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No Lights Help!!!

G Guest
Since I have owned my Pantera I have only driven it once at night that
was enough to tell me that there was a problem with the headlights. On
low beam they were dim and only one headlight switched to high beam.
Yesterday I thought that I would investigate this problem. With the
headlights up I switched from high to low beam several time, still only
one high beam but the low beams became brighter. I then switched from
low to high and back to low and they were dim again. It was at this
point I realized that my dash lights were not working. I checked the
fuses, #3 had blown, I took a spare fuse from the glove box and replaced
the blown fuse..... Now the bad bit.... I tried the lights, they failed
to pop up..then I noticed that the fuse I had replaced was glowing red
and smoke was coming from the dash..not good. I switched off the
ignition..still smoking, switched the headlight switch to off and it
stopped smoking. I replaced the fuse with the correct amp fuse. Now the
headlights will not pop up, sidelights and taillights are not working
the fuse in #3 is still good. Turn singles and brake lights are still
working. Any ideas as to what may have happened. The car is 1971 euro car.
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marlinjackmarlinjackThe Machinist #5723 AMARGOSA MACHINE 'Running on Empty- Middle of Nowhere'
MARK, THIS SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE "CLASSIC" HOT WIRE CHAFING AND SHORTING TO GROUND! HENSE ALL THE SMOKE, DIM THEN BRIGHT LIGHTS, AND THE GLOWING FUSE. THAT'S A FIRST, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF A FUSE HOLDING ON, AND GLOWING, NOT BLOWING, BEFORE. YOUR GOING TO HAVE TO HUNT DOWN THE SHORT UNDER THE DASH. I WOULD START AT THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WITH A 12V BUZZER IN SERIES WITH EACH "ACTIVE" WIRE,(BECAUSE YOU CAN HEAR IT FROM UNDER THE DASH) AND THEN START JIGGLING THE WIRE BUNDLES ONE AT A TIME, SINCE THE PARKING LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING, START THERE. WHEN THE BUZZER SOUNDS OFF, YOU'VE FOUND YOUR SHORT. GOOD-LUCK, MARLIN.

[This message has been edited by MARLIN JACK (edited 05-30-2002).]
marlinjackmarlinjackThe Machinist #5723 AMARGOSA MACHINE 'Running on Empty- Middle of Nowhere'
I AGREE WITH JAMI! FIRST OFF THE SWITCH ITSELF HAS MORE THAN LIKELY, MELTED INSIDE CAUSING ANY KIND OF CURRENT DISTRIBUTION. IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING INVESTIGATION, I WOULD REMOVE ALL WIRES FROM THE SWITCH (DRAW A DIAGRAM FIRST) AND THEN TEST EACH WIRE INDIPENDENT OF THE SWITCH. AS A MATTER OF FACT I WAS JUST THIS WEEK PUTTING A VOLT/OHM METER ON MY HEADLIGHT SWITCH CHECKING IT FOR CONTINUITY AND EVERY THING WAS INTERMITENT AT THE VERY BEST. I REPLACED IT A WHILE BACK WITH THE LOWEST UNUSED/SPARE? SWITCH ON THE CENTER CONSOLE, AND IT HAS WORKED FOR ME PERFECT EVER SINCE! GOOD-LUCK WITH IT, MARLIN.
bosswrenchbosswrenchMember
You have several potential problems: first, each headlight is on a separate fuse. Second, the headlight switch is a known weak spot, as is the bright/dim switch on the steering column and the central ground stud behind the tach. Finally, the headlight erection mechanism has been known to malfunction for both mechanical & electrical reasons. Get yourself a VOM and a circuit diagram (note there are four different versions, none of which will be totally correct for your machine), and start tracing out the wiring from the fuse box to each device until you find a problem; there is no easier way. If you take the car to a specialist, thats what he will do- at $65/hr, and he'll likely ask to borrow your wiring diagram. Depending on where you live, if there are no Pantera shops around, a Jaguar specialist may be your best bet; most of our Lucas wiring was modified from the late '60s XKE.
J Jami (Guest)
Your wiring is damaged. Look for places where wiring has some freeplay (room to move around in driving). There might be exposed wirecores that can now contact each other - look carefylly! hard to spot. Also check/clean groun spots. Has the car been worked? check those areas too, hot welding debris and drilling may have damaged insulation of the wires (broblems do not necessarily occur immediately after work). again, good luck!
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