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Help - flashing high beam headlights in 60
My buddy is having trouble with his 1960. When he turns on the low headlamps, everything is fine. When he turns on the high beams, they work fine for about 5 minutes and then start flashing on and off. Suggestions as to a root cause?
Either the circuit breaker in the headlight switch is weak, or the high beams are drawing more current than they should. It's designed to turn off and reset and then continue until the overload is resolved. If he's changed the headlight switch recently, he probably got an aftermarket one with known weak breakers.
doje,
Yes, it is the headligjt switch cutting out. If your buddy's car is not top flight judging material, the best fix for this is to add the headlamp relays. It is a very easy and correct fix for any vintage car. Plus the headlights will be so much brighter. I have installed them on all of my vintage cars. Several had the same issue with hi-beams flickering on and off. Old wiring, newer high wattage sealed beams, the old wiring just cant take it.
If you're interested in doing this there are several easy to follow videos on line and a couple How To's right here on the C3 forum. It's about a half hour job. I highly recommend this easy upgrade to anyone with a vintage car.
Best, Greg
This is an original 63 switch but shows the component we are talking about
It is very much like a turn signal flasher - making/breaking contact based on heat provided by current through the device. The repro switches are weak in this regard and the "strobing" can take place at lower rates of current flow. The "strobing" is to allow a driver to safely get the car off the road in the dark while still avoiding an overload.
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 12-01-2018 at 06:00 AM.
If your friend installed "super bright flame thrower eye burner xenon or halogen" headlights, they draw too much current, and the thermal breaker in the HL switch is overloaded.
The cure? Install relays, or "downgrade" to more "normal" replacement headlights.
Halogen lights are not that much more of a current draw IIRC, I ran them a long time with the factory switch (I have LED headlights now)...in the 63.
Those repro switches are right on the edge as far as current capacity - I had the strobing issue in my 61 with halogens and a repro switch and finally added relays...
11-30-2018, 07:19 PM
Help - flashing high beam headlights in 60
