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High Beams - how to wire.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by POLYFRIED 35, Oct 28, 2011.

  1. POLYFRIED 35
    Joined: Sep 1, 2010
    Posts: 886

    POLYFRIED 35
    Member

    SO .... when I got my truck the headlight high beams did not work. I looked at the dimmer and the center pin was broke off and one of the other two pins has two wires going out to the head lights and the other one wire.

    The headlights are on a 35 ford truck but I am not sure if they are original. the connector has 3 wires. On the driver's side the third wire is just hanging ... the same wire on the other side is grounded to the body.

    One question is how do you tell if the bulb is a high beam headlight bulb? The other is how they should be wired?

    NOTE In the drawing the light switch shows 2 tail hookups ... the one on the right should be PARK.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2011
  2. scottlep
    Joined: Sep 1, 2010
    Posts: 109

    scottlep
    Member

    If you are asking how to identify a bulb that has both hi and low beams, it should have three posts/terminals. A bulb that is just a low beam OR just a high beam should only have two terminals.
     
  3. Boryca
    Joined: Jul 18, 2011
    Posts: 709

    Boryca
    Member
    from Detroit

    If you have a schematic that can be blown up, that would be useful. Easier to read that way.

    Otherwise, it's been my experience that if you have a three pin bulb, it should be a high beam bulb. Easy way to check is to jump 6v - assuming you're still on a 6v system - to the bulbs themselves. Keep the polarity positive ground.

    You should have a hot wire going into the dash dimmer switch, then when the headlights are on, the hot should be running to the hi-low switch. If you have power to the hi-low switch, but only one pin with power coming out, then you will only be able to run either hi or low beams.

    If you have power coming out of both pins on the hi-low switch, then it is downstream somewhere, closer to the headlights.

    Hope that will help you troubleshoot a little bit.

    Mike
     
  4. POLYFRIED 35
    Joined: Sep 1, 2010
    Posts: 886

    POLYFRIED 35
    Member

    Sorry I should have stated it has been converted to 12v. the bulbs do have 3 pins. One pin is grounded (one side is just hanging) and the other two run to opposite sides of the dimmer. The light switch is tied in with one of the wires on the dimmer. Sorry the picture was done with VISIO and became blurry when I converted it to a picture format.

    So if I hit the individual wires with power (not the ground) the light will be brighter on one than the other or are two wires hot together to make high?

    Sorry I'm just learning this headlight stuff.
     

  5. 29moonshine
    Joined: Dec 30, 2006
    Posts: 1,341

    29moonshine
    Member

    you should have 3 pins on the dimmer switch .center pin should have a hot wire from the light switch. one of the other pin on the dimmer switch goes the low beam on the lights the other pin goes to the high beam on the light
     
  6. POLYFRIED 35
    Joined: Sep 1, 2010
    Posts: 886

    POLYFRIED 35
    Member


    Thanks ... that's what I needed!
     
  7. POLYFRIED 35
    Joined: Sep 1, 2010
    Posts: 886

    POLYFRIED 35
    Member


    Thanks ... now I know I have the right bulbs.
     
  8. POLYFRIED 35
    Joined: Sep 1, 2010
    Posts: 886

    POLYFRIED 35
    Member


    Thanks Mike this helped as well.


    I think with the information I have been given I will be able to fix this mess .... Now to find out why they bypassed the center pin on the dimmer. And why they have that green wire tied into the orange. Maybe this was just a ground???

    Thanks again HAMB! Now the horn and turn signals! (non existent right now)
     
  9. Boryca
    Joined: Jul 18, 2011
    Posts: 709

    Boryca
    Member
    from Detroit

    Looks like they may have been trying too use the orange wire as a ground. That hi-low switch should just be a rocker switch, so there is no 'off' position, ie, no ground. power in one pin, power out one of the other two. Click it, power out the other pin. Right now they're bypassing the switch altogether and just running the lights as soon as the switch is pulled on the dash.

    At least that's what it looks like from here.

    Mike
     
  10. POLYFRIED 35
    Joined: Sep 1, 2010
    Posts: 886

    POLYFRIED 35
    Member

    Thanks Mike ... yes they have bypassed the switch. The only ground I see is the one wire on the passenger side that is grounded to the body. The other side (drivers) is not hooked up. The head lights work like this but its not right. I just picked up a new dimmer ... we will see how it goes.
     

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