That does look like a nice piece of hardware.
Presently though, since I spent more on the car than I had factored in, plus the fact that I have more time than money right now, I'll continue to try and get things working with what I have.
I'm disabled for a while. I just had open heart surgery a few months ago, so I have to be careful on my spending for a while.
I think if you are trouble shooting problems staying the course is definitely the best course.
OK, checking with my multimeter, at the plug (2-wire,ground and hot) I get 11 volts from one pin to ground, and I get .17 volts to the other pin to ground.
Ohms-wise, the ground wire gives me 2.94 kilaohms.
The hot wire to ground gives me 5.23 kilaohms.
This is pointing to a bad ground to me, the ground pin on the plug-to-ground should read zero, correct? It also should not read any voltage, and as it sits now it gives off .17 volts.
Roger had designed and built and installed a very cool relay panel, that relieved the ignition switch of all the high-draw items, so they all got switched by heavy duty relays that were more appropriate for the loads.
Trying to trace the wires from the bad headlight up to the relay, it does look like the hot wire gets voltage, but with the lights ON, the ground wire gives .17 volts (it should read zero volts correct?).
With the lights off, both plug pins-to-ground read zero ohms.
So my guess is bad ground, somewhere. If it's the relay, that's a sealed unit, and will require some serious undoing of stuff.
I'm wondering if I can't just cut the ground wire a couple inches back from the plug, and run a ground wire directly to the chassis.
This should give me my already-proven voltage to the hot pin, and a direct ground to the ground pin on the plug. Basically just cut the offending ground wire out of the loop.
What I don't know is if that it is safe to do with the old (now cut) ground wire showing some very low voltage (although that wire now would not be hooked up to anything, just taped over).
I'm going to try jumping the hot wire to one pin on the light, and another wire directly to the chassis to see if I can at least get he light to light up.
Ohms-wise, the ground wire gives me 2.94 kilaohms.
The hot wire to ground gives me 5.23 kilaohms.
This is pointing to a bad ground to me, the ground pin on the plug-to-ground should read zero, correct? It also should not read any voltage, and as it sits now it gives off .17 volts.
Roger had designed and built and installed a very cool relay panel, that relieved the ignition switch of all the high-draw items, so they all got switched by heavy duty relays that were more appropriate for the loads.
Trying to trace the wires from the bad headlight up to the relay, it does look like the hot wire gets voltage, but with the lights ON, the ground wire gives .17 volts (it should read zero volts correct?).
With the lights off, both plug pins-to-ground read zero ohms.
So my guess is bad ground, somewhere. If it's the relay, that's a sealed unit, and will require some serious undoing of stuff.
I'm wondering if I can't just cut the ground wire a couple inches back from the plug, and run a ground wire directly to the chassis.
This should give me my already-proven voltage to the hot pin, and a direct ground to the ground pin on the plug. Basically just cut the offending ground wire out of the loop.
What I don't know is if that it is safe to do with the old (now cut) ground wire showing some very low voltage (although that wire now would not be hooked up to anything, just taped over).
I'm going to try jumping the hot wire to one pin on the light, and another wire directly to the chassis to see if I can at least get he light to light up.
Mike I am not sure what 2 wire plug you are checking. Is this the plug that you get to from under the wing (fender) going to the headlamp? This should be a 3 wire plug, ground, low and high beam.
Yes, I know the plug should be a 3 pin plug. Roger has modified the headlights to run some small rectangle (Camaro low beam or back-up lights I think) Single element lights.
This was set up so the blinker switch was just always left on the "low beam" position, flipping to high beams simply turned the lights off.
Roger told me to "just use the high beam wire, and switch the blinker toggle to "high beams", done deal.
The problem is, as I'm on the phone with Roger, he's telling me to switch one of the wires on the 3 pin plug (high beam wire) and as he's telling me this, I'm holding a TWO PIN plug in my hands, and there is no 3rd high beam wire to use.
The light is also just a single element light, so just 2 wires I'm working with here.
Roger suggested I remove the front wheel, and then I'd be able to easily follow the loom all the way from end-to-end, so that's my next move.
This was set up so the blinker switch was just always left on the "low beam" position, flipping to high beams simply turned the lights off.
Roger told me to "just use the high beam wire, and switch the blinker toggle to "high beams", done deal.
The problem is, as I'm on the phone with Roger, he's telling me to switch one of the wires on the 3 pin plug (high beam wire) and as he's telling me this, I'm holding a TWO PIN plug in my hands, and there is no 3rd high beam wire to use.
The light is also just a single element light, so just 2 wires I'm working with here.
Roger suggested I remove the front wheel, and then I'd be able to easily follow the loom all the way from end-to-end, so that's my next move.
quote:Originally posted by bdud:
Mike I am not sure what 2 wire plug you are checking. Is this the plug that you get to from under the wing (fender) going to the headlamp? This should be a 3 wire plug, ground, low and high beam.
SUCCESS!!!!!!
It took me ALL day, troubleshooting the weird voltages and ohm readings I was getting from the passenger headlight.
The car had a modified lighting system, using old Camaro low beams or back-up lights, small and rectangle, single element-so no high beams.
That's fine and dandy, except the passenger headlight I just could not get to work. I was getting weird voltages and ohm readings, nothing I tried was working.
The headlight plugs were TWO pin plugs, no third "high beam light wire (that I gladly would have swapped over to to get both lights working, no 3 pin plugs, single element lights as well, so 2 wires, that's it.
The car has had a custom relay system designed and installed by Roger that relieves the ignition of all the high-draw duties, much better than the stock wiring setup.
Today though, I gave up, and I simply jumped my two headlight wires over to the non-working headlight, made it all tidy so you can't even tell anything was changed (I still have to black tape the open bad headlight wires so they aren't open to the elements, BUT,,,,,
I HAVE 2 HEADLIGHTS glowing brightly on my car!
Checklist;
Headlights-check
Taillights-check
Brakelights-check
Blinkers-check
Interior gauge illumination lamps all seem to light up, although the original gauges have konked out intermittently-still monitoring that situation. They've stopped working for a few minutes a couple times.
Second bank of new gauges all work perfectly, no issues there.
Tachometer has a mind of it's own. It's moody. sometimes it works, sometimes not.
I probably won't spend too much energy working on the tach.
Next week Snow White gets up on the lift, all her fluids changed, things are coming along nicely.
It took me ALL day, troubleshooting the weird voltages and ohm readings I was getting from the passenger headlight.
The car had a modified lighting system, using old Camaro low beams or back-up lights, small and rectangle, single element-so no high beams.
That's fine and dandy, except the passenger headlight I just could not get to work. I was getting weird voltages and ohm readings, nothing I tried was working.
The headlight plugs were TWO pin plugs, no third "high beam light wire (that I gladly would have swapped over to to get both lights working, no 3 pin plugs, single element lights as well, so 2 wires, that's it.
The car has had a custom relay system designed and installed by Roger that relieves the ignition of all the high-draw duties, much better than the stock wiring setup.
Today though, I gave up, and I simply jumped my two headlight wires over to the non-working headlight, made it all tidy so you can't even tell anything was changed (I still have to black tape the open bad headlight wires so they aren't open to the elements, BUT,,,,,
I HAVE 2 HEADLIGHTS glowing brightly on my car!
Checklist;
Headlights-check
Taillights-check
Brakelights-check
Blinkers-check
Interior gauge illumination lamps all seem to light up, although the original gauges have konked out intermittently-still monitoring that situation. They've stopped working for a few minutes a couple times.
Second bank of new gauges all work perfectly, no issues there.
Tachometer has a mind of it's own. It's moody. sometimes it works, sometimes not.
I probably won't spend too much energy working on the tach.
Next week Snow White gets up on the lift, all her fluids changed, things are coming along nicely.
Great to hear Snow White has "seen the light".
Reading 0.17V / 2.94k ohms on the ground wire is not correct, should be 0V / 0 ohms, you can compare it with the other side. The relays should not be switching the ground, it is most likely a bad ground. You can never have too many grounds and on most Pantera's you have the main ground under the dash and one at the back for the rear lamps. Hopefully you have more grounds added with your relay kit. If you want to add a ground into the front area and not drill any holes etc, use the mounting studs for the engine radiator fan relays. Link a black wire into the main wiring loom inside the right front fender and join it up to any of the black wires you see in there.
As you have a single element headlamp, I would wire the low beam, high beam and headlamp flasher to illuminate the same single element. Not sure how strict the police are in your area or what your states inspections are, but it will at least bring a light on in all situations.
Reading 0.17V / 2.94k ohms on the ground wire is not correct, should be 0V / 0 ohms, you can compare it with the other side. The relays should not be switching the ground, it is most likely a bad ground. You can never have too many grounds and on most Pantera's you have the main ground under the dash and one at the back for the rear lamps. Hopefully you have more grounds added with your relay kit. If you want to add a ground into the front area and not drill any holes etc, use the mounting studs for the engine radiator fan relays. Link a black wire into the main wiring loom inside the right front fender and join it up to any of the black wires you see in there.
As you have a single element headlamp, I would wire the low beam, high beam and headlamp flasher to illuminate the same single element. Not sure how strict the police are in your area or what your states inspections are, but it will at least bring a light on in all situations.
Roger was very thorough in wiring this car up, there's grounds everywhere.
Passenger headlight has to come off one last time though, because I forgot to tape of the ends of the wires I cut.
They're both out of the picture now, but I'd hate for one to wiggle around and touch the chassis and cause an issue.
The saga continues.
Passenger headlight has to come off one last time though, because I forgot to tape of the ends of the wires I cut.
They're both out of the picture now, but I'd hate for one to wiggle around and touch the chassis and cause an issue.
The saga continues.