Robert,
you are experimenting the classic symptoms of bad headlight ground.
The bolt on the fender that you describe is the ground for the headlights
(nothing else). When this ground is bad, you will get the symptoms of the
high beam indicator being on for low and high beam.
A quick test is to connect a piece of wire from the bolt to a good ground,
the engine block or the negative terminal of the battery. Your lights
will work.
Remove the bolt again and clean it and all pieces involved with a wire
brush. This should fix it.
Ulix
On Wed, 30 Sep 1998, Robert Duquette wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm sure that I am about to embarass myself. I'm confused.
>
> Here's the scenario:
>
> I have just purchased my Sprite at the beginning of July. It later passed
> a 'safety certification' inspection.
>
> Previously, during a daylight hours drive, I turned on the headlights and
> noted that the high beam indicator was not visible. (Lights on; indicator
> did not appear to be lit, regardless of the floor switch setting)
>
> As you know, I just removed and reinstalled the engine to replace the
> clutch. I was unable to detach the temperature gauge sender from the rad,
> so I detached the closest screw to the inner fender to get more distance
> out of the sender wire. After the re-install, the dual gauge for oil/water
> temperature functioned properly.
>
> While taking the car for a test drive, I turned on the lights (so I
> thought) because it was approaching dusk and found the high beam indicator
> to be on (great! I thought). I clicked the dimmer switch and ... voila ...
> it was still on. #;^(> Lucas, I thought. #;^|> When I was driving into
> the garage, I decided to test the dimmer switch and noted that the
> intensity of the beam (hah!) did not change. So I struggled out of the car
> and looked at the lights ... It's remarkable how much light the park
> lights give off with those clear lenses. I flicked the switch on and off a
> few times in hope ... The lights didn't come on, but the high beam
> indicator went on and off between the park and headlight setting. (The
> switch works?)
>
> I walked away thinking that since I had already gone through this with the
> park light before the safety check, that this was more of the same.
>
> So, tonight I had another 5 minutes and grabbed my circuit tester and
> flipped on the headlight switch and went to connect the ground clamp to the
> screw on the inner fender that I had previously removed and reinstalled
> (for the ground connection). I was slightly shocked (pun) to see sparks.
> I did a visual inspection of my other hand to see where the other end of
> the connection was ... and it was solidly connected to air. I connected
> and disconnected the ground end several times and found that if the tester
> clamp touches the temperature gauge sender wire, it will spark;
> otherwise,it will not spark. This sender wire is also connected to the
> same screw that I was going to use for a ground?!?!?!?!
>
> Hmmm, I just realized that I didn't check to see if it would spark with the
> switch turned off !!!
>
> So, I don't know when the headlights stopped working, but they should have
> been working for the safety. (I don't remember ever seeing them work.)
> I'm not sure if the high beam indicator light worked before, but it always
> comes on with the switch now.
>
> Why am I seeing sparks???????
>
> Robert
> '65 Sprite
>
Ulix __/__,__
.......................................................... (_o____o_)....
'67 Sprite
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