TheSamba.com :: View topic - super weird but must be easy headlight issue

Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:13 pm

1970 convert

Low beam: right low beam works, left is off.....
High beam: left high beam works right is off.
sometimes both will turn on while driving.

All other lights work fine

Fuses are good, checked each light out of car all filiments and lights good. .

I have removed the spade connectors and wiggled them around (tech term) both lights come on once in awhile.

Yes I know I have answered my own question, ( most prob. just some build up on the teminal block) I will clean them all tonight. But like all things Buggish there is always some hidden fix I might not know.

I also just moved to the rockwall dallas area, any good shops?

Chuck

Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:16 pm

You might try swapping headlights to see if there is any change.

Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:18 pm

Most likely, one filament in each bulb is bad. Hitting the right bump may allow them to make a connection for the duration of that trip, until you shut them off again. Try swapping the lamps from one side to the other to see if the problem moves with the lamps.

EDIT: Beat me to it!

Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:28 pm

1970 convert

Low beam: right low beam works, left is off.....
High beam: left high beam works right is off.
sometimes both will turn on while driving.

All other lights work fine

Fuses are good, checked each light out of car all filiments and lights good. .

I have removed the spade connectors and wiggled them around (tech term) both lights come on once in awhile.

Yes I know I have answered my own question, ( most prob. just some build up on the teminal block) I will clean them all tonight. But like all things Buggish there is always some hidden fix I might not know.

I also just moved to the rockwall dallas area, any good shops?

Chuck

I took both lights out and tested each one to a battery and both high aqnd low work on each light, then I swapped them when I put them back, the problem remianed, So its not the the lights .

Chuck

Mon Nov 09, 2009 2:24 pm

My lights did the same thing when I just bought my 68. I replaced the quick disconnect terminals sanded the fuse block terminals and it solved the problem. You may want to cleam the terminals on the headlight bulb too.

Mon Nov 09, 2009 3:38 pm

Could be the headlight switch. I'm currently experiencing a similar issue on my '72, my switch is really loose so I have to jiggle it a bit and my lights works fine.

Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:38 pm

Brian D wrote: Could be the headlight switch. I'm currently experiencing a similar issue on my '72, my switch is really loose so I have to jiggle it a bit and my lights works fine.

Unlikely to be the switch. There is just a single output from the headlight switch to the dimmer relay. After the relay is where the single hi and lo wires go to the fuse box where the respective left and right circuits split.

Start at the fuse box and the four headlight fuses. Clean all terminals/wire connectors with sandpaper or wire brush. Work your way to the headlights cleaning all connections along the way.

Also look for worn connectors and melted wires. Replace any suspect ones.

Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:44 pm

With the single headlight on, try spinning the fuse in it's holder to see if anything happens. Good luck Chuck. :D

Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:29 pm

Well, I sort of thought it was at the fuse box, cleaned all with a dremel.. super for getting in all the nooks (wire brush) still had the problem. then sprayed out with electrical cleaner.... still the problem. then started swapping out wires on the ouput side of the fuse box. the problem shifted sides. on both the high and the low side. The fuse box as many of you know has the primary wire going in then it goes through the fuse box to a double output for each of the lights. seems there is a bad connection on both of these (high and Low) where it splits to two. I could take it apart and clean it all, but for the price I might as well change it out. I am sure this is the problem. Thanks for all the help. Chuck

Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:06 pm

so why don't you wire both headlights independently and have one set so it comes on with a low beam and one set so it comes on with the high but then adjust the high so it points more to the ground, sure one will be brighter than the other but its cheap as free!

Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:20 pm

You could solder all the connections in the fusebox if you have a gun handy.

Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:11 am

cookci wrote: .... still the problem. then started swapping out wires on the ouput side of the fuse box. the problem shifted sides. on both the high and the low side. The fuse box as many of you know has the primary wire going in then it goes through the fuse box to a double output for each of the lights. seems there is a bad connection on both of these (high and Low) where it splits to two. I could take it apart and clean it all, but for the price I might as well change it out. I am sure this is the problem. Thanks for all the help. Chuck

To be clear, are you saying the single white wire coming from the dimmer relay is connecting to one side of the #3 & #4 fuses. The brass connector on this end of the fuses is shared by both fuses. This is the input side. So this one wire will power BOTH fuses. Current flows thru each of the two fuses and leaves the fuse box as two separate wires, one to each headlight.
The same applies to the low beam except the wire is yellow and goes thru fuses #5 & #6.

If you have the wrong fuse box for your year the shared connector at the input will be for different pairs of fuses so 3+4 and 5+6 may not be paired with a common input. It sort of sounds like this is what you were describing?

Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:53 am

Judd's 68 wrote: My lights did the same thing when I just bought my 68. I replaced the quick disconnect terminals sanded the fuse block terminals and it solved the problem. You may want to cleam the terminals on the headlight bulb too.

This.

I had that problem, too. Did that and it worked great. Just wasn't making contact. I would smack the fender and it would work for a bit, but any vibration would make it cut back off.

Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:41 am

It is just like you have described, the pairing. I checked and it is the right fuse box, I think it is strange that both the low and the high are having the same problem. Of course with a 40 year old car you can never expect the expected, I will post and let eveyone know if the new fuse box fixes it or not.

Thanks again all,

Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:25 pm

OK here is the deal, after seeing the only fuse box in the area cost $56 I thought I would have one more look at the system. Just like some of you had thought it was a fuse problem, I took each fuse out to clean the ends and found that the two fuses that operate the one low and the high I was having problems with turned out not to be blown but were some strange cheap fuse and if you look at them from the to there is a bullet shaped tip and it was worn to the point that there was no metal in a circle so they looked something like a circle, then plastic then the bullet shape, it was alluminum and this is why I think it wore like this you could hardly see the problem. Now all is well.