headlights

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Sully1190

Sully1190

Look. It's a Gold Duster.
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
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Clinton, MS
The headlights on my 74 duster have suddenly quit. High and low beams. All my other lights work. What would you check first and also what is this part?

http://db.tt/Wth0INBS

We pulled it thinking it was a headlight relay but the parts house doesn't list a valiant as even having a headlight relay.

Thanks guys!
 
Thats a horn relay. They dont have headlight relays in those years. Check your head light switch first. Dimmer switch on the floor second.
 
See if you have power at the high/low dimmer switch. If you do, check for power coming out of the switch. If you have power at the switch but none coming out, its the dimmer switch. If no power at the dimmer switch, check at the output from the headlight switch. Since you have parking lights (right..?) power is getting to the headlight switch. If no power out from the headlight switch, its the headlight switch. the relay in the photo looks like a flasher relay....
 
thanks guys. And yes I do have parking lights. It's just the headlights.
 
Redart gave you a good start. You need to understand that the headlights and the park / tail lamps get power TO the switch FROM two different sources, so it could be "before" the switch and you still might have tail/ park, but no headlights.

Under the dash, right in the black ammeter wire is a factory welded splice. This splice branches off and supplies the ignition switch, the fuse panel hot buss, and the headlight switch "headlights only" power

Then there's an automatic breaker built onto/ into the light switch.

So rare that the harness spice is giving you trouble, but if you do NOT get power right at the dimmer switch, most likely cause is a bad connector at the headlight switch, or bad switch itself.

You know how to release the knob/ shaft if you need to pull it out?

headlight-switch1.jpg
 
Both headlights are grounded by a single black wire at a screw in the radiator/core support behind the grille. Check that too.
 
'Bout time someone posted that picture, 67! It could have saved a LOT of frustration and a bunch of headlight switches!

And RedFish, thanks for the reminder - ya gotta have ground or the little electrons can't find their way home.

ATB

BC
 
64ragtop said:
And RedFish, thanks for the reminder - ya gotta have ground or the little electrons can't find their way home.
Click to expand...

Quite true... We got so tired of having ground issues on my son's Dart that we ran dedicated grounds to all the lighting and electronics. Now all the electrons have a straight highway back to the battery.....:cheers:
 
Thanks guys! It was a bad connection at the dimmer switch. I'd have never thought to check it. I dunno what I'd do without you guys.
 
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