Headlight question
 

Guys,

I just brought home my built cobra (was completed in 2001) and the guy I bought it from didn't know a ton about it. I knew it had a few small issues when I purchased it and I factored this into my price.

The headlights will not turn on (high/low/ect). My far left switch is a 3 position switch. All the way down is parking lights (works fine lights up all the parking lights and the gauge lights). In the middle position and top position I get absolutely nothing. I have checked the headlight circuit from the fuse block to the headlights (jumper a positive to the headlight side of fuse) and they worked perfectly.

I have a copy of the original assembly manual but the wiring diagram is very hard to follow from the diagrams I have.

I can simply just wire a switch into this circuit and make it work but I would like to have it working as intended and use the original switches that were installed in the center (although accessibility to these is very tough.. any pointers)?

How is this switch supposed to operate? High beam, low beam, parking, gauge lights, ect?

The guy I bought the car from told me the headlights didn't work but said that the switch had a positive on one side of each position (according to him).

Any suggestions? I think this is going to be a great fun little car

Did you check to be sure the bulbs are good?

Yes I did.. As stated I verified everything from the fuse block out and that is all good.by jumpering 12v to the load side of the high or low beam fuses I was able to turn on the headlights.

Any other thoughts?

Do you have or checked the relay?

Have you checked the switch continuity at all three positions?

I am not sure how to access the back of the switch.. Also what is the switch supposed to do in all positions?

I did pull the relay and measured for dv voltage at the wires with thr switch in each position but it's very tight in there and without knowing what wires go where it's tough to say for sure.. I believe there were 4 or 5 relays mounted together..
I pulled a couple and checked but I was unable to get my leads in a good position to check them all
What are the wire tags on each of the switch positions?

Thanks I'm hopefully I will be able to get this sorted out soon.. We did just get some snow so I Won't be driving it for a few days at least..

Check your Headlight ground wires. I found mine to be just screwed into the frame with sheet metal screws into the painted frame. Classic Roadster's wring is not one of their strong suits ;) Good luck TommyRot.

So true. I sometimes forget but my rule is any time you have goofy electrical behavior check your ground.

Pull / remove the switch and check continuity among all the terminals in all switch positions.

Normally a three position switch (toggle) the middle position is "off" They boned the installation.

https://www.zseries.in/electronics%2.../#.YFmCkK6SnIU

What They tried to do:
https://tops-stars.com/wp-content/up...ng-diagram.jpg

What hey should have done: Right hand pic can't get it t upload by itself
https://www.google.com/search?q=simp...STyIxrieSLIw1M

I see.. What is supposed to trigger the high beams in the original wiring?

Also is there an easy way to remove the switches? My dash is moulded into the body and seems there isn't enough room for me to reach through from the back?

Thanks

Usually toggle switches have a small circular ring that threads on to hold it in place, switch slides out the back. You can see that pretty clear in the toggle switch link pictures. Every toggle switch I have ever seen is that way. Carefully use pliers to start baking off, then fingers work well. Is there a floor dimmer switch in your car? I would've expected they did, powered when your dash switch was in the up position. The floor switches these days are pretty cheap, they fail. Sometimes an additional ground wire to them is needed. not sure about your dash, no visible screws? Mine is totally in pieces still. They might have lipped over the mount bar. hopefully you would not need to loosen and raise the body up to get it out. I would need to see what the manual says how it should've been done.

Ill have a look. I did already get the switch ring lose I just didn't want to take it out because I dont think I can get to the back of the switch to pull it out for testing without removing the dash. Ill have to have another look and maybe get the woman to reach her smaller hands in there to pull it out and get it back in for me.

I dont think I have any dimmer switch on the floor. I dont think there are any lights (I read that one of the switches is for a "dome" light and another as an extra accessory switch. These do nothing on my car (although if I am able to get the switches out I may pull them out and figure something out for them).

Do you know how the high beams are suppose to work?

Ill try and have another look out at the car tonight after I finish work.

Thanks

There's no factory service manual for many of these cars. There's even quite a bit of variation in how individuals build from kits. A home built or scratch built car is even more of a wild card situation.

Figuring out how your high beams are supposed to work will probably require a continuity tester and the detective skills of Sherlock Holmes. Good luck.

p.s. Document / write down whatever you discover (e.g. which circuit goes where, which fuse it connects to, etc.) and put it in a book, binder, or computer record - it will pay off somewhere down the road.

I will do this for sure. I was able to piece a bunch of the wiring together from the original builders manuals wiring section but it is all pieced together throughout the manual and fairly hard to tell what wire number is to be connected where (some of it is very straight forward but the switch stuff I was unable to find). I believe the kit was an original classic roadster kit and appears to be put together fairly well. It was done by a fabrication shop in Canada which I called b4 I purchased the car and the guy I spoke to (owner?) remembered doing it but did not have any of the details on it. It was completed by them in 2001.

I have already started printing specific pages from the build manual and making notes and diagrams on these as I go through it. Once I complete my hand written notes I will create either a document or wiring schematic when I get through it and have a softcopy in my email and a hardcopy with the car.

With the high beams I was more curious if it was activated by a switch or by a stalk on the car. I was thinking the three position switch may have had a spot for high beams but I think now I understand their thoughts on the switch (please confirm if I am off).

Top- headlights+parking+gauges/ect
Middle- OFF
Bottom- parking+gauages/ect

I figured it would be a bit of work to get it sorted but I am fairly ok with wiring and schematics. I just forgot about how small this area is and trying to verify things is going to be quite the process.

Well I just went out and screwed around for a bit. Got the switch out. Looks like it only has one position setup where the parking and headlights are in parallel. I may run a jumper and modify this so I have headlights plus parking or just parking.

I think my issue may be the dimmer switch. I have no idea what this is or what it is used for but after tracing everything out and functioning it all I have found the relay is operational and I get my positive to wire 141 which should connect to the dimmer switch. The dimmer switch should then be wired to the low beam and high beam fuse.

Does anyone know what the dimmer switch looks like, its basic operation and where it may be located? Reading back someone mentioned this earlier but I over looked it but I now believe this may be where my issue is.

Thanks everyone so far and hopefully we can get this sorted out

I do not get why I can't upload photos, really annoying.....
You can run a temp wire to power what you think is the headlight wire. You can tell for sure at the connector behind the headlight. When you look at the removed plug the left wire is high beam, the top one is low beam, the right one is low beam. Well should be at least. Yes, shops build cars, rarely are most of them good at electrical. As Cycleguy said it's a free for all. I have an original harness, unused I'll take a look at it and try to determine what color coding etc they originally used. One way to narrow it down is that the "parking/dash" lights are common to both switch positions. A test light (i call them idiot light), and a multi-meter are going to your best friend in this case. I would also gain access to your headlight, clip on a temp ground wire to the frame or handy bolt, try your switch, see if it lights.




https://www.amazon.com/Painless-8015...86811995&psc=1

I have verified the switch works and operates the relay.
I have also verified that from the fuse block out to the headlights everything is good.

According to the builders manual it states that from the relay it should go to the dimmer switch and then dimmer switch feed to the fuse block.

The issue is 100% between the relay->fuse block as I have verified everything else.

Thats what I expected the dimmer switch to look like I had a look and didn't see any but ill go out again tonight and look again. Maybe cut some wire ties and see where the relay wiring actually goes.

How does the dimmer switch work?

Thanks

Do you have an Ididit column? They have a turn signal or tilt stalk dimmer switch maybe you have one? Chevette switch is on column with little rod from turn signal stalk