Done some searches but can't find a hit. Last night while driving home on dark country roads, I flipped on my halogen high beams and the world lit up... for 45 seconds. They flickered on, off, on, off for longer and on for less. When I hit the low beams, they came back on, thankfully! So, I tried it a few more times on a straight stretch or two and it is pretty consistent at 45 seconds. Oddly, it does not do it on high beam at 600RPM idle, when the alternator will let the lights dim down a bit. I replaced the headlight switch about 2 years ago but this is probably the first time I've been out of town at night and able to run the high beams for more than 30 seconds. Ideas? Suggestions?
The halogens are drawing TOO much power. This causes the headlight switch to overheat & the built-in circuit breaker keeps tripping the headlights because of the excessive power draw as the headlight switch was NEVER designed for that kind of amperage draw. You need to install relays.
I didnt think a regular off the shelf halogen would do that. Interesting. I wonder what the actual amperage difference is?
More than an original switch can handle & WAY MORE than a Repro can handle. I just did a '63 Riv. It had a repro switch in it & the headlights would flash on & off on high only, not low. The 1st. thing I noticed was that the headlights were brighter. Removed them & there were absolutely no identifying marks, lettering, etc. on them. More white than the kinda yellowish of original T-3's. Checked the amperage draw which was slightly more than the original T-3's. Thankfully the original switch was in a box included. Took the repro out & took it apart. It didn't have the same quality contacts as the original. The circuit breaker metal was about 1/3rd. the thickness of the original & the force required to pull the metal tang was also about 1/3rd. Took the original apart & noticed these differences. The only thing wrong with the original was the rheostat for the dimmer. So I swapped them out & everything works as intended even though the headlights draw more amperage. I would still do the relay's though because eventually because of the heat generated the switch will melt itself internally because of the additional amperage draw. I don't use CHEAPO RELAY'S. I use, NAPA part #AR200. These are a 60 amp continuous duty relays. Mostly used for power seats, windows & electric door locks. The headlights should NEVER draw 60 amps. It is kinda overkill, but you won't have to worry about what kind of headlights you may install in the future. Just my thoughts on the subject. Tom T.
Had exactly the same problem ion my 63 Wildcat, all standard bits. Highbeam would be fine for a short period the start flickering, low beam was fine. The only piece I had changed at that point was the dimmer switch.
To me, "flickering" would be more like an irregular, rapid dimming or on and off quickly. When a breaker trips,,it is definitely off for a while and you are in the dark until it cools and resets. A turn signal flasher is actually a type of breaker designed for a specific cycle time.
Got a dimmer switch today but haven't wired it in yet. I've owned this car for 35 years. I put the halogens in it 34.99 years ago (as soon as I got it) and it ran fine on high beam for the last 33 years. I replaced the headlight switch 2 years ago when it wouldn't dim the dash or turn on the inside lights. This is the first time in many years I've run the car after dark with high beams on in many years. I'm hoping it works with just the dimmer switch. Something is definitely getting hot and tripping. Once I go back to dim, I'm fine but if I immediately go back to highs, they start in just a few seconds. We shall see. May have an old headlight switch in a spare dash in the attic. My 71 has halogens and I'll give them a try this evening if I get the chance.
Well, that sucks! The dimmer wasn't the issue and a new headlight switch made it to almost 1 minute 15 seconds. That 30 seconds more high beam but not enough to be useful. Anyone got any suggestions? Am I really going to have to source an old one from an old car or put a relay in it?
Put an ammeter inline between headlight terminal on switch and headlights to measure current draw. You might get by with a 30 amp continuous duty relay, won't know till you measure it. Tom uses 60amp but that is probably overkill and may not protect wiring.
I don't understand how something that is relatively so easy is not done more often. There was even a write-up on this board about it. If you install the relay/relays as close to the headlights themselves, as is possible to be unobtrusive, the short run of undersize wire will normally not be affected. Again, just my thoughts.
The relay kit will solve your issues. I had the exact same problem on my 51 panel truck with the 455 Buick in it. Aftermarket headlight switch simply could not handle the amperage of the big 7" halogens out on low or high beams. Relay kit solved the issue. Go here and read this guy's write ups: he's helped my a lot over the years http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/rly-1.shtml <script type="text/javascript" src="safari-extension://com.ebay.safari.myebaymanager-QYHMMGCMJR/96efe73b/background/helpers/prefilterHelper.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="safari-extension://com.ebay.safari.myebaymanager-QYHMMGCMJR/96efe73b/background/helpers/prefilterHelper.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="safari-extension://com.ebay.safari.myebaymanager-QYHMMGCMJR/96efe73b/background/helpers/prefilterHelper.js"></script>
Seems odd that he's had halogens in the car for 33 years with no issues and only recently this problem shows up
When things like this creep into your old cars electrical life it usually comes back to OHMS LAW. Often things are borderline to begin with regarding old connections with corrosion and insulation that is breaking down and you finally hit a point where you start pulling a couple more amps than you were 2 years ago and it pops the fuse/breaker/thermal limit etc. Additionally the alternator may be getting weak and not pumping out the voltage it once was so now the circuit is pulling more amps to get the work done this creates more heat with will pop the above mentioned items as well. New wiring harnesses are expensive and a low grade pain to replace. New Alternator is not very pricey and pretty easy to try but if you've got a volt meter and it's not changed in 5 years then it's probably not the culprit. The relay kit mentioned in previous posts is cheap and not very hateful to try either. You can buy premade harnesses with relays off Ebay for cheap but I've got no idea about their quality. I'm considering upgrading to a set of Ciebe type lens/bulb setups like Brad Connely (SP?) uses and I'm guessing I'll just buy a few small spools of wire and connectors and make my own. That way I KNOW I've got proper if not oversized conductors with soldered connections and good quality relays.
Simple way Ken...Conley. I'm not too bright (pun intended-subject is lighting after all...) so they had to keep the spelling simple for me ;-) . Oh, it's Cibie'. Only source is Daniel Stern here in the US or, if you trust your luck, there are overseas sellers (Great Britain, Australia just to name two). If you decide to go this way, I'll be glad to help you aim them. You just can't throw them in the headlight buckets and drive, they must be aimed properly. Very simple job that should only take 15-30 minutes including the test drive :shock:.
It even has the same halogen headlights I put in it 35 years ago. The headlight switch was replaced a few years back due to the dimmer for the dash screwing up. I tossed it a year ago after tripping over it one too many times. I'm thinking now I could have fixed it with parts from the new one that is less able to handle the load.
Brad, thanx for the offer. I've already traded emails with Mr. Stern. Probably won't get into the project until August. Trying to decide about the relays and wiring harness... To take my chances with one off Ebay, make my own, or pony up for one from him.... decisions decisions.... Also trying to decide about Cibie H4s or Hella BiFocals. Fair amount of money either way considering I don't drive the car at night a whole lot.
I'm thinking I'll give this a try if the seller responds with it working with my headlights. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q3UZVLO?ref_=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t
I think I'll get the harness since it will supposedly make my lights bright at idle where they are now dim below about 1000 RPM.
