Help with headlights!

[daveinc]

There are a lot of little electrical issues on this car, however the one that is dangerous is my headlights only work on high beam. They go dark when I toggle the steering switch to low beam. I can noddle with, and figure out most mechanical things, but electrics are the hardest for me. I have done everything I know how to trace the problem but it has me stumped. I am hoping this is some silly little common Z thing that will embarrass me, but is easily fixed :-). (And yes I checked the fuses.)

Thanks in advance, David

1978 280Z, 5 speed, factory air (not working either)

[wal280z]

There are a lot of little electrical issues on this car, however the one that is dangerous is my headlights only work on high beam. They go dark when I toggle the steering switch to low beam. I can noddle with, and figure out most mechanical things, but electrics are the hardest for me. I have done everything I know how to trace the problem but it has me stumped. I am hoping this is some silly little common Z thing that will embarrass me, but is easily fixed

David-

My '77 has the same problem. I traced it out, disconnecting connectors, checking continuity, etc, and plugged them back in and whala! they worked. Mine is caused from a short somewhere in the harness between the firewall and the fusible link branch. I wiggle the harness and the low beams will re-illuminate. One of the things on my 'to do list', but I don't drive the car in the rain or at night.

Wayne

[mlc240z]

1 stupid thing, are you sure both headlights have a good low beam, not blown? i know it's dumb, but check it first before you chase an electric gremlin.

after you verify good low beam filaments, i'd check the switch. there's a good tech tip here to clean switch and swap the two rocker contacts to restore your switch.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17688

hope this helps.

bart

[TomoHawk]

After that, check the connector under the steering column. Ifyou know which pins to use, you can jumper it to ground to complete the circuit, which is basically what the light switch & dimmer switch do. YOU can test both low and high beams separately that way.

If it's not that, it must be something really strange.

thx

[daveinc]

Thanks Wal280Z, mic240Z, & Tomohawk!

[sblake01]

When I first got my 78 it also had that problem. Luckily I was able to get another assembly from a parts car at my friends shop and it's been fine ever since. But one day, out of curiousity, I took the old one apart, cleaned it up, lubed it here and there (dielectric grease) and plugged it back in and now it works fine.