Greg,
Where is your negative meter wire attached when you are measuring the
voltage applied to the headlamp?
Are you using the engine or other body point that is directly connected to
the negative terminal of the battery, or are you using the headlamp
connector end of the ground wire connected to the headlight?
If that ground wire is not making good contact to the body you could easily
see what your volt meter is telling you because the rest of the voltage may
be lost in a poor ground connection between the headlamp ground wire and
wherever it attaches to the body.
Make sure the negative meter wire is connected to a solid ground like the
negative battery post, engine block, or a good body ground. That way you
will be able to see which side of the headlight has your problem. If the
ground wire is not properly grounded you could actually measure voltage on
the ground wire at the headlight connector. That is not a good thing.
Tom
69 2000 - Mr. Hyde
Portland
http://www.acmehomesales.com/datsun
-----Original Message-----
From: gregs672liter@netzero.net [mailto:gregs672liter@netzero.net]
Sent: Sunday, June 06, 2004 11:14 PM
To: datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net
Subject: Dim headlight
Greetings list, I need assistance with a dim passenger side headlight on a
'69 1600. I have cleaned all contacts, checked wiring harness (unwrapped
the tape for a ways looking for burnt wires), cleaned relay etc. Driver's
side lamp is normal. When I check the output for the passenger side, the
volt meter shows 11.15 volts at BOTH hot wires when not connected to the
lamp (I have noticed that sometimes it is much less, like 3 volts, but the
next time I check and it is back to 11+). While holding the volt meter to
the wire and then touching the lamp contacts so it lights up (headlamp
loose, not in it's mount, so it is just wire to lamp), volts drop to 7.60 or
so and lamp is dim. This does not happen when I do this on the driver's
side. If I switch on the high beams, the lamp goes even dimmer. All other
lights work (turn, brakes, side markers, etc.) but the license plate lights
and back up lights are not currently hooked up (in case that makes any
difference). I am using!
the battery as ground for my volt meter, so I do not think it is a ground
problem(?) I hate wiring... suggestions on what is happening? Many many
thanks!
Greg Burrows
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