Ok, I need help! My avatar car has headlight problems! Sometimes no problem! But other times I will be driving and the head lights will go off, then come back on, rather fast! Doesn’t seem to matter if it is on high or low beam! Just now my wife can to get me at my watering hole and drank a beer with me and a guy came in and said my car was giving a “ light show” in the parking lot! Just sitting there the lights were flashing on an off way more quickly than I would think a circuit breaker would do! Also it was raining! Don’t know if that is a factor? This is driving me bonkers! Any thoughts? I do want to just start throwing parts at it! Thanks in advance! Bones
My armchair quarterback fix is a new headlight switch. I once had a very unfriendly conversation with a highway patrolman due to that very thing. Good luck, -Abone.
Got a 69 Mustang that acted that way once, a new headlight switch fixed it. Was told that there's a circuit breaker built into it going bad
My '64 Ford would occasionally switch the headlights off, usually choosing a very dark section of highway on a curve to do so. They'd come back on after maybe five seconds. I took apart the switch and found burnt contacts inside. I was going to clean them up and reassemble the switch (which I've done to many ignition switches with complete success), but put in a spare switch and left the bad one to collect dust in the "to fix someday" pile.
My Econoline did that, in the middle of Wisconsin, at -20 degrees, at night. New headlight switch fixed it. There’s a circuit breaker integrated into the switch, and it’s tripping. I also remember replacing the floor mounted dimmer switch. Can’t remember if nigh resistance in the dimmer was the actual root cause or not, though. It was a good 35 years ago.
Like the others have said start at the headlight switch. If its one of those cheap Speedway ones or similar you can use a short wire with a couple alligator clips and bypass it to check it.
I borrowed a friends '73 F250 Hi boy to drive home across Iowa back in my Air Force days ('80's). Halfway home, I got the same deal going. Scary, but I was young and dumb, and it was a moonlit night. I drove 100 miles late at night on 2 lanes with the lights off, and only turned them on when oncoming cars appeared. They'd stay on for about 2 minutes, then the blink show. Oh to have that level of eyesight today! I can't see shit! That one was caused by the dimmer switch. I miss that truck. Total beast. (He wrecked it a couple years later.)
Definitely the circuit beaker. Contacts might have going bad, or you have a bad contact/ground somewhere between the switch and the light, which can draw more power - so the breaker cuts in. Check at your lights with an ohm and voltage meter. Frank
Dimmer switches sit under the carpet where they get wet and rust over time, I'd check there first. I had a 1965 F-100 pickup with this problem.
Were the lights left on when your wife came in the place? Or she shut the car off, shut the lights off, then someone saw them flickering on/off?
You ca rule out the dimmer switch by unplugging it for a while. Set the low beams on first and study its habits.
Not sure if 65 model Fords had a block on the right side fender apron. The headlight ,turn signal ,park light wiring had bullet connectors that go in on end then exit out the other. Over the years the wires become loose in the block causing the lights to flicker or not work at all.
She left them on. The parking lot is well lit! Then a friend came in and said your car is putting on a light show! By the time he came in and I went out, it was still going on and off! It was raining and I just turned the lights off! After I did that….I thought ,I should have hit the dimmer switch or wiggled the light switch, but I didn’t! Lol Bones
My last 66 Bird did that, was the switch. When I replaced the switch, I wired it through a relay so the new switch was lightly loaded, worked great. Have the wiring diagram stored somewhere on this 'puter
I’d think she’d notice on the drive over they were going on and off, that’s why I asked. You also mentioned the rain. I guess it could be a coincidence that the issue just started when she parked the car and left the lights on, but I wonder if one of the HL wires found a sweet spot to ground on the drive there? I’d give the wiring a good once or twice over look before replacing stuff.
Nope, this is the only one that will start from the seat, at the moment! Our van was involved in an accident! Most of my other “ vehicles” are all parked down on the ranch and vary from complete to just parts. Bones
I had similar issue with a 68 chevelle driving down the road & would go from low to high to off then on ... just a light show while driving home at night. .... dimmer switch mounted on the floor.
It might not be pitted contacts in the switch (the failure could be spot-on the many suggestions being posted.....) but I've just made it a rule (for me) to add a relay whenever a headlight switch goes bad. It's cheap insurance.
Crap! Typo! I meant “ I don’t want to just throw parts at it” I always proof read my posts, but I missed that one! Now I’m going to have to proof feed my proof reading! Bones
I put in a missing floor dimmer switch 4 years ago when the totally new wiring harness went in............ I never drive the 1950 truck at night......... but if I ever do, I've got the technology to pull it off.
If you unplug the dimmer switch on a 65 Ford, you will have no headlights at all. Headlight power comes from the light switch to the dimmer. The dimmer switches that power from low to high beams. With it unplugged, no power will get to the headlights.
Had a Dodge Challenger once that the head lights would just suddenly go out when running at high speed....... (of all times for THAT to happen!) Happened a couple of times before I solved it I was running over my light beams ! Hope you figger your out!! 6sally6
Along these lines @Boneyard51 why not make a jumper to by pass dimmer as a test rather than buying what may not be needed?
I have had OT later model stuff do this. It was always when running something other than the entry-level sealed beam headlamps. In each case, a relay harness fixed the problem. I put them in every car I build, unless running LED headlights.
Thanks for all the help and advice , guys. I figured it was one or the other. Back years ago we had a Ford truck that did this and we never did figure it out. Replaced everything twice, but every once in a while the lights would still go out! So I thought maybe someone here had a similar experience and found something weird that caused it Johnny I have several parts cars of that vintage, so I figure I will swipe some switches from them and see if the problem disappears. I figure that old Ford stuff is probably better than new China crap! Again , thanks, guys! Bones
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