Hey Folks:
Side lights work, headlights are on... but will not pop up.
Also horn does not work?
Any easy starting points to investigate? Thoughts?
Cheers JC71
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My guess is that your headlight switch is mushy and not getting current to headlight motors. I had this happen all last weekend, and found that the switch could be manipulated on occasion to open the lights. I'm ordering a new switch.
Could be the microswitches. Do they attempt to move at all? As for the horn, disconnect the power to the horns, press the horn button and see if your getting power to the horns. bad ground may also be the problem. Wiring diagrams are available at the Pantera Place website.
When my lights don't initially want to raise, in my case it's always that my headlight relay (the big rectangular clear one) is sticking and needs a "bump". Having rewired with Painless, we don't run everything through that relay that once did, but we still use it at least for lift motor. I can just tap it if the next little bump in the road doesn't do it.
Re: horn, just to be clear, you've had it working before, right? Reason I ask is on my early car, the horn button is built into the turn signal stalk, which you push in from the end, toward the steering column to blow the horn. Back when I still had to pass inspection, the inspectors would tell me my horn didn't work because the horn button in the steering wheel did nothing, but that was never my horn button. Obviously, also make sure you've checked fuses.
Re: horn, just to be clear, you've had it working before, right? Reason I ask is on my early car, the horn button is built into the turn signal stalk, which you push in from the end, toward the steering column to blow the horn. Back when I still had to pass inspection, the inspectors would tell me my horn didn't work because the horn button in the steering wheel did nothing, but that was never my horn button. Obviously, also make sure you've checked fuses.
Hey Guys:
Its a 71. So horn on stick, when press nothing happens. It used to work.
Lights dropped when driving a few weeks back... and at night. Just suddenly dropped. Would pop back up when turn on/then off with switch... then got stuck up. So cranked them down manually. But now, nada. No up or down.
I have a spare new switch so will try that, first. Can you guys let me know what the correct wiring is? I ask as the car over the years has been messed with... various random cables/wires. Some seem to do nothing.
As for microswitch... I assumed that would just limit the motor power. To set up and down and turn on and off motor. How would that cause a problem?
And then relay? Those are cheap, so will replace. Are there any mods here? Or just stick with a direct replacement? Assume I can get that at a autozone?
As for horn... the turn signal works and the switch cluster seems in good condition. And I think I can hear a relay trigger when pressing the horn.. but no sound.
Then lastly... sometimes the turn signal stays on... for as long as the switch is up or down... but other times... it just stops flashing, but then the switch is on.
thoughts?
I have to admit... anything electrical is a pain in the butt... So prior to trying to fix the mystery of a 40yr old and partially messed up wiring loom... I was looking for any and ALL starting points.
Cheers JC71
Its a 71. So horn on stick, when press nothing happens. It used to work.
Lights dropped when driving a few weeks back... and at night. Just suddenly dropped. Would pop back up when turn on/then off with switch... then got stuck up. So cranked them down manually. But now, nada. No up or down.
I have a spare new switch so will try that, first. Can you guys let me know what the correct wiring is? I ask as the car over the years has been messed with... various random cables/wires. Some seem to do nothing.
As for microswitch... I assumed that would just limit the motor power. To set up and down and turn on and off motor. How would that cause a problem?
And then relay? Those are cheap, so will replace. Are there any mods here? Or just stick with a direct replacement? Assume I can get that at a autozone?
As for horn... the turn signal works and the switch cluster seems in good condition. And I think I can hear a relay trigger when pressing the horn.. but no sound.
Then lastly... sometimes the turn signal stays on... for as long as the switch is up or down... but other times... it just stops flashing, but then the switch is on.
thoughts?
I have to admit... anything electrical is a pain in the butt... So prior to trying to fix the mystery of a 40yr old and partially messed up wiring loom... I was looking for any and ALL starting points.
Cheers JC71
Sounds like the turn signal switch needs rebuilt. There is an ace repair guy - SoBill - who does repair. The headlight problem sounds like a gear issue. Do you know if the original plastic gear has been replaced. The microswitches turn on/off power when the buckets reach the limits of their travel.
If there's any problem with either of the micro switches the lights will not open or close. I'd try that first. They're easy to clean, rebuild or replace.
If you were truly hearing the horn relay, your horn switch doesn't sound like the issue there. At that point more likely to be the horn or the ground at the horn, or a short in between the relay & the horn. The intermittent turn signals could also be the flasher relay, not the switch, especially if the turn signals at that point stay on just don't flash.
As for headlight relay, it's a big, about 8-terminal Bosch or Osram transparent cover relay that is indeed expensive and you'd never source from a usual parts store. Hopefully some of those cheaper alternatives will be the culprit!
As for headlight relay, it's a big, about 8-terminal Bosch or Osram transparent cover relay that is indeed expensive and you'd never source from a usual parts store. Hopefully some of those cheaper alternatives will be the culprit!
Jack,
The red wire on the headlight switch controls the headlight door relay. Disconnect the red wire from the headlight switch and touch it to the pink wire on the headlight switch (key should be on). If the headlight doors don't raise, listen for a click at the relay. If the relay clicks as you touch the red wire to the pink wire, then the relay coil is working and the contacts are moving. Then the path becomes the relay contacts (not repairable), micro switches, headlight door motor (or broken plastic gear), and wiring. Make sure that the pink wire on the headlight switch has power before starting.
John
The red wire on the headlight switch controls the headlight door relay. Disconnect the red wire from the headlight switch and touch it to the pink wire on the headlight switch (key should be on). If the headlight doors don't raise, listen for a click at the relay. If the relay clicks as you touch the red wire to the pink wire, then the relay coil is working and the contacts are moving. Then the path becomes the relay contacts (not repairable), micro switches, headlight door motor (or broken plastic gear), and wiring. Make sure that the pink wire on the headlight switch has power before starting.
John
quote:As for headlight relay, it's a big, about 8-terminal
Actually, the headlight relay has eleven pins. The three center pins are not used and they have no connections inside the cover.
The only thing special about this relay is that the mounting tab is part of the relay's base. The relay itself is a double pole, double throw (DPDT, ON/ON) type relay with a 12 volt DC coil. I put together one for a friend's car using an off-the-shelf relay and fabricating a simple bracket from a piece of L-metal, all for under $20.
There is one variation on the relay. The relay for the late cars ('74) has an internal connection inside the relay cover for the ground. This is also a simple modification.
John