High beams issue - they're stuck on High, no Low?! Any Fix?

[p3fe]

Help, my high beams are stuck on, any help, please and thanks!

[remus]

if the High beams are stuck on my guess would be the switch is either dirty stuck. or broke. You might try some contact cleaner on it

[Wmoater]

If they are replacements LED (not oem) the small transponder box that the LED’s are attached to might have slid down enough to not allow the switch to work. You might have jammed them. Simply remove the headlight casing and move the box towards the top and your good, “if they are LED headlights” It happened with my dads old bike and his new one also. We ended up cutting a slit on the side like lamonster’s and zip tied them to the housing.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Help, my high beams are stuck on, any help, please and thanks!

Which Spyder? There are different headlight systems on Spyders.

[pegasus1300]

His profile picture looks like an RT.

[p3fe]

2019 Spyder RT-L

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I don't have my service manual with me away from home so I can't tell what the relay number is. Find the Hi Beam relay in the fuse box and pull it out. If the lights go to low beam then that indicates the relay contacts are burnt together.

The shutter solenoid has to be powered in order to have high beam so obviously the solenoids are staying powered. The most likely cause, IMO, is a stuck relay.

[Bob L]

I agree with the post about the LED lights transponder blocking the shutter. This happened on mine and I had to adjust the position of the transponder, behind the light, so the shutter had room to operate. It's the shutter that makes the high/low, not a bulb filament. Good luck!

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I agree with the post about the LED lights transponder blocking the shutter. This happened on mine and I had to adjust the position of the transponder, behind the light, so the shutter had room to operate. It's the shutter that makes the high/low, not a bulb filament. Good luck!

The problem with the LED lights ballast being the possible cause is that the shutter has to operate to go to high beam. If the shutter is blocked then the light will stay on low beam. The OP's problem is the light is stuck on high beam. I don't recall seeing any likely way for the ballast to get in the way to keep the shutter in the high beam position when I installed the LEDs in my 2014 RTS.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

p3fe, do you hear the shutters clack when the lights turn off after you shut down the bike? That should happen about 20 seconds after the key is turned off. And are you certain they're stuck on high beam and not low beam?

[MrMagicFingers]

Hey…

A lot of people are making the assumption that the OP had/has installed LED headlights. Someone mentioned LED headlights and problems with fitment and everyone ran with that. I didn’t read anywhere in this thread that he has LED headlights. I am personally assuming that his bike came with traditional headlights (why else would he potentially upgrade) and that they are still in there until he actually says otherwise.

The only two things we know is that:

1) He has 2019 Spyder RT L
2) He thinks the high beams are in a “locked on” position.

Here are my questions to the OP in order to help him…
A) Do you in fact have regular halogen headlights or have there been upgraded at some point?
B) Do BOTH headlights appear to be stuck on Hi or Low?
C) Has this just started or have you just noticed this issue?
D) Can you please verify that it is in a Hi or Low state. (Shine against a wall and look at the cutoff point. If there is a clean cut off of the beam about midway up then it is probably in a Low beam state. Much higher or none at all and you are probably in High beam state.
E) When you operate the Hi/Low beam switch, do you hear any loud clunking sounds (internal eyelid moving up and down in each of the light fixtures)? Do you hear a clunk with-in 30 seconds or so AFTER the bike is shut off?
F) Have you tried to reseat the Headlight Relay? Maybe even swap it out with another one to test it if there are multiples of the same type of relay in the relay box.

And, for what it’s worth, the little box on the wire going to an LED headlight is not a “transponder” or a “Ballast”. A transponder receives a signal, usually Radio waves or Light (laser and fiber optics) and rebroadcast a different signal in response. Has nothing to do with LED headlights.

A ballast is a type of power supply that provides a very high voltage to ignite a gaseous bulb and then drops it’s voltage to a level that will maintain an arc. These are used in florescent bulbs and HID headlights.

The little box that is on most LED headlights are a “Constant Current Power Supply”. We just refer to them as a power supply or “PS” for short. They should always be mounted away from the LED headlight if it is in an enclosure like the Spyders have. Mount it on the outside of that enclosure. Thermal run-away is the hardest thing an LED bulb can deal with. It shortens the life of the bulb greatly.

SO… if the OP can fill us in a little more that would be great. People are on the right track to get you fixed up. We just need more and proper info.

Tim

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

And, for what it’s worth, the little box on the wire going to an LED headlight is not a “transponder” or a “Ballast”.

Driver is the word I was trying to remember when I wrote ballast.

[MrMagicFingers]

Driver is the word I was trying to remember when I wrote ballast.

Yes... another great word for it. I use driver a lot as well!

Tim

[p3fe]

blue light on dash for high beams stays on, oem lights, visually confirmed high beams are on, tried cycling the key with interval between cycles. high beam light indicator comes on as soon as bike is started.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

blue light on dash for high beams stays on, oem lights, visually confirmed high beams are on, tried cycling the key with interval between cycles. high beam light indicator comes on as soon as bike is started.

Thanks for the confirmation. The next thing to do is check the high beam relay. As suggested, swap it with another. I suggest the low beam relay. Do you hear the shutter clunk when you turn off the bike?