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I have searched and found some threads some good information, but nothing that answers or defines my problem. Slight backstory was at a restoration shop and was there for initial car tear down and I ordered the crate engine, chassis and wiring. Took a couple year hiatus from resto work and now back and it’s obviously been worked on and things put in. After several days of redoing electrical connections, tracing wires and matching them to schematics this is what I have.
1958 Corvette with a painless wiring harness. New Danchuk headlight switch and appears to be new dimmer switch. The headlights have been upgraded to an H4 style bulb. All 4 headlights have an H4 HID bulb in them with each bulb having its own individual ballast. I have a blue with yellow stripe wire running from the headlight switch to the dimmer switch (power). Dimmer switch also has tan wire and light green wire. Tan wire runs from dimmer switch to low beam. Green runs to high beams. Headlights on... lows come on. Engage floor switch and brights come on but lows turn off. I power probed the dimmer switch with following results. Lights off no power to switch. Lights on the blue with yellow stripe has 12 volts along with the tan for lows. Engage the switch and I get 12 volts to the green. I checked another C1 in the shop and the only variance I got in testing the dimmer switch was when the brights were powered I was getting a ground on the tan (or low beam). This is in reference to all four lights being lit during brights...
Last edited by speedworx18; Oct 3, 2018 at 07:55 PM.
Reason: Forgot something
Welcom to the CF. In the last two week, maybe more, headlight issues have been well covered. If you try using the search function you should get additional results. Dennis
Last edited by Bluestripe67; Oct 3, 2018 at 08:04 PM.
Thanks for the welcome... and the fairly standard search feature response. Lol. I have been on various forums and groups on Facebook. I have been searching for something similar to what I have posted about with zero results since about 3 this afternoon. Lots of good info but nothing that I felt would help hence the post. If you have the time and find something it would much appreciated as I’m tired of staring and scrolling on the screen.
I have searched and found some threads some good information, but nothing that answers or defines my problem. Slight backstory was at a restoration shop and was there for initial car tear down and I ordered the crate engine, chassis and wiring. Took a couple year hiatus from resto work and now back and it’s obviously been worked on and things put in. After several days of redoing electrical connections, tracing wires and matching them to schematics this is what I have.
1958 Corvette with a painless wiring harness. New Danchuk headlight switch and appears to be new dimmer switch. The headlights have been upgraded to an H4 style bulb. All 4 headlights have an H4 HID bulb in them with each bulb having its own individual ballast. I have a blue with yellow stripe wire running from the headlight switch to the dimmer switch (power). Dimmer switch also has tan wire and light green wire. Tan wire runs from dimmer switch to low beam. Green runs to high beams. Headlights on... lows come on. Engage floor switch and brights come on but lows turn off. I power probed the dimmer switch with following results. Lights off no power to switch. Lights on the blue with yellow stripe has 12 volts along with the tan for lows. Engage the switch and I get 12 volts to the green. I checked another C1 in the shop and the only variance I got in testing the dimmer switch was when the brights were powered I was getting a ground on the tan (or low beam). This is in reference to all four lights being lit during brights...
Both tan and green wires should have power (12v) in the high beam position.
I would find and install another hi/lo beam switch and test the result.
The stock setup had a jumper from the high beam green wire to the high/low beam high green wire. In other words the green goes from the dimmer to both the filament in the high bulb and the high beam filament in the high/low bulb so that all four light in high. I don't know from your modifications what should be done, but it sounds like you aren't getting the high beam voltage to the green wire to the outside bulbs. Are your outside bulbs dual filament like the originals?
Both tan and green wires should have power (12v) in the high beam position.
I would find and install another hi/lo beam switch and test the result.
That's not the way it's wired. See my post above. The tan wires only have voltage in the dim position and the green wires only in the high position. I'm talking stock, if you're talking after modification, I can't say.
If you want 12v on both green and tan in high, you need a dimmer switch that will do that. Stock only switches between tan and green. You can see the jumpers from low to high/low lt green wires in the diagram.
Reading your original post again, it sounds like you don't have a dual bulb in the outside lamps. If not, the stock dimmer won't light all four. Are all four of your bulbs single purpose bulbs and not one single and one dual purpose on both sides like the original? In other words, do your outside bulbs only have a single voltage wire and a ground?
Reading your original post again, it sounds like you don't have a dual bulb in the outside lamps. If not, the stock dimmer won't light all four. Are all four of your bulbs single purpose bulbs and not one single and one dual purpose on both sides like the original? In other words, do your outside bulbs only have a single voltage wire and a ground?
you raise a very good point. They were assembled when I started working on them and bet that’s the case. That’s one thing I didn’t even think about, just assumed the correct bulbs were used lol. I willlet you know tomorrow
That's not the way it's wired. See my post above. The tan wires only have voltage in the dim position and the green wires only in the high position. I'm talking stock, if you're talking after modification, I can't say.
Thank you the correction.
His wiring harness should be inspected to verify the parallel light green wire circuit for the high beam terminal.
If he wants both of the outside fixture's high & low bulb filaments lit in the high beam mode, a different high beam switch is needed.
High/low beam issues
Dennis
