Dim headlight....

[justaZcarguy]

Anyon ever had one dim headlight? My passenger side one is about 25% of what it should be...Bright and regular....

Suggestions?

Thanks!:classic:

[AxtellZ]

my 73 had a very dim driver's side lamp. I spent about 4 hours removing the assembly from behind, going through 25 yrs of crud, and came up with nothing! I then messed with the fuses, and found that one partially contacted:stupid: :mad: Replaced that fuse, and it was better.

So i spent 4 hours & 5 minutes on a 5 minute problem!! Live & learn, at least we spent some quality time together!!

Try switching the fuses & see if the problem moves with the fuse, otherwise look for a partially dirty/corroded ground wire. Good luck, Jeremiah

[justaZcarguy]

Yep it was a cruded fuse connection...

I actually found the problem by using a test light and found the bad connection, replaced the fuse and holy cow a bright light... why this does not affect both lights is beyond me. It's fixed now so I'm not gonna push my luck!!

Which by the way, taking the top of the mikunis off and cleaning the passageways and tightening the jets made a WORLD of difference...

Holy shi*, the car freakin flys now...

~Brian

[ZmeFly]

here it is

http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/relays/

[zachb55]

i do believe that there is a fuse for each light, dont ask me why but there is. i had a dim passenger light and so i switched the fuses around and nothing changed, then i took out both assemblies and cleaned them up real nice and switched the bulbs, re-installed and presto, i had two bright lights...

-Zach

[EScanlon]

I hope this doesn't come off as too arrogant, but this is one of the BASIC things you MUST do with your Z.

Remove the fuses, don't just visually check them, using some steel wool or a fiber glass contact cleaner clean the contacts. If possible replace the fuses or at least do a complete continuity check AND a physical integrity check i.e. twist the ends and make sure they don't fall off.

This is the source of so many problems on the Z that it isn't funny. Dim Headlights, instrument lights not working, erratic performance, etc etc.

Good Luck.

By the way Brian, I'm only a few days away from having the Z back on the road.

[LadyZ]

I (my 73) too suffer from the dim head light curse, along with slow wipers, dim dash lights, etc. My boyfriend has cleaned the ground, the harness for each headlight, as well as replacing all of the fuses. There are no obvious groud faults. Next up is the ignition switch. Still, the headlights barely function. It is not a simple matter of dim factory headlights, the driver's side is only barely on. Other than fuses, the only weak link we can think of is the voltage regulator. The alternator is fairly new. Where is all of my juice going??!!

[EScanlon]

Instead of the ignition switch, you might check the combination switch on the steering column.

As far as slow wipers, they may need removing and cleaning on the arms.

There are several articles on this board, do a search through the various forums and you will find tons of info to check into .

2¢

[justaZcarguy]

Hello Lady Z,

i just went thru this, with the voltage regulator quest that I was on. Everything that you listed points to the fact that your alternator is not charging the system. With my problem, the voltage regulator was out and not telling the alternator to come alive and charge the system. The charging amount should be around 14.7 volts at the posts. In the event that your alternator is not charging the system has to rely on what is left in the battery.

Simple test time. Start the Z, pull off the positive cable on the battery with the engine running. If the engine dies the alternator is NOT charging the system. Voltage regulator tells the alternator when to charge. I have a way for you to "field test " the alternator while the engine is running but you will need to contact me to go thru this, I do not have the skematic in front of me, and the Z is in the garage, I have not found a way to get it into the living room...

But I'm trying.

I can guide you or the boyfriend thru it, it's not hard, you will need a voltage meter tho...

Feel free to contact me at 503.357.9776.

This is a good test, I have put alternators out of the box on the car that were no good.

Your symptoms represent a no charge on the system tho....

Good luck,

~Brian

[Daniel]

Yes the headlights are on seperate circuits and fuses.Imagine driving fast down a dark road and having a headlight go bad and pop a fuse.If both were on one fuse .Both lights would go out.NOT GOOD!! Two fuses are great!! Have your boyfriend check voltage between the battery-neg POST and the location where it connects to the car.It should be zero.If not the connection is poor.Check the - and + on the battery.If more than 12.5 the system is charging (book reference)Myself I like around 14.V Daniel

[Marty Rogan]

I too had the one dim headlight syndrome. The cure may be even simpler than others suggested. First off, I would instll a brand new fuse. But, before you install the new fuse, pinch the mounting contacts toward each other. They get loose over the years. I pinched my contacts together and the problem went right away! So, I did that with each fuse holder, and have had no problems since.

Marty

[mdolby]

Had the same problem of a dim headlight on my '72. After trial and error I tracked it down to the fuse / fuse box. I ended up replacing the entire fuse box since getting a good contact was hard. The replacement was fairly easy once the center console was out. The fuse box is (or at least was several years ago) pretty cheap.

Mark