Dim Headlight

[88cal4runner]

I have a problem with the drivers side headlight because it is dimmer than the one on the passengers side. I checked all the wiring coming from both headlights and it's all in really good condition. I replaced the headlight because the one that was in there didn't work at all, and I checked the fuses and they all look good, but the wiring behind the fuses looks like someone had a bad DIY job of installing a sound system, as there's evidence that something burned out and some of the wires are melted together and such. Anyone have any ideas if its something else, or am I gonna have to fix that terrible wiring?

Also how do I check what kind of gearing I have on my truck? I'm not sure if the guy I bought the truck from changed it to 4.88's to support the 33 inch tires.

Thanks for any input or help!

[hillbilly81]

melted wires might be a problem. when this happened on my ol shovey it was because the ground wire to that headlight was incredibly corroded where it met the frame. gave it a good scrubbing with a wire brush and it worked fine.

as far as your gears go... jack up the back of the truck, make a mark on top dead center of your tire, make a mark that you can see on the drive shaft. spin the tire once while counting how many times the mark on the driveshaft passes by.

it should pass about 5 times for 4.88 gears.
if it passes just a little over 4 times you have 4.11's
four and a half times ='s 4.55
for better results spin twice and do the devision.

[88cal4runner]

Thanks Hillbilly, I just got back from towing my two jet skiis and 3 other people to Eagle lake in my 88 yota and found some melted wires above the wheel well. I'll get em fixed soon and see if thats the problem