The good news is, I think I'm getting closer to finding the problem.

The bad news is, I think I made it worse.

I was able to get the flickering to stop, if I disconnect one of the headlights on the passenger side, so it's GOT to be over there. I don't see any bare wires etc, but it's got to be there somewhere. Could it possibly be a bum headlight?

On the other hand, while screwing around with a new headlight switch, I killed my gauge lights and rear taillights. I don't see any blown fuses - what's that all about?

I'm done for the night. I've had it. How many of you guys had to start going to a chiropractor after dealing with crap like this?

And Panhead, did you say you had this problem before and it was a bad connector? Were all 4 of your headlights flickering? I don't understand how a crappy connector can cause a short to ground. Not to mention, on both sides of the front, the - I guess it would be - male connector has been removed, and it is just the individual prongs going into the female connector. I wonder if that's the problem?

 

I'm here, just got in. tomorrow I start my own inquest as the the cause of a catastrophic electrical failure stranding me at my first local criuse-in of the season. oF course the hood release also decided to fail at the same time

The high beam wire is LIGHT green. the hone wire is DARK green
LIke JohnZ said, the short is in one of the LIGHT green wires that originates at the dimmer switch. One routes through the outboard bulkhead connector and on to the headlights on the left and from them over to the right (pass) side. The other LIGHT green wire goes from the dimmer switch up to the Highbeam tattle tale lamp. In the engine compartment, IIRC it is the outboard connector, 3rd wire down on the inboard row.

Don

 

Oh no. WHat happened to the car?

Tis the season for mind-boggling electrical failures, eh?

Good luck. If nothing else, you have someone to comiserate with. Let us know what the culprit was.

 

OK, back looking for more free advice. I wanted to see if anyone else had any suggestions before I start unwrapping every goddamn wire on the front of the car to get to the rest of the light green ones.

Since I last posted, I have examined/cleaned all the connnectors in that circuit with the "light green" wire from the dimmer switch to the headlights themselves. I have replaced the dimmer switch, the headlight switch, and those crappy connectors that go to each headlight bucket with all brand new insulated terminals, with completely the same result.

The only way I can get the blinking to go away (short of shutting the high beams off) is to disconnect one of the headlights completely. If I remove any of the 4 headlights, and 3 remain lit, the blinking stops. WTF can it be?

Don, if you're out there, drop me an email at dunney@fenway.net. I'm well aware I owe you more than a cup of coffee by now. I need all the help I can get.

Anyone else?

I know someone mentioned that there is a circuit breaker in the headlight switch, which sounds like it keeps tripping caused by the alleged short to ground that I have. Is the breaker definitely in the switch (the car is a '66)? I have another small silver "box" dangling near the light switch, that has two red wires going to it, similar to what is on the schematic. Is that the breaker?

 

And another thing...

I found, while laying on the ground like a dog (again), that with the high beams on and only the low beam wires connected to one headlight, that the "low" light in that headlight comes on.

My question is:

With the high beams on, should the headlight with two filaments (both low and high) low beam stay on when you go to the high beams?

Because if not, I think I just got closer to my problem...

 

With the LOW beams on, only the two outer lamps should light. With the HIGH beams on, all four lamps should go on to be brighter. If doing this in the garage with the shop lights out, the pattern of illumination should rise a little higher from the floor (HIGH Beams remember) from each lamp - outers and inners.

Don
email: vetsvette2002@yahoo.com

 

Thanks Don. I'm in the process of replacing more corroded spade terminals now. If this doesn't fix it (and I'm sure it won't), I'll be emailing.

 

The breaker is INSIDE the headlight switch - can't be seen without disassembling the switch. The "silver box with two red wires on it" is probably the circuit breaker for the headlight rollover motor switch - it's supposed to be mounted to the hinge pillar, just above the top of the kickpad, and has nothing to do with the headlight bulb circuits.

 

That's a roger on both of those.

I finally had to disassemble a switch to see for myself.

Not to jinx myself, but, I believe I solved the flickering problem. To be honest, I still have no idea how I did it. I ended up cleaning every connection I could find, and in the end, it seems that replacing the two headlights on the drivers side, tightening the connections at the battery, and testing with the doors closed (so no interior light current draw) was finally able to get them not to flicker after about 10 minutes. I took it out for a spin, and it seems ok.

I like to think that it was just enough of an extra current draw that caused the breaker in the headlight to trip, and cleaning and replacing all the terminals finally gave me good enough contact.

The reality is, it might've just been too much draw form the headlights (they were those H4 jobs, the one with the halogen style inside). And the door open was the kicker.

Regardless, thanks to all that helped. You guys are fantastic.