Jerry Shuck Posted August 12, 2022 Share Posted August 12, 2022 Chasing gremlins in my headlight wiring. Thought I had everything perfect 25 years ago then a few years ago for some odd reason all four high beams blew out. Low beams and parking lamps continued to work as designed. I have now installed a new light switch, dimmer switch and cleaned up all the grounds and when testing the headlight sockets with a dwell meter all seams in order. Before I install the brand new OPG headlights, does anyone have an idea as to what could have caused the high beams to blow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted August 12, 2022 Share Posted August 12, 2022 A voltage regulator problem could have let the system voltage get too high. Start with a fully charged battery. Start the car, hook a voltmeter to the battery, and run it at a fast idle until everything stabilizes. My guess, at room temp, is about 14.2 volts as the car was probably built. 14.7 volts is more likely if it has ever had the voltage regulator replaced. That is fine, and probably desirable today. If it gets over 15 volts, something is definitely wrong. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted August 13, 2022 Share Posted August 13, 2022 Have you seen these headlight relay harness kits? https://www.ebay.com/itm/124148130601?hash=item1ce7ce2329:g:eggAAOSwHNhej5DM not recommending this one but there are several companies selling them. They take the headlight load off the headlight switch. The kits are plug-n-play except for the need to connect a ground and new 12v source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted August 13, 2022 Share Posted August 13, 2022 If you find high charging voltage (>15 Volts) also check the electrolyte level in the battery and top-off with distilled water if required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted August 13, 2022 Share Posted August 13, 2022 13 hours ago, Gerald Shuck said: Chasing gremlins in my headlight wiring. Thought I had everything perfect 25 years ago then a few years ago for some odd reason all four high beams blew out. Low beams and parking lamps continued to work as designed. I have now installed a new light switch, dimmer switch and cleaned up all the grounds and when testing the headlight sockets with a dwell meter all seams in order. Before I install the brand new OPG headlights, does anyone have an idea as to what could have caused the high beams to blow? Hi voltage spike, ie jump starting as has been mentioned comes to mind first. In my experience as a fleet mechanic for decades I was typically responsible for the daily running repairs on 25 to 50 vehicles. On occasion I would find on a cold rainy/snowy day it was not uncommon for both headlight bulbs to fail. My guess is the cold rain would splash over the warm bulb and create porosity in the glass bulb releasing the gas inside the bulb...but all 4 bulbs at once? Tom Mooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Shuck Posted August 13, 2022 Author Share Posted August 13, 2022 I'll look into the voltage regulator. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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