401KVette

ALL of my lights are working, inside and out. But not the Headlights. Dim or high beam. On the dash the high beam indicator also does not come on. So no lights. I think it may be the headlight switch. Is there anyway to test it?
The headlights do pop up when the switch is pulled. That leads me to my second question. The left headlight is quite a bit slower that the right light. Opening and closing. Would anyone know what may be the cause and how to fix it?

LannyL81

Likely the switch but could also be the harness connector has burned. Only way I know to test it is to remove it. Not to difficult, need to remove the tach/speedo panel, which requires the steering column to be dropped down, which requires the small trim panel to be removed.

I would suggest checking with Willcox for a video on removing the headlight switch as it has been far too many years since I did this.

The headlights on my '81 have always operated in a similar fashion....one side much faster to open/close than the other. Figured it was just lack of vacuum.

stumpshot

Don't know anything about your year but the headlights are probably fused or circuit protected somewhere. If so, I'd check that first before pulling switches and harnesses.
My '75 lights also operate one slow and one fast.
Good luck!

LannyL81

Yes, check fuses first, but I had assumed you already did this.

And the headlight switch is dual switch...switches electrically and vacuum.

70ZZ3 96LT4

headlight vacuum motors have replaceable rubber seals on the rod coming out of the vacuum motor. This could leak vacuum or the vacuum motor has internal rubber seal that would require a new vacuum motor. My 46 year old 1968 headlight vacuum motors are the originals and still work, one is slower like yours. Have not replaced any rubber seals.

401KVette

From what I can tell, there is no fuse for the headlights. They have a circuit breaker that is built into the switch. That CB may have gone bad.

401KVette

Thanks to all for the help and feedback.

401KVette

Well I replaced the headlight switch, and that gave me more problems. More lights are now out. Not only the headlights, but the outside running lights, park lights, tail lights, and dash/gauge lights. Before replacing the switch, only the headlights were not working. I thought maybe I got a bad switch and installed another new one, but all is the same. I've been all up in my Shop Manual, but I don't know how to read wiring diagrams to really test anything. Could the dimmer switch possibly cause this? With the engine running and the headlight switch pull to on, there is no high beam indicator showing on the panel. But the headlights or not on/working. In that case I guess the indicator not being on would be normal. At this point, I don't know what would be my next move, other than to take it to SOMEONE WHO KNOW'S SOMETHING, because it's not me. lol Thanks for any help...

speedreed8

headlight switch main power comes from connection at starter, there is a fusible link in that wire, and power passes through a harness connector under the hood on passenger side near firewall....
http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/tune...l/index8.shtml

DUB

I can help...if you want my help via the phone and you being at your car with basic volt/ohmmeter...them PM me. I will get you my shop phone number so we can talk....if interested.

DUB

401KVette

Thanks for trying to help, but I'm no mechanic and no electrician. I only know how to flip a light switch. lol I'm saying uncle and will bring it in somewhere. Thanks to all..

0Willcox Corvette

Sounds like you have multiple issues now.

The yellow wire from the headlamp switch is what powers up the headlamps. So I would go to your dimmer switch connection, make sure it is plugged in properly, remove it and make sure the terminals are clean and in good working order. This connection is located at the bottom of the column.

Next I would test the yellow wire for power with the headlamp switch in the on position. If you have power there then test the other two wires, green and tan (you'll have to flip the switch to make it switch). Green is high beam (and when it has power the light on the dash comes on) and tan is low. If you have power going into the dimmer switch but not coming out, replace this switch.

While your down there, check the turn signal switch connector and make sure it is plugged up or didn't get knocked loose while working on the other issues. You could have possibly kicked this loose with your foot doing the lamp switch replacement. The power wires for the for your side lamps all run through this connector.

Willcox

401KVette

Well I slept on it and decided to keep trying before taking it in somewhere. OK, I'm going to start from the very beginning and maybe someone may sense or have a ideal what the problem is, other than Me.

Since I was having brake problems and the car was not being driven, I decided this would be a good time to do what I wanted to do to the interior. I replaced the center shifter bezel and the center cluster gauge bezel with new reproductions. The bezel where the clock and fuel etc. gauges are. While having everything apart and out I also replaced the printed circuit behind the gauges,and all the light bulbs with long life bulbs. Also a few other things, and after getting everything hooked up I wanted to test everything before actually screwing it down. With the help of my wife I tested 22 different things inside and out to see if all was working, and everything WORKED! So I bolted down everything in place and ran the test again. Everything was working! I was so proud! LOL My wife said I would never get it all back together. Now I want to say that before I tore into it, everything was working except the rear window defroster. It was not working when I bought the car. While doing all of this I replaced the circuit breaker for the defroster hoping that was the easy fix, but it was not. Still not working.

Now, I few weeks later I noticed that the battery had gone dead. The car was not being driven since I was still having brake issues. Because of health reasons this had been going on forever. Anyhow, while checking the battery situation out I did find the negative cable was ate up and hard so I replaced it. I took the battery out to charge it. After trying to charge the battery, it would not hold a charge. I took it in to NAPA to test it and it had a bad cell. Purchased a new battery and headed home. Now I'm installing my new battery, but when I touched the negative cable to the battery a weird humming noise started, so I immediately broke the connection. Each time I touched the negative cable to the battery it would do it again. From where the noise was coming from the only thing there was the antenna. That was it. After doing some research and forum reading I think what happen is the cable attached to the mast broke. I know there is something you can buy to replace it but that will have to be done later. But I wanted to hook the battery up so I could start the car. So what I did was to disconnect the power going to the antenna by pulling apart 2 plugs under the emergency brake console. At first I did pull the fuse but that also controlled some interior lights, so I put the fuse back in and disconnected the plugs. NOW, this it when I noticed I had no headlights. They would open, but no lights. All else was working as it should, except for the antenna and rear window defroster.

Two or three weeks later I went out to take a look at it again and my new battery was dead. Did I get a bad one? Nope, I took it out and put a slow charge on it and all has been good since. I guess I may have left the interior lights on or something. So after reading and forum research I bought and replaced the headlight switch. Now, still no headlights, and NOW the interior gauge lights are not working nor the outside running lights, and from the best of my memory they were working when I first noticed the headlight problem and then replaced the switch.

Again, after help from you guys in the forum I tried doing some testing. All I have is a low voltage 12 V tester. From what I understand from Wilcox and looking at my Shop Manual, the red wire going into the headlight connector, which plugs into the headlight switch is always HOT, and the power is coming from the starter. I tested the red wire going into the HL connector, and nothing. Also nothing on the other side of connector on the terminal. I tested the two red wires coming off of the started solenoid, which both have fusible links in them, and they where both Hot. I tested on the side of the F link going to the headlight switch. I think the red wire with the white on it is the one for the headlight switch. But at the headlight switch connector the red wire is NOT HOT. None of them are. There was also a third wire coming off around the other two fusible link wires. It was also red and larger. Maybe around a 12 gauge. I stuck it with my tester and it was not hot. I don't know what this wire is for.

Is this my problem? It would seem so..??? But why would that wire not be hot at the HL connector? Backing up a little, I did run a quick test relating to that disconnect for the antenna. While the car was running and the headlight switch on, I briefly made connection, and the antenna noise started again, but no headlights came on. Now I ran that test again and still nothing.

I also wanted to mention that I noticed 3 connectors under the dash in the area between the headlight switch and the dimmer switch. I really don't remember if I had seen them back it the beginning. I don't remember disconnecting anything to maybe move it out of my way. Two are a female type of connector and one a male. One has 3 wires going into it. A orange wire, tan, and gray. The orange wire is HOT. The other connector has a black and blue wire, neither one is hot. The other has one blue wire, male connector, coming from the stoplight switch, and it is not hot. The other two from what I can tell just goes up into the harness. This all may be the way it is supposed to be, but I don't know.

I haven't given up yet and any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks..

DUB

I PM'd you...call me. I will look at my wiring diagram and let you know.

As for your 'mystery' connectors...posting good photos does help a lot.

SO if I read what you wrote correctly...you have 3 red wires at the starter solenoid...correct????

DUB

401KVette

Yes. Three Red Wires. Two look to be about a 14 gauge. Both has a fusible link in the wire. One is solid red and the other solid red with white marks/strips. The third wire is also solid red, with no fusible link that I can see. It is a larger wire. I think I said earlier it was around a 12 gauge, but thinking about it some more I would say it's around a 8 or 10 gauge.

DUB

We need to talk ASAP....too much to type out....but I 99.99% know what your problem is.

DUB

401KVette

Good Good. Leaviing for out of town in the morning and back mid afternoon. I'll call you then if that's ok.

401KVette

I want to thank everyone for their input on trying to help me with my headlights not coming on problem. Thanks to Dub, he almost immediately told me where to look. He said to check the connector under the hood, which is on the passenger side, right next to the distributor and the top of the transmission dip stick. The harness is coming up from the started solenoid. Sure enough, I wiggled the connector and the headlights came on. Wiggled some more and they would go off. There looked to be no type of damage to the connector but that's it. Now I just need to disconnect it and check it out to determine what would be the best way to fix it. My dash and running lights turned out to be a fuse after and I rechecked them. Not related to the headlight problem as I was starting to think. Again, thanks to all and Thank You DUB !!!