Technical Hot Rod Headlights - wiring a particular set

Similiar to my recent post regarding the Steering Column Turn Signal....any one familar with these headlights? Any idea regarding what color wires are what. Thanks for any help you can provide...

 

I'd say you need to open it up and figure out which wires are attached to which lights.

From the looks of the first picture, you have a turn signal/running light mounted to both the top and the bottom of the headlight which is rather unusual. I'd eliminate one of the signal lights and while doing so, determine which wires are attached to the remaining bulbs. While you are in there you can also determine if the signal light is dual element (meaning both a running light and a turn signal).

 

Brown is usually running lights, side markers, tail lights. Green will be turn signal left, yellow turn signal right, blue headlight low beam and possibly dark blue high beam. White or black ground.

 

I would say the brown, green and light blue are to do with the headlight, simply by the gauge of the wires.
That would make any standard wiring colors void.

Definitely you want to at least pop the headlight bulb out and eyeball those connections.

 

That does not like like the original wires from the lights so it any bodies guess what they connect to. You need to open it up and get the multimeter out.

 

What always helps me is to make a diagram of every wire color and gauge from the fuse box to the component. This will help in the future to trouble shoot.

 

Thanks for the info folks. I will ensure that I make a diagram as I figure out the wires.

 

If you don't want to take stuff apart yet, you can use an Ohm meter to make sure none of the wires are connected to ground...then use 12v battery power to see which lights light up with which wires.

Once you discover they don't really work right, you'll end up taking them all apart anyways

 

Get a multimeter and learn how to use it. Very good at determining what goes where and they don't cost much.

 

Ok, I opened the headlight up and here's what I have:

 

I use a 12 volt battery charger set at 3 amp to verify wires. 3 amps keep you from any unwanted welding

 

how much voltage does the battery charger put out when it's not loaded? I guess that depends on the charger...but it might be quite a bit more than 12 volts? Or none at all, if it's a modern "smart" charger?

Green is high beam, Tan is low beam, Black (on the headlight connector) is ground. On the park and turn lights, look to see if they are single, or double, contact bulbs, and if they have one or two filaments. You'll have to do some testing if they're dual filament, to make sure which is park light (dim) or turn signal (bright). Might be the light on top is park light, and the one on the bottom is turn signal.

 

In your drawing, the headlight plug is upside down. If it were flipped over, looking at it from the rear, or bulb from the rear, The left plug is ground, the top plug is low beam, the right plug is high beam. The other lights you should be able to which is hot and which is grounded

 

I use an old Montgomery Ward charger and set it to 3amps. I think it has a 10 amp 3amp toggle switch

 

I'd like to see a better picture of the park/turn signal located below the headlight. plus any idea of it's origin, I've been looking for something similar, thanks.

 

You need to see what bulb is in the top light. Some are used as turnsignals (20w) and some park light (7w) its the same fitment but different bulb. I use the 20w version for turnsignals. Also some aftermarket ones now use LEDs so check what you have.

 

OK, the main light is a regular old low beam / high beam sealed light. Like most of you pointed out. The lower side light has two black wires but grounds from its base. I think as some may have pointed out, it can be a turn signal or a marker/park light. The top light's light is a small LED that doesn't work....see pictures:

 

Hook a test lead with power and ground up and see what it does !

 

I put 12v to all lights. The headlamp works fine on both high and low.. The littler round light works fine; both wires light the light. The little LED one doesn't work. I have decided to go get a Dorman replacement turn signal light and put in its (the LED) place. I think I can make that work. .
Also VTX1800 I have no idea where that turn signal light came from.

 

So its been hacked a bit. The top light is prone to corrosion of the center bulb terminal so i suspect thats why the led thing has been used rather than repair it.. personaly i would restore the lamp by putting a BA9S bulb holder back where the top led was put in. This will put it back to stock. If the remains of the housing are there you may just need the center contact and spring. The BA9S will let you use the correct bulb, either 5-7w sidelight or 20w turnsignal. The accessory amber light thats bolted to the shell looks like an aftermarket motercycle part.

 

When I run into things like this I just set a car battery next to the lights, and hook up jumper wires to the ground terminal, and positive terminal. Then just touch the jumper to each wire to see what lights up, and then mark it with tape and a black Sharpie.
Once you have all the lamp wires identified, then use a multimeter to test the wiring coming from the dash switches to ID each wire, and you're ready to hook it all up.

 

Thanks Fellas. I am going to do something like 29 Gizmo says to get the top light going. Dorman makes some light sockets that I can modify to get in there.

 

And check this out $6 from AutoZone.....Press fit into existing hole perfectly.....sometimes its little things that make a person happy.