Headlights Stopped Working?

[blink182house]

Sorry I am always asking such random silly questions; one day I'm going to actually update my thread with all these updates lol!

So my transmission has been out of the last 3 weeks, yesterday I had 2 hours at work to finally slide it back in and get everything fixed back up. Also while the trans was out I removed the heater core cover in the engine bay and replaced my core with a new one. The car has been sitting outside for 3 weeks with the battery disconnected.

So I start it up and get my trans all full and I'm excited and ready to go, and my headlights dont come on! LOL! I have dash lights coming on when I move the switch, can turn switch to right to dim lights and can turn to left and utilize cabin lights. Also tail lights are coming on when I turn on headlights... but no headlights!

Didn't have much time yesterday, I looked and all the fuses look good, and nothing was changed up front as far as the lights or grounds or anything... only thing electrical that was removed during the car's downtime was the starter to drop the trans and the blower motor unplugged and plugged back in...

It must be something silly, but I'm just at a loss and as usual have very minimal time to mess with the car... need to get some headlights though with this darkness at 5pm!

Any insight or suggestions are greatly appreciated, thanks guys and hope your holidays are going well!~

Oh and incase you don't know, its a '66 Calais!

[STDog]

Did you try toggling the dimmer switch?

They do go bad, but maybe it's just got a bit of corrosion on one set of contacts.


Then I'd check the bulb wires. Make sure the connectors are well seated and that the grounds are clean and tight.

Also could be corrosion on the headlight contact in the light switch. Try cycling it on and off a few times.
The head lights are a different set of contacts than the other lights.

Another possibility is the circuit breaker in the switch. That's a little harder to diagnose.

[Geoff]

My first thought was the dimmer switch.
Geoff

[The Tassie Devil (Bruce Reynolds)]

Try testing the individual headlight terminals with a couple of leads from the battery.

If they work, then start tracing the leads rearwards to the switch.

In removing the Trans, Heater Core, etc, your arms and flailing tools could have dislodged a plug, or even cut a wire.

Bruce.

[Cadillac Kid-CLC #15364]

One of the first things I would check would be the headlight ground.  There is a body ground next to the voltage regulator on the passanger side fender well, and another in the wiring harness inside the fender.
With all that seems to have been going on it is possible you broke one of the ground wires.
Greg Surfas

[blink182house]

After a couple hours of tracing, thanks to the FSM and laminated color wiring diagram i purchased recently; I found that I was having bad continuity on the main power going to the headlight switch. Replaced by headlight and dimmer switch, which probably need it regardless, and had no changes. All grounds were good, pulled out the meter and started getting into the dash and after the night ended and started getting too far in the dash, I just simply bypassed the original wire with a new wire from the same power source. Was late for dinner with fiance and pulled the car out of the shop and get everything cleaned up and moved all the other cars back in (i work at an import performance shop, so when the cadi is in it takes half the shop in place of like 3 normal vehicles LOL)... turned the cadi off to use my keys to lock the door, and then had no starter signal on key turn when I got back in the car LOL! Need to crawl back beneath it today and see if my starter solenoid has bad connection on signal wire, they were pretty corroded/old.

But headlight issue has been solved for now, thanks guys for your quick replies!

[The Tassie Devil (Bruce Reynolds)]

Check the NSS to see if you bumped that whilst contorting yourself under the dash.

Bruce.

[blink182house]

NSS? neutral safety switch?

Got a chance to crawl under it yesterday, messed with all the starter wires and let the battery trickle charge all day while i was on some other cars... got in, started right up... ran fine, drove it 25miles north and 40miles back south!

[STDog]

NSS? neutral safety switch?

Yes. the signal from the ignition switch run through it before on the way to the starter.

Got a chance to crawl under it yesterday, messed with all the starter wires
got in, started right up... ran fine, drove it 25miles north and 40miles back south!

Sounds like a loose/corroded wire on the starter then.

After a couple hours of tracing, thanks to the FSM and laminated color wiring diagram i purchased recently; I found that I was having bad continuity on the main power going to the headlight switch.
I just simply bypassed the original wire with a new wire from the same power source.

So you ran a new wire from the switch to the fuse box? Or somewhere else?
(I don't know the '66 wiring that well)

I don't like just running random wires without know in the real problem.
It's fine to get by in a pinch, but you need to figure out the real issue before it becomes a bigger issue.

It could just be a broken wire, or it could be a short in the harness and that could lead to other problems.

[blink182house]

The headlight switch pulls power from the main 12v red lead wire for the fusebox; goes through the 40a main fuse; there is a outlet for power windows in which my car doesnt have so I ran a new wire from the same power source that the headlight switch originally runs from. Yes, I agree I need to locate the issue, but for now this is a solution that in theory is the same as the original wiring.