Hey all,
Got a head scratcher for ya..

For the last year or two, once or twice every 6 months my headlights havent been coming on when i turn the stalk to turn them on, the dash and interior lights come on but the headlights fail to.
I normally just turn the car off, remove the keys from the ignition, then re-try and it fixes it.

Well tonight i went to see a friend who lives about an hour out of town in the middle of nowhere, i used my highbeams the entire trip, i dropped her home after a drive around out in the bush, went to turn my lights on and they didn't work, tried what i normally do to fix the problem but nope they persisted, tried a few more times with no avail.
Left the car off a few mins and tried again, nope didnt work.
I then went and checked the fuses and relays, i noticed when i went to pull the relay out is was so hot i could barely touch it, is this normal? After pulling the relay and blowing on it til it cooled down a bit i put it back in and it fixed the problem, could a relay be the problem?

yeah sounds like your on the ball there... next time swap the relay with another one to test yer theory
another possibility is your dip switch

Yeah id be thinking it sounds like a Relay issue. Most likely Cause. Carry a new one and when it does it change it. Its a tad better than swapping with another one as thats a very temp solution. If you need to use what ever one you swap you are stuffed. If just buy a new one.:)

change the relay!
this is why i have a glovebox full of relays
the 2nd gens ones hold the heat and fry all the time
i had the same problem last week, they just turned off mid-driving.

So what's really causing this, is it the relay or busted voltage regulator from the alternator?
Overheating of fuses and relay could be a sign of over voltage...not sure really.

cool thanks for the reply guys, ill go grab a new relay and change it

So what's really causing this, is it the relay or busted voltage regulator from the alternator?
Overheating of fuses and relay could be a sign of over voltage...not sure really.

Easy...check the charge with a multimeter...
very strange...15 years and never had a relay go on me. Very weird.
But yes, sounds like the relay, to confirm your theory when you swap it, crack the metal case off the top and have a look inside.

;1157501']Easy...check the charge with a multimeter...
very strange...15 years and never had a relay go on me. Very weird.
But yes, sounds like the relay, to confirm your theory when you swap it, crack the metal case off the top and have a look inside.

There is no other problems regarding voltage and stuff, just the weird headlights wont turn on sometimes, what should i be looking in the relay if its buggered?

I'd join the bandwagon suggesting that you change the relay, and fairly soon.

My only 2nd Gen was an e-bay KS ei, and it had lights fail - fried relay. It also damaged the relay box a bit from the heat, but was still useable - the heat from relay distorted the plastic around the "socket" the relay plugs down into.

I didn't really know why it got hot, but thought poor contact and resistance may have contributed, so I cleaned the tags on the replacement relay really well, and also closed up the lugs underneath that the relay plugs into - so the lugs would really "bite" onto the relays prongs. Seemed to work, but I passed that car onto dad and it hasn't done much since (half pulled apart to assess if rings are needed).

I'd join the bandwagon suggesting that you change the relay, and fairly soon.

My only 2nd Gen was an e-bay KS ei, and it had lights fail - fried relay. It also damaged the relay box a bit from the heat, but was still useable - the heat from relay distorted the plastic around the "socket" the relay plugs down into.

I didn't really know why it got hot, but thought poor contact and resistance may have contributed, so I cleaned the tags on the replacement relay really well, and also closed up the lugs underneath that the relay plugs into - so the lugs would really "bite" onto the relays prongs. Seemed to work, but I passed that car onto dad and it hasn't done much since (half pulled apart to assess if rings are needed).

I went to Ripco and they told me i would have to go to Mitsubishi and get the genuine part for it? Am i getting told lies? Also how much would a dealer charge for a relay?