1937 Headlight switch

[dibarlaw]

Thought I would be posting my fix/solution for my intermitent headlight switch. Instead I seem to have made things worse. I checked the schematic layout and made a diagram of the existing connections since we had the restoration shop install a new wiring harness. They also added turn signals. All done before I removed to dissasemble. I cleaned up contacts and leveled the micarta surface. New path (scratch) of the triangular contact shows contact. I took the photo as refrence in case of a problem. My question is, does any one have a photo or knowledge if the triangular contacts are in the correct positions? I thought this is the way I removed them.

Larry

[DonMicheletti]

Larry,

Here is what the guts of my working headlight switch looked like when i took it apart. Yours looks OK. Perhaps there is a problem with the circuit breaker.

[dibarlaw]

Thanks Don: I thought I made certain that I documented the position of the contacts. The rear parking lights work. The headlight on the drivers side works only with the high beam switch depressed. Now no front parking lights. All brake and rear lights ok and the added on turn signals work on both sides rear. Just passenger side Park/turn signal works with turn signal switch. Drivers side park bulb checks good. The only problem before was the "country position" allowed only the left side head light to be on. Should have left well enough alone.

[DonMicheletti]

Personally, I find the "country"position annoying. I never use it. I have made a spacer that only allows the light knob to come out only as far as the second position, "regular' headlights, so at night I dont have to pull the knob out all the way and then back it in one notch. The spacer is on the knob shaft under the dash.

I have added directional signals too, but have not had your problem. From time to time I do have a ground problem though. Cleaning things up fixes that.

[Guest Jeff_Miller]

Sorry to high jack the thread but exactly how do you remove the headlight switch so that you can refurbish it? Do you just loosen the nut on the inside of the dash and then it swings enough that you can extract the knob and pull mechanism?

[dibarlaw]

Jeff: There is a spring catch that is pushed in to release the knob shaft. Look at pictures I have of the switch body. You will have to feel for it with a finger. Once released, pull out the knob. Then to remove there is a 5/16 hex key hole to put an Allen hex wrench in to remove the securing face nut and washer. Larry

[Guest Jeff_Miller]

It turns out that my early production 1936 headlight switch is slightly different. The hook from the knob goes into a couple of holes but there are no securing screws or nuts. I had to loosen the nut holding the switch to the dash and that allowed enough movement to pull the knob assembly from the switch assembly and then finally remove everything from the car.

[dibarlaw]

Well after re-cleaning the switch and reinstalling it some of the problems went away. I saw that the passenger side head lamp was burned out again! Checking it seems though the bulb base locator fits really tight and did not lock in position properly and made imperfect contact. This causing a higher current draw and another burn out! All lights, park, head, turn, dash, map, clock and brake now work... except... the front left fender parking. Bulb good. Shows voltage to it. Added a jumper wire from the lamp shell to good body ground...and we have light!!! Spent better part of yesterday cleaning threads, wire brushing, and adding star washers etc., to get a good ground on the lamp housings. This has been a steady frustration with the work done by the "pro-restoration shop". Yes I had them install a new wiring harness but I have had to go over every connection and clean the missed corrosion and loose screw connections. And rearrange some misplaced leads. Things may be getting better. Larry

[Bobby Rodd]

Sorry for chiming in so late (2013)...

I have a 1937 model 41 Buick which has a newly installed harness from Harnesses Unlimited and am attempting to put in a vintage turn signal switch .  I have two issues on which I'd appreciate you help.

As for the turn signals, I have ordered a taillight converter (like is used on trailers); anyone have experience with one of those? 

The other issue is that when I pull the light switch to the second position, the headlights work beautifully as do the fender lights.  But when I depress the dimmer switch, the passenger headlight and both fender lights turn off.  Any one encounter this kind of situation?  I would appreciate any and all help.

Bobby Rodd

[Gary W]

Good morning Bobby!

 

I had a very similar thing happen to my headlights as well.  As a matter of fact, it started a whole discussion about the headlight switch as there were a few others that were experiencing the same issue.  I'm sure you know how that switch is supposed to work when you depress the dimmer.  The Guide "Multibeam" headlights have marked lenses for Left and Right.  The "hot spot" of the left lamp illuminates the right side of the road, while the right lamp projects most of its light straight ahead and to the left side of the road. (The beams "cross")

 Between the dash mounted headlight switch and the floor dimmer switch, you can get three separate beams:

 

1. Fully Depressed. (what we would call Low Beam) illuminating the road directly in front of the car, city driving.  The UPPER filaments of both lamps light to create this beam.

2. Upper Beam:  The LOWER filaments of both lights illuminate for high speed country driving (what we would call High Beam).  

.......And then there is

3.  The Asymmetric Passing Beam: In this mode, the LOWER filament of the drivers light and the UPPER filament of the passengers light illuminate.  It is used for straight roads as not to blind the oncoming car.  (** Your headlights look like the driver's light is in what we call a high beam, the passengers light is in a low beam.  But, as the beams cross, this won't blind the oncoming car, while keeping the right side of the road bright for you to see the white line, the edge of the road....)

 

So....

1. When your dash mounted headlamp switch is in position three, "city", the floor mounted dimmer should toggle you between condition 1 and 2 above:  Fully depressed to upper beam.

2. When your dash mounted headlamp switch is in position four, "country", the dimmer switch should toggle you between conditions 2 and 3 above:  Upper to Asymmetric.

 

First, be sure your filaments are lighting, and your bulbs are good.  That both filaments come on when they should.  If the upper filament in your passenger headlight is not working, then the light will go "out" when you depress the floor dimmer.

 

Next, play with your dash mounted switch.  Slightly pull the knob out a little, push it in a little, and see if you simply have "dead spots" or maybe the detents are a little off, preventing the triangles contacts to hit the circuit board contacts just right.  

 

When I completely rewired my car, my lights were doing the same as yours.  My drivers light went out completely when I stepped on the dimmer.  It turns out, that this was a concern with Buick going back to 1933, and they chalked it off to "hasty switch operation by the operator". Apparently there are "dead spots" within the switch that can cause this issue.  So, before you go crazy like I did trying to locate the problem, first please try to easily pull, push your dash knob slightly in or out and see it the condition goes away.  You might just be landing on one of the "dead spots" and the knob is a little off.  Actually, every time I touched my battery cables to the battery, I was getting a spark.  I basically unwired the entire car to ultimately find out that the headlight switch, when in the "off" position, wasn't off at all.  The dash chrome ring was preventing the switch from fully seating!  Drove me crazy!

 

 

From Buick:

 

From the 1937 Dealer Service Bulletin... Headlight fails to light.

 

 

Here's the link to pages 34 and 35 from last year.  (I was getting a spark from the battery connection at the end of page 33)

You will get a lot of information about the headlight switch: (touch the little arrow in the top right corner):

 

 

 

 

I hope this wasn't too long winded, but I had the same issue last year.

Gary

Edited November 3, 2018 by Gary W (see edit history)

[dibarlaw]

Thanks Gary:

 As I had mentioned before my 37 still does the same thing. Driving home from a friends place after dark, a motorcyclist stopped me to say that I had no tail or trunk lights. All Dark! I just moved the Light switch a touch and all was lit up again. Then I had no drivers side fender light. After doing all the usual; checking bulb, voltage, ground etc. It turned out that the connection bayonet plug had slipped out of the connection up under the dash.