GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Long time Member (2002 member on an 2003 Vibe)

My high beam indicator on the dash lights up when the low beams are on. Gets BRIGHTER when the high beams are one...the lights work fine!

Just a WAG that it is a bad ground. The headlamps are seeking a ground anywhere it can be found and the headlamps found it through the indicator lamp.

beemerphile1 wrote:Just a WAG that it is a bad ground. The headlamps are seeking a ground anywhere it can be found and the headlamps found it through the indicator lamp.

Thanks! How do I fix it? Should I mess with it?

I only have the matrix wiring diagram, having lost my Vibe service manual somehow. I know there is at least a minor difference between the Matrix and Vibe headlight wiring, in that the Vibe has a single headlight fuse, the Matrix has left and right headlight fuses. That being said, the matrix wiring diagram shows that the high beam indicator in the instrument cluster has one side connected to a ground, the other side of the indicator light is tied to the plus side of the right high beam. I can't really tell from the wiring diagram if the ground for the high beam indicator is a common ground used for other things in the cluster, or a dedicated ground just for that indicator.

Might it be possible that one of your headlight bulbs is failing, perhaps a bit of filament from the low beam side contacting the high beam filament, thereby putting some reduced voltage on the high beam filament and partially illuminating the light? I don't know if its possible or probable, but it would be a relatively straightforward thing to test, by disconnecting one of the headlight bulbs to see if the problem goes away, and if not, hook it back up and disconnect the other headlight bulb. If not, perhaps use a meter to see if there is any voltage on the high beam side when the low beams are on.

Good to see you're still vibing, you were one of the very first to join