Enterprisehunter

Does anyone know the differences in the 2005 and 2009 fuse box layouts?

4SUMERZ

There shouldn't be any at all. They should have the exact same components.

Bruze

Is there any consensus on this fix yet? Doesn't seem like it.

I have not taken mine in to the dealer (yet) because there seems to be so many varied opinions about what to do. I really don't have the mental energy to take the fuse box apart, and I rarely drive at night, so I'm at a loss.

4SUMERZ

I have the recall letter in hand, but have had no issues yet, so I'm not having it done at the dealer, unless it's a last resort.
I'll do the fix myself, rather than have the dealer do it. They seem to fix one thing, and break something else
Post 85 seems to be the ticket to fix it. I have made a PDF of that, just in case the pics disappear down the road.

owc6

It's a safety recall which never expires.

Take it in and have it done or not. If you never drive at night, it's a non-issue to you. If you do drive at night, and it fails, you can drive home with the brights.

If you want to sell your car, the polite thing to do is have the recall done.

Bruze

I read that before posting, but when I got to the "pull out all fuses and relays . . . "

And do what? Throw them in a pile? I'm assuming they are not all the same.

But I agree about dealers usually causing more harm than good, and have resisted taking it to them because I simply don't trust them. Or anyone else, really.

So, Mrs. Ow, Imma take my chances I guess.

The only time in my 49 years of car ownership that my headlights didn't work was with a beater '66 Chev panel truck, and the foot dimmer switch rotted out. Replaced it for probably $5 and all was good.

Why is this even an issue in the second century of auto manufacturing? -- too much sensitive electronic gadgetry. What's the upside? None that I see.

Oh well.

blackmagic9805

There is an old recall still open on this problem. The small ground wire built into the fuse block flexes with under hood heat up and cooling causing the low beams to sometimes fail when under hood heats up and then usually start working again when fuse box cools down. This is an easy fix by the dealer where it takes longer to drive there and back than it does to complete the running of a new ground wire under the fuse box. Check the old threads for this as a "book" of comments has been written about this topic.

doje

I just took a photo of the block before pulling fuses. With the reference photo I was able to put them all back in under 3 minutes.

Bruze

Assuming they are not all the same, they are recognizable with just a photo?

Enterprisehunter

It suks having no headlights!

Gm what has become of you?

doje

Easily

Enterprisehunter

Fuse box diagram and outward layout MIGHT be the same between 2005 and 2009, but when you get into the fuse box and take it apart there ARE differences in the wiring between the pieces. The 2009 wiring will NOT allow the addition of a backup wire on the opposite side:



As you can see there is NO SPACE for a backup wire.

While I did repair the wire that was obviously broken, there was absolutely NO WAY to place a back up wire either on the front or the backside of the inner fuse box wiring tunnel scheme.

Here is the photo from senseoftouch post#85 from his 2005 C6 headlight fuse box wiring repair BACKSIDE BACKUP WIRE:




NEEDLESS TO SAY, MY HEADLIGHTS ARE NOW WORKING AND I WAS ABLE SO SWEDGE THE INSIDE METAL SLEEVES AND REUSE THEM TO REASSEMBLE THE FUSE BOX.



A SIDE NOTE, IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEPARATE THE FUSE BOX FROM THE BOTTOM INSERTS WHILE STILL ATTACHED TO THE FUSE BOX IN THE CAR. i NEEDED A SMALL SCREW DRIVER TO SEPARATE THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE FUSE BOX THAT REMAIN IN THE CAR WHILE YOU REPAIR THE UPPER FUSE BOX WITH THE WIRING TUNNELS.

THIS JOB IS SOOOO EASY, TOOK ALL OF 1 HOUR TO COMPLETE THE WHOLE THING.

THANKS TO THIS GREAT FORUM FOR HELPING US SCHLUBS REPAIR OUR GREAT CARS WITHOUT THE NEED FOR DEALER CRAP AND DEALER DESTRUCTION OF OUR CARS WHILE IN THEIR POSSESSION.

I AM STOKED!!!!!!!:flag :

doje

Just a reminder for those DIYers, don't follow the original path. Use the easy way.

C5forFun

Same here, 2008 broke at the relay end, but was solid the rest of the way.

Also for those interested on my 2008 the "backup" wire is not possible, due to other wires running through that same line.

overall easy fix.
Take a picture of the fuse box to see where all the fuses and relays go.

Bruze

Hey, they've only been building cars for a little over a century -- give them a break! Headlights are a very complex, high-tech cutting-edge technology.

Rogers 07

Just fixed mine today. Very helpful post. Took about and hour.

hdrider1

I used the recall notice and let the dealer do it on my 2013. I think I was only at the dealer for 30min total -- guess they figured out a real simple fix without having to tear apart the fuse box.

owc6

Yes, the official fix is a jumper wire that leaves the guts untouched.

SupercarFreak

This forum is great. Thanks for the great write-up and pictures.

I got my recall notice a long time ago but never wanted to take it to the dealer. Decided to take a look at the wiring today to see the condition. The original wire was fine and had normal resistance. My car is an '07 so I was able to add an additional wire on the back. 20 gauge Bell wire (solid copper core) is 22 cents a foot at Home Depot.

The bolt collars were a pain. I crushed them enough to be able to hammer them out. To remove sharp edges and allow easy reassembly I used a grinding wheel to clean up the sleeves.

Also used channel locks to press the wire into the channel on the board, couldn't do it any other way, 20 gauge is a tight fit.

Remember to re-index both windows when you reconnect the battery- roll window down some then close and hold for about 5 seconds.

racerxr

Seriously thank you