03 Montero Limited spare part availability (Front-ECU)

[Porvalsh]

My headlights stopped working. The high beams work but not the lowbeams. Turn signals, brake lights, everything else seems fine.

So far I have:

• Checked fuses - GOOD
• Swapped a new colun switch - NO FIX

I believe the low and high beams are same filament = it is not a blown bulb.

I am left thinking this is the relay in the Front-ECU. PN MR583210. The problem is I cannot find this part state side. It is $250ish through dealer, $50 USD from UK used, or $160 from Japan new. Due to the high cost I would like to verify that the issue is the Front-ECU but I am not sure how since the part is self-contained.

Does anybody have experience with this problem and perhaps have ideas how I could determine if the front-ecu is the actual problem?

Does anybody have a suggestion on where I could find this part? Are Front-ECU from other cars such as the Galant compatible? There seems to be more of these available...

 

[RyanY]

Low and high beams use the same bulb but have different filaments. Have you tested for power at the bulb for both low and high beams? Download the Factory service manual and follow the diagnostic procedures - it doesn't make any sense to throw parts at a problem without diagnosing the problem first.

 

[Offroadmuch]

Mitsubishi FSM (Factory Service Manual.) You can find it here for the download:
http://mitsubishilinks.com/

 

[plh]

99% sure its the bulbs, I had the same issue with my '05 to find out that both bulbs went out at the same time (seriously - can this really be?). Down the same rabbit hole, but diagnosed instead of randomly replacing parts.

 

[Porvalsh]

Low and high beams use the same bulb but have different filaments. Have you tested for power at the bulb for both low and high beams? Download the Factory service manual and follow the diagnostic procedures - it doesn't make any sense to throw parts at a problem without diagnosing the problem first.

I'll take a look at that tomorrow when I get the truck back. It seems simple but I had just replaced one headlight about 2 months ago and it just seemed weird to me that both would go out at same time, without blowing fuses. Good to know they are different filaments.

Mitsubishi FSM (Factory Service Manual.) You can find it here for the download:
http://mitsubishilinks.com/

I have the service manual, thanks.

99% sure its the bulbs, I had the same issue with my '05 to find out that both bulbs went out at the same time (seriously - can this really be?). Down the same rabbit hole, but diagnosed instead of randomly replacing parts.

I'll test tomorrow. Hopefully you're right.

Thanks for the comments all.

 

[Sabre]

Long shot but easy to fix...I had this exact problem recently on my Dodge Caravan. It made no sense because all the individual parts tested fine. A couple of online users in a Dodge forum suggested something and it solved the problem.

The main battery ground was a little corroded, just a bit. All voltages tested as normal, and all other equipment worked perfectly! But I cleaned the ground connection really well, along with a few other ground wires I discovered. Problem solved. I never would have believed it.

Even if this doesn't fix the issue in your rig, it's a good idea to maintain these often-overlooked connections.

 

[Porvalsh]

I got new bulbs and the headlights seem to work fine.

When I was troubleshooting one of the bulbs looked fine while the other was clearly a broken filament. I'm not sure why the one that looked fine wasn't working...Hopefully this issue does not come back.

Feel pretty silly trying all this stuff and its just the bulbs, haha.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I got new bulbs and the headlights seem to work fine.

When I was troubleshooting one of the bulbs looked fine while the other was clearly a broken filament. I'm not sure why the one that looked fine wasn't working...Hopefully this issue does not come back.

Feel pretty silly trying all this stuff and its just the bulbs, haha.

We all do not so smart things sometimes, about 10 years ago I replaced the fuel pump on my Jeep thinking it was bad only to find out the issue was the rear ground wire from the o2 sensor had been rubbing on the drive shaft. Yup, that was a $185 mistake when a 4 inch section of wire and some crimpers are what fixed it!

 

[plh]

I got new bulbs and the headlights seem to work fine.

When I was troubleshooting one of the bulbs looked fine while the other was clearly a broken filament. I'm not sure why the one that looked fine wasn't working...Hopefully this issue does not come back.

Feel pretty silly trying all this stuff and its just the bulbs, haha.

congratulations!