Well I've been trying so hard to upgrade things on my car...but with everything breaking as soon as I fix one thing I don't have time for that. I was driving it tonight........and my headlights went out. When I'm driving they blink off and on......and my running lights all blink like once a second, but not all the way off, they just dim and get bright again really fast.
see the light Sounds like the headlight switch is history. And while you're at it, replace the voltage regualor behind the dash gages. Bad grounds are going to be your biggest haedache. especially on a older car. Either rust or loose connectors at the body. Check all wiring for wear and bridle insulation.
i am dreading working on this stuff so bad.......I hate working on electrical. Makes me want to just wire everything directly to a seperate toggle switch, lol.
ok well sense I really don't feel like wasting money on a new switch and all kinds of stuff just to see if it's even the problem (as you can see I hate diagnosing problems) is there a certain wire I can tie into with a toggle switch to turn on the headlights and the running lights? There must be some place were all of the wires meet if they all run off of the headlight switch, so if this would be possible it would save me from ripping apart my newly painted dash and going through the wiring of all the lights one by one. I'm trying to fix up this car and just don't have time to play with little details like lights.
I just noticed that when I traced my headlight wires back into the engine bay they ran into this thing! If I'm not mistaken that is some kind of ignition control module.......so why in the world would the headlights be running into it? Could this be the why my headlights go on and off and why my running lights keep dimming and getting brighter? I've been checking grounds for hours......it has to be something else.
WOW if it aint one thing it's another Is your car haunted or what? kind of like the WINCHESTER HOUSE. You know the maker of the winchester riffles. Well the story goes that she has to keep the house under construction,working on it all the time to keep the spirits away. I think there is like 100 rooms now. Just wondering John
Look I'm doing lots of stuff to my car......but I honestly DO NOT have time to play around with headlights for 14 hours. Now could this ignition control module that the wires are running into be causing the problem?
Replaceing the headlight switch is easier than setting everything up for toggle switches. There are SOOO many wires going to the headlight switch that it would be really hard to wire up something, and to make it function like the switch does would be impossible. If I am not mistaken, other electronics run through the headlight switch as well. Get a new switch and replace it - it will take considerably less time than the toggle idea. Basically, take out the instrument cluster, undo the heater controls and push them out of the way, unscrew the switch and unplug the harness from it. Plug it in to the new one and put it back in. It would take an hour (that it being generous with the time). After a couple times doing it, it would only take about 15-25 mins. Good luck - I say go with the new switch - $20 is much better than spending hours doing toggle switches and likely having an electrical fire destroy the car. The headlight switch is a simple swap - just unplug the old one and put in the new one. No need to do any custom engineering - Ford did that for you.... -Corbin P.S. I can scan the Chilton's instructions about how to do this switch replacement if you are interested... Let me know....
Sure if you could scan that section it would be great. I really hate to spend $20 on a switch and HOPE that that's the cause of the problem.....but I guess I have no choice
It sure sounds like that's the problem. It was really common with these switches to do that - just by how they were designed. My brother's old Ford truck did that too and the switch was the problem. It was, and still is, commonly referred to as "Ford Flashing Headlight Syndrome." Basically the heat from all the voltage going through the switch while the headlights are on causes it to heat up and sometimes the expansion (and sometimes warpage) of the metal contacts in the switch cause it to fail. I'll get that article to you in a little bit. I need to scan it in first. -Corbin
This should help you out... I found it helpful to drop the shifter as far down as possible when you are tilting the instrument cluster down. You'll see what I mean. Also as far as removing the speedo cable - reach under the dash and follow it up with your hand to the back of the cluster - it is tight. Then squeeze the clip like they say - you'll feel where you are supposed to squeeze it. Then undo the two screws holding the top of the cluster on the outside, right above each "pod". Tilt the cluster and unhook the bottom clips - tilt forward and push up on the bottom where it is "hinging". You'll get the feel for it. After that is loose, pull it out a little and angle it so you can get your hand behind and undo the cluster electric plug. Squeeze on the top and bottom of it and pull it away from the cluster. It may sound complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy. Instrument Cluster Removal:
Then remove the heater panel by pulling off the chrome ends on the three levers and then popping off the cover. There are then 3 screws (on the front) holding the control assembly to the metal of the dash, take those out, and push the assembly back into the dash and over to the side where the cluster hole is. Now there is access to the headlight switch. Then follow these instructions. Good luck! -Corbin
any idea if a headlight switch from an early 80s custom van will work? they look pretty much the same from the outside.....and it would be free for me.
