Re: [AMC-list] headlight not lit

[superglider@xxxxxxxx]

Have you looked at the high beam switch?   The headlight current passes
through that floor switch/button and those contacts get real corroded
over time.

Wayne
Wayne & Lisa, Bolton Landing, NY, http://www.superglider.thinkhost.com/
66 Ambo 990 wagon, 327 auto, PS,PB,AC,PW; 69 Ambo 2 door 401, M12
78 GMC Motorhome Royale 403 EFI
03 FLHTCI - Patriot guard rider
01 XJ, 02 Seville, 05 Sebring Coupe



On Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:18:03 -0700 (PDT) C The <kwtheaker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
writes:
> 
> 
>    Marc, Matt, and those thinking the same thing
> but saw their answers: 
> 
>  the ground post on the firewall was indeed crusty & the nut merely
> hand tight, so with great hopes i took it apart 
> and shined all the parts up, put it back together 
> and pulled the headlight switch,  and nothing
> happened, which ya know, can it ever be that
> easy?
> 
>   - i did notice the park light fuse blown, which
> i somehow missed the 13 times i checked it
> or during all the mushing around it happened.
> anyway replacing that got the park lights working
> small victory, but progress.
> 
> - took the headlight connecters off and measure
> ~8V at each. cleaned them up a bit put the
> pass side back on, no change.  dejected i 
> do the same to the driver side, measure put
> back on, i crawl out from under the car
> and that headlight is on!   jeezopeete. 
> 
> repeating process w/the pass side, you
> know hoping i get extra credit for repitiiton 
> but still not on.
> 
> the high beam indicator now works correctly,
> was alway on when lights on before, but 
> the hi beam doesnt come on on the driver
> side. 
> 
>   mmm, so either burned out, or could that
> be due to a bad connection?    
>  
>  the pass side could also be burned out,
> but gee seems unlikely.  i think i'll
> purchase a headlight, could be good
> backup one day anyhow.
> 
> so any other suggestions, welcome,
> 
> our old cars just don't want you to
> have total victory, you have to 
> grind out each step! 
> 
> --carl 
> 
> 
> - 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:56:45 -0400
> From: Matt Haas <mhaas@xxxxxxx>
> To: "AMC, Rambler, Nash, Jeep and family" 
> <amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [AMC-list] headlight not lit
> Message-ID: <4E260BAD.3030200@xxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> This is for sure a ground problem (my 68 American did the same thing 
> 
> with a loose ground). I'm not sure where the ground wire attaches on 
> an 
> AMX. On Americans, the ground wire is by the fan motor in the engine 
> 
> compartment (it attaches to a stud). It looks like it will have 3 
> black 
> wires going to it. If it helps, you can see a color version of the 
> wiring diagram at 
> http://www.mattsoldcars.com/techinfo/images/68jav.gif .
> 
> The headlight circuit breaker is part of the headlight switch. 
> Usually, 
> a problem there will cause the headlights to blink.
> 
> Matt
> 
> On 7/19/2011 1:05 PM, C The spouted this sage advice:
> >
> >
> >   hey all,
> >
> >    i recently got my '68 AMX back from the paint shop where
> > they had the fenders off&  therefore -headlights.
> >
> >    didn't notice till i got home&  a few days later, the 
> headlights
> > don't come on (neither do parking lights).
> >
> >     i see from the chilton's wiring diagram there should be a 
> ground
> > on the headlight wires.
> >
> >    perhaps that's the problem?  i traced the headlight wires and 
> don't see
> > any where obvious that something should be connected to the body,
> > though i don't really know what i'm looking for, an obvious wire
> > going into a screw?
> >
> > but hey upside down and backwards i could be missing something.
> >
> > so if that is a good guess can someone tell me where to be 
> looking?
> > or if not a good guess, what else?
> >
> >
> > other info :
> >
> > - fuses all ok
> > - headlight hi beam is always on when light switch on
> > - headlight warning buzzer works when light switch on
> > - brake lights work, fan
> > - chilton's AMC book shows the headlights on a circuit
> > breaker.  assuming that resets itself if there was a problem?
> >
> > --paint looks good though,  carl
> > -------------- next part --------------
> > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
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> > _______________________________________________
> > AMC-list mailing list
> > AMC-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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> >
> >
> 
> -- 
> mhaas@xxxxxxx
> Cincinnati, OH
> http://www.mattsoldcars.com
> 1967 Rambler American wagon
> 1968 Rambler American sedan
>  
>  
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:27:11 -0400
> From: Marc Montoni <Freedom@xxxxxxxx>
> To: amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: C The <kwtheaker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [AMC-list] headlight not lit
> Message-ID: <20110720031505.C6E7F984001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> 
> C The <kwtheaker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:
> 
> 
> >didn't notice till i got home & a few days later, the headlights
> >don't come on (neither do parking lights). 
> >
> >i see from the chilton's wiring diagram there should be a ground 
> >on the headlight wires. 
> >
> >perhaps that's the problem?  i traced the headlight wires and don't 
> see
> >any where obvious that something should be connected to the body,
> >though i don't really know what i'm looking for, an obvious wire
> >going into a screw? 
> >
> >but hey upside down and backwards i could be missing something. 
> >
> >so if that is a good guess can someone tell me where to be looking? 
> 
> >or if not a good guess, what else? 
> 
> 
> You're on the right track.  I just traced out the exact same problem 
> on my 68 
> AMX.
> 
> My test light attached to ground indicated I had power through the 
> light switch 
> and through the dimmer switch, as well as power at the headlights, 
> but they 
> still weren't lit.  Realized the test light had a good ground, the 
> headlights 
> did not.
> 
> Eventually figured out that the wiring for the headlights goes to 
> ground THROUGH 
> the right side headlight.  The right side headlight has a black wire 
> that runs 
> to a single ground terminal, right above the heater area, on the 
> right side of 
> the firewall.  There should be like three or four wires attached to 
> the same 
> screw.  Unscrew it, take them all off, wire brush the body contact, 
> the screw 
> post, and the metal crimp terminals attached to each wire, then put 
> them all 
> back on and screw the nut back on securely.
> 
> I'll bet they'll work fine, and that it's just a matter of a bit of 
> corrosion on 
> a 40 year old post & nut assembly -- no fault of the shop (unless 
> they removed 
> the wires and painted the area and so interrupted ground; or just 
> didn't screw 
> the post nut back on tight enough.
> 
> By the way, AMC wired the parking lights to go off when the 
> headlights were on.  
> I never did like that arrangement, but that's the way they're made.  
> You might 
> want to turn on parking lights only and see if they work by 
> themselves.
> 
> 
> >- chilton's AMC book shows the headlights on a circuit
> >breaker.  assuming that resets itself if there was a problem?
> 
> 
> The circuit breaker is, as I recall, inside the headlight switch 
> itself.  If it 
> overloads it will shut off.  I forget if it automatically resets or 
> if the act 
> of turning the headlights off and then on again resets it.
> 
> I think it's a GM unit -- not that it matters.
> 
> -- Marc
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:15:08 -0700 (PDT)
> From: C The <kwtheaker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: Marc Montoni <Freedom@xxxxxxxx>, amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>  
> > 
> You're on the right track.  I just traced out the exact same problem 
> on my 68 
> AMX.
> 
> My test light attached to ground indicated I had power through the 
> light switch 
> and through the dimmer switch, as well as power at the headlights, 
> but they 
> still weren't lit.  Realized the test light had a good ground, the 
> headlights 
> did not.
> 
> Eventually figured out that the wiring for the headlights goes to 
> ground THROUGH 
> 
> the right side headlight.  The right side headlight has a black wire 
> that runs 
> to a single ground terminal, right above the heater area, on the 
> right side of 
> the firewall.  There should be like three or four wires attached to 
> the same 
> screw.  Unscrew it, take them all off, wire brush the body contact, 
> the screw 
> post, and the metal crimp terminals attached to each wire, then put 
> them all 
> back on and screw the nut back on securely.
> 
> I'll bet they'll work fine, and that it's just a matter of a bit of 
> corrosion on 
> 
> a 40 year old post & nut assembly -- no fault of the shop (unless 
> they removed 
> the wires and painted the area and so interrupted ground; or just 
> didn't screw 
> the post nut back on tight enough.
> 
> By the way, AMC wired the parking lights to go off when the 
> headlights were on.  
> 
> I never did like that arrangement, but that's the way they're made.  
> You might 
> want to turn on parking lights only and see if they work by 
> themselves.
> 
> 
> >- chilton's AMC book shows the headlights on a circuit
> >breaker.  assuming that resets itself if there was a problem?
> 
> 
> The circuit breaker is, as I recall, inside the headlight switch 
> itself.  If it 
> overloads it will shut off.  I forget if it automatically resets or 
> if the act 
> of turning the headlights off and then on again resets it.
> 
> I think it's a GM unit -- not that it matters.
> 
> -- Marc
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