jump the headlight dash switch

the pink wire is the hot wire

the white wire should be the headlamp wire

that leaves the orange wire (possibly red?) to operate the headlamp door motor.

the headlamp door motor is a bi-directioal motor, like the electric window motor, reversing the positive and ground connections drives the motor one way or the other to raise or lower the headlamp doors. This is accomplished with a relay located in the relay compartment.

To operate the headlamp doors, the ignition switch must be in either the accesory or run positions. You can then carefully short the pink wire to the orange wire and observe what happens.

The orange wire energizes the headlamp door relay, the relay pulls in (you should here it click), the electric current to the headlamp door motor passes through the ignition switch, through fuse 10 of the fuse panel, passes through a set of contacts in the headlamp door relay and energizes the motor. The motor's ground passes through one of the two headlamp door limit switches. When the headlamp door is fully raised the limit switch opens the motors ground wire and the motor stops turning. The circuits for the limit switches also pass through contacts in the headlamp door relay on their way to ground.

Do you have a volt meter or an electrical test light?

If shorting the pink wire to the orange wire doesn't raise the headlights, check to see if fuse 10 is energized when the ignition switch is in the accessory or run positions.

Quite often with the Pantera, if something was working and stops working, its either a switch that has failed or a faulty fuse connection. You could give fuse 10 a wiggle & see if that helps.

Mike Dailey's web site, http://www.panteraplace.com/ has a technical section where you shall find a complete set of electrical drawing by Bill Taylor. Mr. Taylor is recognized as our hobby's expert on Pantera wiring. This shall be a good resource for you when troubleshooting electrical gremlins.

George

George

Thanks - I printed the wire diagram - it say's SOBILL on it -

It showes the headlight switch, and the pink wire looks like it comes from the ignition switch (so it must be the hot wire as you stated) to the headlight switch

then the headlight and the headlight door is a white and a red wire connected together, the white wire operates the headlight "light" while the red looks like it powers the headlight doors through the relay -

my guess is the orange wire must power the parking lights -

Oh well here goes - I will go out and short the pink to the white & red combo....... and see what happends....

Well I tried to jump the dash switch -
I get a "click" sound - sounds like it is coming from the relay above the passanger feet...

But I do not get the doors to go up nor do the lights go on - I will call around and look for a new relay tomarrow...

this light thing is getting to be a real pain.......

Its not necessarily the relay, it could be a ground, it could be the fuse, it could be the contacts in the ignition switch. A volt meter or electrical test light would be real handy.

cowboy from hell

I printed out this wiring diagram also.

Since I am tearing this all apart right now I might as well rewire with the 30amp relays as suggested.

The diagram shows wire coming into the relasys and does not refer to the terminal numbers on the relays.

Sorry everyone, but I go through this every time, which terminal NUMBER is the power in, the ground, the power out etc.?

(Yes I do hear voices in my head but I can't make out what they are saying. Pathetic isn't it?)

Doug,

This should help, print it out paste in a prominent place on the wall, never to be forgotten

You da' best!

I'd have it tatooed on but I got no more room.

OK. My new motor is in and it works fine if you hot wire it. So the gear spacing, the transmission, and the limit switches are not at fault.

I have not installed the new relay system yet. One thing at a time. I'm still stock but my 100 wat Hella headlamps are going to make the ignition switch very unhappy. So the relays will go in.

I had the headlamp motor relay clicking away when I turned on the light switch before. Now nothing.

Since all of these shenanagans I have lost response to that relay.
The fuse appears to be fine and unblown but as a matter of course I will replace it. (This is where the new blade fuse box would help. For all I know the fuse is loose to the freakin' I-talian fuse box contact arm gizmos', that one was for you DT). No rubber band on that one.

My first concern here is to get the relay to respond (click). I can also change the plug connectors on the wires to the limit switches.
They don't look too good.

If this doesn't work I may embark on a campaign of drive by Pizza establishment shootings.
I know it won't help but...nah forget about that.

If anyone is interested in my trials and tribulations for forward light, I have the motor up and working.

I do have a problem with it though that I can't seem to fix.

The lights go all the way closed but not all the way open.

They are stopping about 1-1/2" short of full opening. The limiting switch is not causing this because the motor stops before the bumper on the screw touches the lever on the switch.

At first I thought that this was misadjustment of the gear teeth. After spending about 16 hours on adjustment I have given up.

It always stops in the same position opening as if the limiting switch was shutting the motor off at that position.

Is there anyone with a thought on what would cause this?

Doug,
Just a shot it the dark & you may have already checked this but the only other thing that makes sense to me is if maybe one of the wires to your fully-up microswitch is somehow being pinched & shorted with the upward movement of your lights causing them to stop to soon. Seems you've checked about everything else you can & nothing has worked so far. Electrical problems are a real PIA - but I don't need to tell you that do I! Good Luck!!

Doug

your lights went from not working on Jan 31 - talking about replacing the fuse - to working but not going all the way up on Feb 1st ... but no discussion on how they started to work......... was it the fuse? or something else?

thanks I am not so lucky still trying to figure things out