Headlights not working

[Tom Vilardi]

Esteemed List:

BCW Headlights stopped working today.  Had wonky fog lights from day one.  

Worked over all the connections last week to get Fogs to work and everything was working fine. The Fogs seem to work through the headlight system – i.e., only go on when the regular lights are on and go off when the high beams are on.  Lucas style toggle switch activated which also was a bit problematic.

Today I replaced the Lucas toggle with a generic type – everything worked fine and then the fogs and headlights suddenly stopped working.

The marker/parking/direction lights and tail-lights still work.

Did I fry something in the headlight switch?  Or some sort of fuseable link somewhere else?

Help!

Tom  

   

Tom Vilardi
BCW Model 52
South Orange NJ

[edward ericson]

check the fuse(s) first. Next check the switch. I’ve had switches fry from the amperage load drawn by headlights. If it’s the switch, it’s OK to buy another just like it–but also buy two headlight relays and wire them in so each headlamp (or headlamp and fog light) has its own.

[Tom Vilardi]

Thanks!

Tom Vilardi
BCW Model 52
South Orange NJ

[Tom Vilardi]

Thanks again Ed,  Seems to have been the “new” switch I put in for the fog-lights.  

Once it was disconnected the headlights came on again!  I re-installed the Lucas type (slightly wonky) switch and everything works fine…. well with the exception that the Lucas switch needs to be wiggled to work…..

I’m thinking that putting a simple barrel fuse on the wires running to the switch may be an easy insurance policy against burning things up and would just put the switch offline (as if it had been disconnected) in case something gets overloaded.  

The thought of cutting directly into the headlight wiring and putting in fuses and relays is a bit daunting.

Tom

Tom Vilardi
BCW Model 52
South Orange NJ

[edward ericson]

You’ll want relays. They are cheap and not too complicated to wire, even for a novice. Google “wire headlight relays.” You’ll get good instructions and diagrams. We’ll walk you through it.

[secretagentcat]

Just my two cents…
My fog lights do the same trick, go off when the high beams go on. Thats because its illegal here in CA to have them both on at the same time. I think they did it through the relay switch so Im going to wire it the same way to avoid a ticket.

[billnparts]

In most states the fogs are not allowed to be on with the high beams. If you want to get around that just get a dual on toggle switch. Use the low beam hot feed to one side and and a hot all the time feed to the other. Just throw the switch when inspection time rolls around.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[Tom Vilardi]

Thanks again folks.  

Yes the fogs are hooked up the way they are supposed to be in NJ.  

When the old switch failed and the headlights didn’t work too the volt gauge jumped when I tried to put the headlights on and the wing lights flickered, so there was something hot still going on in the failed switch that worried me.

In light of this I put an in-line 10 amp fuse on the line to the “replacement” switch with the thought that if that switch failed again the fuse would pop, take that circuit offline, the headlights would stay on and I would prevent overheating any wires.

At some point I’ll look into relays as has been suggested.

Tom

Tom Vilardi
BCW Model 52
South Orange NJ

[Toller]

Tom
Wiring in the interrupt for the fog lamps with a relay is straightforward. Run a wire from the dimmer switch connected to the high beam circuit to tab 85 on a auto relay. Run another wire from tab 86 to ground. Cut the + lead to the fog lamps and connect one of the cut wires to tab 30 and the other to tab 87a on the relay. When the dimmer switch is activated to power the high beams the relay will be energized and open the normally closed circuit (tabs 30 and 87a) which will interrupt the power to the fog lamps. When head lights are switched from hi to low, provided the fog lamp switch is still on, the fog lamps will come back on. As I stated in another post I have installed relays to control all the switchable loads in the TDR.

David B Dixon
Port Perry ON CA
Sabine

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