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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 39 headlamp footswitch role

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 39 headlamp footswitch role     parrish 11-07-2010 @ 6:24 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 349 Joined: Oct 2009 I have a new Vintique dash wiring harness (91A-14401D) and headlight (91A-11653B) and the parking lights work (original bucket with bulbs), but the headlights do not (horns work too, which made my day!). As the footswitch is not involved with the parking, but is involved with high/low beam, I suspect it is causing the problem. Does it provide the ground or simply route the positive? ford38v8 11-07-2010 @ 6:32 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2765 Joined: Oct 2009 Parrish, Your buckets go to ground, the dimmer routes the hot wire. Dimmers are notorious for failures. Try wire to wire. If that lights the bulbs, get a new dimmer. Alan 51f1 11-08-2010 @ 1:21 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 I am not familiar w/your vehicle, but some things are universal. If I'm wrong, someone please let us know. The first thing you should do is check to see that the headlights are grounded (assuming that the bulbs are good). One wire at the headlights will be black, which is ground. Check the ground using an ohmmeter. The reading from the headlight ground terminal on the headlight connector to a good ground (the battery ground terminal) should be zero. If it is infinite, the ground is bad. If the ground is bad, fix the problem. If the ground is good, with your headlight switch on, check the voltage to ground at each dimmer switch connection. Two terminals should have voltage. Change the switch position and you should still have voltage at two terminals, but one will be different than before. 1. If you don't get any voltage, your problem will be elsewhere (headlight switch or wiring from the headlight switch to the dimmer switch). 2. In either switch position, if you get voltage at only one terminal, the switch is bad. 3. If the switch is good, the problem is either the headlight ground, which you should have already eliminated, or in the wiring from the dimmer switch to the headlights. Richard supereal 11-08-2010 @ 9:50 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Double check the "bullet" connectors in all the wires to and from the dimmer, and under the hood. These were designed for ease of connection on the assembly line, and are notorious for causing problems. We remove the bullet couplers and solder the wires, and use black heat shrink tubing to cover the joint. They then resemble the original, but contact is assured. As the others have said, the dimmer switch is a weak link, as it is exposed to the weather under the floorboard. Repros often are bad from the start. I operate my headlight relay board with the dimmer switch to reduce the load on the switch and to get bright headlights. This message was edited by supereal on 11-8-10 @ 11:06 AM parrish 11-09-2010 @ 8:49 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 349 Joined: Oct 2009 What a day! I ran wire to wire and checked everything. The floorswitch was no good so it was removed, but I still couldn't get the high/low bulb to light while in the bucket. Checked headlamp wiring harness and bulbs off the car and they were good, so I suspected a ground problem. Then tested off the car with ground from a bucket screw...good. Everything back in bucket...bad. Cleaned reflector at lamp socket...still bad. Checked parking light in bucket...good. Hmmm. Maybe ground is not problem! Even though bulb lights off car maybe something...Eureka! Somehow the bulb base was turned so the contacts were not lining up. Got the base to turn so contacts were lined up and bingo! Lights, camera, action... fsacht 11-09-2010 @ 3:23 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 71 Joined: Oct 2009 Interesting discussion. In the past few days I have replaced the wiring on my 48 Merc. When I tried the lights I had headlights but no instrument lights. Also with switch in park light mode I had nothing. As I moved the switch to off I noticed momentary instrument panel lights. Turned out that the headlight switch was bad so at the detent points I didn't have contact. Switch came with 14401 loom I bought from Mac. Installed original switch and all is well. 51f1 11-10-2010 @ 1:30 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 Made in China no doubt! Richard parrish 11-10-2010 @ 8:14 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 349 Joined: Oct 2009 You know I will throw in a plug for Vintique as a quality company. The wiring harnesses were all top-notch with good firm connectors and a nicely done schematic. I also bought their running board covers which were also excellent quality. Ditto for their bumper arm grommets. I don't know who or where their products are made, but I'm happy to have them... parrish 11-10-2010 @ 8:15 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 349 Joined: Oct 2009 You know I will throw in a plug for Vintique as a quality company. The wiring harnesses were all top-notch with good firm connectors and a nicely done schematic. I also bought their running board covers which were also excellent quality. Ditto for their bumper arm grommets. I don't know who or where their products are made, but I'm happy to have them... 51f1 11-11-2010 @ 5:19 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 My impression of these suppliers (after corresponding w/Dennis Carpenter on quality) is that they don't even look at some of the stuff they ship. You'd think that they'd open a few packages just to see what they are selling. I got headlight buckets that were very poorly made. It turned out they were made in the U.S., but, obviously, no one at the supplier had ever looked at them. Richard This message was edited by 51f1 on 11-11-10 @ 5:20 AM

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