Headlights
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 801
Likes: 17
From: Middletown Delaware
Headlights
OK I have a 78 vette that I installed Halogen low and high beams. Lows beams work fine but when I turn on the high beams they all start to flash and flicker.I read the search on headlights and from what I read the wiring should be able to handle the halogens without the relay mod. So my question is my headlight switch on the fritz or something else. Dave
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
yea, that sounds right, the circuit breaker is a self reseting type, thats why they flash.
If you want nice bright headlights your going to have to install relays. Here is a couple pics to get you started. You also should read the article on MADElectrical site.
Here is a good schematic to use.
And here is a pretty good pic of what the arangement can look like, its from BeeJay, forum member
If you want/Need more info, pm me
If you want nice bright headlights your going to have to install relays. Here is a couple pics to get you started. You also should read the article on MADElectrical site.
Here is a good schematic to use.
And here is a pretty good pic of what the arangement can look like, its from BeeJay, forum member
If you want/Need more info, pm me
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 294
Likes: 1
From: Racine Wisconsin
I had the same problem. The headlight circuit breaker is in the dashboard headlight switch and will open if higher amperage bulbs are used. The standard scenario is when you need more light, you hit the "brights" and 10 seconds later everything goes dark. I went the relay route and everything works fine. With this mod the dashboard circuit breaker only sees the current necessary to operate the relay. I installed three relays: Low beams, High beams and fog lights (to be installed). I used fuses for the lines that connect the battery lead to the lights. All this fits into a 4" x 4" panel near the alternator. You can and probably should clean the ground connection. For my C3 the headlight ground was located on the front side (driver side) of the radiator support. Rather that try to clean all the terminals, I made a new wiring harnes for the the headlights.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,727
Likes: 38
From: Fremont CA
I will never forget the night I went out to try my H-4 Machal 55-100W bulbs in my 69 Z/28 and found out in a sharp corner doing 70+MPH what the headlight circuit breaker does when it is not happy! I have fried my HL switch by the time I returned to home but, luckily, the low beams still worked. Relay circuit is the best way to go with a high power set-up.
