Electrical Gremlins

Frankenstang65 · 11-18-2001, 12:29 AM

So here's the deal.... whenever my car (65 coupe~351W) is running all of my lighting accesories seem pulsate, getting bright and then dim. The battery is new and the alternator looks to be in good shape. I'm thinking that it may be the constant voltage regulator but am not really sure. Also... my instrument panel lights do not turn on when I turn on the headlights/parking lights. All the wires are connected and the bulbs are new. Is there something wrong with the switch that only affects the cluster lights? Could it be a fuse? I am almost finished with a full body and interior restoration on the car and would like to take care of these little annoyances before I get her all back together.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.... Thanks

Gearhead999 · 11-18-2001, 08:00 AM

Check and make sure your ground wire is tight and that you have a ground between the engine and the car frame.

The headlight switch is what feeds the inst. lights. You should be able to check continuity between the switch and cluster. Also, though the IVR.

Do the tail lamps work?? They are connected together to the inst. lamps. You could have a short back there too.

red · 11-18-2001, 10:59 AM

A new headlight switch will probably fix the instrument panel lights problem. The rheostat (sp? - dimmer) that controls the intensity of the instrument panel lights gets corroded after 36 years exposed to the elements inside your car. You can find out if this is the problem by twisting the headlight knob back and forth a bunch of times to knock off some of the corrosion and re-establish electrical contact.

My interior lights pulse to, intensity correlated directly with engine rpm. I guess all cars from the 60's had this problem? Anyone know if the replacement regulators solve this problem? I'm used to it and kinda like it!

-red

Frankenstang65 · 11-19-2001, 12:34 AM

Thanks for the quick response guys. I'll go ahead and replace the headlight switch just to be on the safe side(it looked pretty crusty anyway).

I'll proabably not worry too much about the pulsating lights for now, I too, kinda like 'em and have been asked how I got the "cool effect" a few times.

Thanks for the help...I'll post a picture when she's complete.

Later

11-18-2001, 12:29 AM	#1
Frankenstang65 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 79	Electrical Gremlins So here's the deal.... whenever my car (65 coupe~351W) is running all of my lighting accesories seem pulsate, getting bright and then dim. The battery is new and the alternator looks to be in good shape. I'm thinking that it may be the constant voltage regulator but am not really sure. Also... my instrument panel lights do not turn on when I turn on the headlights/parking lights. All the wires are connected and the bulbs are new. Is there something wrong with the switch that only affects the cluster lights? Could it be a fuse? I am almost finished with a full body and interior restoration on the car and would like to take care of these little annoyances before I get her all back together. Any advice would be very much appreciated.... Thanks

11-18-2001, 08:00 AM	#2
Gearhead999 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 1998 Location: Oviedo, FL Posts: 992	Check and make sure your ground wire is tight and that you have a ground between the engine and the car frame. The headlight switch is what feeds the inst. lights. You should be able to check continuity between the switch and cluster. Also, though the IVR. Do the tail lamps work?? They are connected together to the inst. lamps. You could have a short back there too. __________________ "Support our Troops" Dave 1968 Cougar 2004 Thunderbird 2007 F150 Harley-Davidson, SuperCrew 1986 LTD 1997 Ranger 1992 Honda Civic

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11-18-2001, 10:59 AM	#3
red Registered Member Join Date: Sep 1998 Location: Millburn, NJ Posts: 310	A new headlight switch will probably fix the instrument panel lights problem. The rheostat (sp? - dimmer) that controls the intensity of the instrument panel lights gets corroded after 36 years exposed to the elements inside your car. You can find out if this is the problem by twisting the headlight knob back and forth a bunch of times to knock off some of the corrosion and re-establish electrical contact. My interior lights pulse to, intensity correlated directly with engine rpm. I guess all cars from the 60's had this problem? Anyone know if the replacement regulators solve this problem? I'm used to it and kinda like it! -red

11-19-2001, 12:34 AM	#4
Frankenstang65 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 79	Thanks for the quick response guys. I'll go ahead and replace the headlight switch just to be on the safe side(it looked pretty crusty anyway). I'll proabably not worry too much about the pulsating lights for now, I too, kinda like 'em and have been asked how I got the "cool effect" a few times. Thanks for the help...I'll post a picture when she's complete. Later