Headlight, Parking and Dash Gauge Light Problem

REDSC400 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-03-2005, 03:40 AM

Hi Bob:
On the return leg of a long trip, three electrical circuts seemed to have stopped working simultaneously...

They Are: the Headlights (hi and low beam), the parking lights both front and rear and also the dashboard gauge lights (inside the gauges SW).

Everything else worked fine, the blinkers, the break lamps, the wipers the fans and the ignition.

When I got back into the barn (car hot), and after I checked all my wiring diagrams and trouble shooting guides, I pulled out the trusty flashlight and mirror and looked under/behind the dash for a potential problem... I checked the ignition switch connections and pulled the switch out to double check and then put it all back in.

No avail... all three circuts still out.

Went back into the house for dinner and when I came out I checked everything again, car now cool, and low and behold all the circuts work that were not working 2 hours earlier!!!

I am now both happy and pissed as I really do not know what fixed this and where and why??

So Bob, did you come down to Stratford and fix this while I was having dinner.... OR... do you have a suggestion for me to do a trouble shoot procedure?

I would like to put this to bed but it is all working now...

Perhaps you have a clue and can guide me as to what could cause the high and low and parking and dash lights to ka-put themselves....

All ears.... (car # 375)

strictlypersonl · #2 (**permalink**) 07-03-2005, 03:51 AM

Ex,

All of those circuits go through the head/parklight switch. Check that the brown wire on the switch is live. Its origin shares the power input terminal on the ignition switch so I suspect that it's OK.

If the wire is live, the head/park switch has probably seen better days.

REDSC400 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-03-2005, 06:38 AM

Ok then, I will come on up this week and get me a new one from you....

Do all of these circuts... the healights, parking and dimmer rehostat for the gauges also go thru the "headlight relay"?

I can see how the bad switch could be the culprit Bob. Since the switch does double duty AND the dimmer rehostat does not work unless the lights are ON.

Thanks Amigo. Have a happy Holiday. Catch ya on Tuesday??

strictlypersonl · #4 (**permalink**) 07-03-2005, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by REDSC400

...
Do all of these circuts... the healights, parking and dimmer rehostat for the gauges also go thru the "headlight relay"?

No. The relay is there only to switch between the high and low beams.

REDSC400 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-07-2005, 08:52 AM

Bob:

The new switch worked PER-FECTO-MUNDO!

That fixed the problem...

You may want to add that to the trouble shooting guide....

Thanks So Much for your help and assistance.

REDSC400 · #6 (**permalink**) 02-21-2006, 08:38 AM

In retrospect, I think these symptoms were a result of a bad ground up front in the "X" member of the suspension. FWIW.

SCOBRAC · #7 (**permalink**) 02-21-2006, 09:10 AM

90% of of all electrical "problems" on these cars are ground related. It is really impossible to overstate the importance of grounding the engine to the frame in multiple locations especially on glass bodied cars.

strictlypersonl · #8 (**permalink**) 02-21-2006, 10:13 AM

In this case however, in order for Art to lose everything, he would have had to lose 3 separate grounds simultaneously. Two of which are inside the car, and the third outside the water splash range.