AMC Eagle Den Forum
The Shop => Electrical => Topic started by: jim on January 15, 2011, 12:57:07 PM
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On the 83 with the new motor -
One evening the headlights went off and came back on. The next morning they wouldn't turn on at all.
I'm about to look through the TSM, but if anyone has suggestions where to start I'll appreciate it.
Did we ever decide where the headlight relay is hiding?
As I was writing this I had a thought -
I went out and checked - I have high beams but no low beams.
I do have parking lights.
What does this tell us?
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Correction - I have low beams and no high beams.
I never drive with high beams; I don't know why they would have been on;
at any rate when they went out I didn't have any lights. If the highs had been on and quit
the lows should have been still on.
At least I can drive it. I now have heat and lights on both the 83 and the 88.
I hope the lights on the 83 don't go out when I'm driving it but the only way to know is to try.
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on my 83 when the highbeams come on the low beams go out, but that does nothing for why you have no high beams. What i would look at is the connector that puts power to the lights (on the headlight) and look for corrosion there, if that looks good I'd check the ground and trace the wires as far as you can and look for any breaks in the wire
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When High Beams are on all lamps should be lit. The circuit breaker is built into the switch. You need to replace the switch IF the breaker is bad.
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I have a spare switch, and I think I know where it is. It's only 130 miles from here. Looks like that can wait a while.
I'll check the original switch for corrosion and ground, but I'll wait until I have the replacement on hand.
I don't know when that will be.
I am concerned that the low beams went out and are now back on. They may go out again.
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Silly question: did you check the high beam units for conductivity? They may both be broken.
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Silly question: did you check the high beam units for conductivity? They may both be broken.
Fixed a Nissan once with this problem. The driver didn't notice one highbeam out but did notice when the second one went.
For your problem I'd also check the dimmer switch and the connector there (steering column).
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I haven't, and it's true that I might not have noticed if one had already been out and the other went out later. I will check that.
It doesn't explain why the low beams went out, came back on, and then wouldn't not come on the next day, and now seem OK.
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it sounds like there may be a short somewhere in the light harness. i know for a fact that the low beams on survivor (also an 83) stay on when i turn on the high beams so the possibility of you having a bad switch is possible although as i said before it could be the result of a short.
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well, the more I think about it I upgraded from the sealed beam units to halogen and i will sometime this summer upgrade again to HID lights so that may be why my low beams shut down when i turn on the high beams
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Kind of confused on your situation but I thought I'd just say that the 2 outer lights actually have a low and a high beam within the assembly. When you turn on the high beams with the turn signal stalk, the low beams in the outer lights turn off and the high beams turn in addition to the inner high beam set. So just because the outer lights work when high beams are off doesn't mean they are good.
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Yes, what amcmachine390 said. Both of your low beam filaments may be just burned out.
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Good to check the famous ground on the firewall, near the brake booster too.
Clean it with a wire brush and sandpaper and use some vaseline when connecting the wires again.
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I plan to do check that ground. I did check that the extra ground from the ac compressor to the firewall looks good.
I know it is possible for all those bulbs/filaments burned out, and I will check. I wouldn't have thought that many
could go at once.
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Had a similar (if not the same) problem some time ago.
The reason was in #6 picture of this post: http://forums.amceaglenest.com/index.php?topic=15611.0
Now I believe the light switch just gone bad and fried the connector. Replaced the switch, rewired the connector, rebuild the plastic connector casing in some way and everything was ok again.
Never had problems again.
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The new lights could be drawing too many amps and triggering the circuit breaker, but I'd check the connector at the switch too. I've seen more than one with cooked connections.
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And while you're at it, put a new headlight switch in. As LaGuardia suggests it is probably the switch anyway.
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The headlights are not new.
Is there any chance this could involve the dimmer switch? I do have another headlight switch and will eventually get up the
(whatever I need) to replace it. I just want to eliminate all the possibilities I can.
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Guys:
I know I read a post from one of you about "hating their headlight brightness." Then they upgraded to a set of duel headlights from a Buick or an Olds, with blue lights. I can't find the post, now.
Question: Has anyone ever upgraded their headlights from this source?
MADELECTRICAL.COM (Brighter Headlights).
It explains about having altinator voltage drop because the light realys are mounted between the alt. and the engine, thus giving 12.4 V instead of 14.2 V and moving the relays to a point between the alt. and the headlights, mounting the relays on the radiator support thus giving true 14.2V and having brighter headlights.
Is this true? It certainly, would make the halogens burn brighter, wouldn't it?
Steve
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Casper, on high all 4 of mine are on - or they were. They still are on the 88.
One of my low beams is weak. I was looking for Sylvania Extra Vision but the parts store was out of them so I got the Siver Stars. I ordered new connectors and I'm waiting for them to arrive before I change them out.
I've been concerned that my problem is the dimmer switch. I woud like to know for sure before I replace the headlight switch. I have a headlight switch, and I think I have a wiper switch, too. I plan to replace both at the same time if I can get down to my parts stash and find the wiper switch.
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One day last week I heard some Arkansas state troopers on a radio talk show. They said the super bright blue looking lights are illegal in this state unless they were OE.
I've been blinded several times but I've never heard of anyone being stopped because of their lights being too bright.
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I like the Sylvania Xtra-Vision lamps. Better than stock but easier on other drivers and have a decent life span.
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I like the Sylvania Xtra-Vision lamps. Better than stock but easier on other drivers and have a decent life span.
Yeah, check the lifespan of the bulbs. Some have a note on the box of expected life compared to regular halogens. It's quite a bit less for bulbs that cost 4 times as much.