Hi all: sorry for the basic question but wanted to check on your all's experience to point me in the right direction. The passenger side headlights on my 66 Fleetwood are dim (dimmer than appear in the picture due to the camera enhancing it). I've checked the bulb connectors and headlamp switch and both are fine. I wanted to see if you all had any other ideas where to look. I think the ground is provided by a terminal on the voltage regulator, per the wiring diagram, if I read that right, and that'll be what I check next. Any input is appreciated.
If everything else is correct, then it could simply be the sealed beam unit itself.
A simple check would be to plug in another unit, and see if that is better.
Bruce. >:D
Thanks, Bruce! I tried the brighter bulb from the driver's side in the passenger side and got the same thing. :-\ interestingly, I found when i sit in the car and hit the lights on and off I can hear a relay (apart from the sentinal unit) clicking in the area above the passenger footwell.
G'day Clark,
Sounds like you have a continuity problem in as much as the voltage is dropping to the light, which could be dirty terminals, bad ground, etc, etc.
Bruce. >:D
Clark,
If you have a voltmeter handy you may need it to check voltages around the prongs.
If you have a bad or lose ground on that side it would also affect the high beams as well. Do the high beams seem to be as low brightness as well?
With the headlights on check the voltage from a good ground source to the headlamp socket and see if you have as close as 12V.
Move the ground from the voltmeter over to the ground at the headlamp socket and see if you get the same reading.
If the reading is lower at that point the ground would be your issue, if your voltage is lower than 12V at either step the problem may be at the wire or the connector which splice them to both left and right side lamps.
Good luck..!
I'd use an ohmeter. Pull the ground cable from the battery and turn on the headlight switch. Ohm the negative side of the headlight connector to the battery ground cable and repeat for the positive side to the battery (+) cable. Look for high resistance. This will tell you which part of the harness to investigate further.
Old wire corrodes and builds resistance, especially at connectors and junctions. Resistance makes heat. In extreme cases could lead to an electrical fire. Definitely don't ignore the issue.
look for a ground somewhere on the rad support area, either a single wire or double wire to single eyelet
Thank you, all! It turned out to be a bad ground at the voltage regulator. When they rebuilt the car many years ago they grounded it to the voltage regulator cover, which is insulated from the base. No way this was going to work. Grounded it correctly and voila! It all works great!