78 Vette - Headlights flicker WTF
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Joined: Jul 2008
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78 Vette - Headlights flicker WTF
Hi all!! I have a problem... when I am in my 78 Vette applying alot of gas, or braking, or even rolling through a rough road... my front headlights flicker and even sometimes dim out (when brakes applied) and returns to power.
What is going on? Is this an alternator issue? Bad wiring? Fuses? I am at a lost.
My brake lights have bad wiring in the back, whenever I jiggle the wires in the bumper I see the brake lights dim and flicker. But this is an old issue and one I was planning to take on at a later time. The front headlights is a new thing!
I went to the front of the car (opened the hood) and started jiggling wires and nothing... I mean not one flicker. SO... I went under the car and I then spotted a loose wire to my passenger side front turn signal light (above the headlight). This side of the light was off, but when I apply the trun signal it works... could this cause the issue? Applying the brake before in the past never caused my headlights to flicker... but now when I apply a hard break they dim out all the way. I appreciate all of your help!
Thanks!
What is going on? Is this an alternator issue? Bad wiring? Fuses? I am at a lost.
My brake lights have bad wiring in the back, whenever I jiggle the wires in the bumper I see the brake lights dim and flicker. But this is an old issue and one I was planning to take on at a later time. The front headlights is a new thing!
I went to the front of the car (opened the hood) and started jiggling wires and nothing... I mean not one flicker. SO... I went under the car and I then spotted a loose wire to my passenger side front turn signal light (above the headlight). This side of the light was off, but when I apply the trun signal it works... could this cause the issue? Applying the brake before in the past never caused my headlights to flicker... but now when I apply a hard break they dim out all the way. I appreciate all of your help!
Thanks!
Last edited by 78stan; Dec 17, 2012 at 02:33 PM. Reason: bad grammer missing details
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,399
Likes: 247
From: San Jose CA
Bad ground or bad alt. I'd check alt first, that's easiest.
If the alt was bad, you'd probably notice glitches in your stereo system as well. Turn the sound up on the system and reproduce the flickering, see if the stereo is acting up.
What do you see on the in-dash voltmeter when all this is going on?
You can check output at the alt with a handheld voltmeter.
If the alt was bad, you'd probably notice glitches in your stereo system as well. Turn the sound up on the system and reproduce the flickering, see if the stereo is acting up.
What do you see on the in-dash voltmeter when all this is going on?
You can check output at the alt with a handheld voltmeter.
