Other than a poor block to chassis ground (which I don't believe this car has), does anyone know what would cause headlights and dash lights to pulsate while the engine is on? They don't pulsate while the engine is off. The battery, alternator, and regulator are all new. The alternator is a 55 amp unit. I've been thinking about wiring in a relay for the headlights. I suppose it might cure any old-car wiring woes.
Had the same problem Hi Brad, I Had the same problem with a externally regulated alternator, I had replaced the regulator because the old one went bad. After replacement the lights pulsed when the car was running, Checked the alternator and wiring couldn't find anything wrong. Finally I got a new regulator and that solved the problem, must have been some kind of problem with the the regulator I had picked up. o No: Hope this helps. Take care
Grounding!!! You can fix more crap on these cars just by cleaning the grounds then you can believe. Grab a emery board or sheet of sandpaper and crawl under the dash. Follow the brake pedal up it's assembly. On there you'll find a black wire of descent size that's the main ground for the dash. Undo the bolt and clean the connector and metal where it bolts to. I'll betcha that fixes your dash and interior light problem. For the headlights, there's two ground wires (one common for each set of lights), find it and do the same process. That hopefully will fix that as well. If nothing works, your not out any money, and if it does work, you've saved the 20$ for a new regulator which may or may not have worked. I had to replace my alternater when it blew, and at the same time also did the regulator. Neither fixed this problem on my car. Cleaning the grounds sure did when I installed the stereo. hth
I would also check the pigtail that plugs into the regulator. They are prone to corrosion. Try giving it a firm wiggle while the car is running and see if it stops pulsating. I had this happen long ago and cleaned my grounds and fixed my pigtail....it took care of it. Goodluck Mike
