, 2013.

  1. skunkmann

    skunkmann Bobtail Member

    4
    0
    Nov 8, 2013
    0
    hi guys , new to the forum and have a few quick questions

    i am a apprentice mechanic for a fleet of freightliner 114sd's which are all the same year 2013 ,
    one of the trucks has a bad connection to the headlights every time he hits a bump they flicker or go out , both daytimes and low beams , now i have checked all of the grounds to the forward chassis harness , loose connections ect, the headlights run off the bulkhead module and chassis module , it happens very random and have not found any bad grounds or loose wiring , the bulkhead module is throwing a code BH 33 which i could find no info on , and sometimes the headlights would go out even with the truck off sitting there , im just not getting anywhere on this ,any ideas on what i could do next would be great ,

    next thing im going to do is cut the grounds and run new ones to chassis if thats not it im thinking short in a positive somewhere or bulkhead module has something internnal loose?
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

    19,726
    18,733
    Apr 18, 2010
    Tennessee
    0
    BH33 just says there is a code in the bulkhead module but doesn't tell you the code. If you can't pull the code off the instrument cluster then you need a ServiceLink software program to pull it.

    Doesn't that truck have a multi-switch on the column? If the grounds and harnesses checks out I would think it was the multi-switch as those circuits run through it.

    That truck is too new to be doing that. But defective parts are made everyday.
     
  4. QUALITYTRUCK

    QUALITYTRUCK Road Train Member

    1,801
    1,762
    Jun 14, 2009
    romulus,mi
    0
    don't start cutting and adding on this vehicle.it is a multiplex wired truck.you have no choice but to plug in and follow the electronic trail.Chip,who is new to the board and seems to be very,very freightliner knowledgeable should be along shortly.
     
    Chip S Thanks this.
  5. Passin Thru

    Passin Thru Road Train Member

    1,918
    565
    Mar 8, 2007
    VA
    0
    Yup! Just another thing to go wrong when you put auto technology on a truck and expect it to run a million miles.
     
  6. skunkmann

    skunkmann Bobtail Member

    4
    0
    Nov 8, 2013
    0
    thanks for the replies , i have yet to cut any wires , il be at work tomorrow again looking at it , the truck has a switch for low beams and marker lights on the dash and only a high beam on the column ,the brights do work and will always stay on without issues, as long as you switch them before the low beams or daylights flicker, i am pretty limited as far as diagnostic tools go and if we cant fix it , we have to send it in for repair
     
  7. Chip S

    Chip S Light Load Member

    200
    104
    May 27, 2013
    Texas
    0
    Dont cut or splice anything. Are both side low beam headlights going out when the truck hits a bump? The reason I ask is because the left side headlight is commanded by the bulkhead module, and the right side is supplied by the chassis module. They wire it this way in case one of the modules power down, there is still at least one headlight that will work.
     
    QUALITYTRUCK Thanks this.
  8. skunkmann

    skunkmann Bobtail Member

    4
    0
    Nov 8, 2013
    0
    thanks for replying , yes both are going out at once , but i noticed there had been some wiring added to the left side connecting the right side , i had asked my boss about this and he say when it was only a few months old , the right side would go oiut over bumps and he sent it in , i guess this was there fix, green power wire from left headlight to right headlight? , when i switch the low beams on , and hit a bump they dont flicker they just go out completly and dont come back on until you turn the switchg on and off , if this happens high beams wont work because the low beam circut isnt energized , but if its working and you switch to high beams they stay on and do not flicker , neither do the marker lights ,

    i looked at it today and the driver said no issues all day so i couldnt really diagnose anything today , even if it did stop , id still like to familiarize myself with this stuff as i have to work on 16 of the same by myself
     
  9. Chip S

    Chip S Light Load Member

    200
    104
    May 27, 2013
    Texas
    0
    First off, take the "fix" off, and wire the lights how they are designed to be ran. The amp output for both headlight outputs are 6.7a, so you could be overloading that circuit with both lights running off the same output. So there is a chance there is a loose ground, a spread pin or a pinched wire going short to ground from the chassis module. I would check all grounds down the frame.. as the left and right headlight have different ground studs. Do you have any access to partspro, servicepro or servicelink?
     
  10. JohnnyC

    JohnnyC Light Load Member

    173
    65
    Feb 17, 2009
    virginia beach, virginia
    0
    My 06 had corrosion in the plug. Contact cleaner, dielectric grease. Problem gone.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.