Where did my low beams go??

[roccaas]

Halogen headlamps
LED Tail lights
Cat Eye Driving Lights wired into the COWL circuit off of the spider switch
All Head and Driving lights wired to a common ground at the + terminal of the battery (6V + Ground)
Signal Stat turn signals wired into the Tail and Cowl lights

High Beam works fine, Driving lights work fine, Low Beam DID work fine until last weekend. Horn is fine.

Opened the Spider. Rubber eraser over all of the "cups". Jumper Wire from power to both the Low Beams and Tail Lights turns them on.

Cups seem uniform in depth, and cupping. The tree male points are uniform, clean, not scarred, etc.

When I turn the light switch on the steering wheel I get a positive "click" and the Ammeter jumps negative when moved to both the Cowl and High positions.

The Low position doesn't "click", and no Ammeter jump. Also, no tail lights on Low Beam.

Sort of wallows across that position.

The dimples and pimples on the Spider don't indicate that they are not contacting. Could it be the spring that pushes the whole set of three pimples forward?

I replaced the whole wiring loom, connecting block, and spider switch last year and don't want to do that again.

Planning to wire all of the Head lamps into a Relay to keep the heat and Voltage out of the Spider assembly.

/scratches head and mumbles
/wipes and then throws up hands
/clicks on FORD BARN
/watches College Football until advice starts rolling in

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

Did or do you have high beam at 5 o'clock and low beam at 4 o'clock, OFF at 6 o'clock, and park (cowl and cat's eye driving lights) at 7 o'clock?

And are you now saying that you don't feel a click into the 4 o'clock position? If so, does it feel like the horn rod is flexing too much to make the spider turn all the way to 4 o'clock? Does switching to the low position feel different than it used to?

I like to use the original bakelite switch plates when posible. And I also like some lubricant on the switch plates. I think the repro plates are plastic and more easily deformed by heat.

 

[roccaas]

7-cowl/driving
6-off
5-low
4-high

Probably switched low and high at the buckets since this seems more logical.

I don't get the click going from 6 to 5. All of the dimples and pimples look fine.
Switch stays in place and doesn't twist as I move the switch through it's points.

I'll try some lube.

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

7-cowl/driving
6-off
5-low
4-high

Probably switched low and high at the buckets since this seems more logical.

I don't get the click going from 6 to 5. All of the dimples and pimples look fine.
Switch stays in place and doesn't twist as I move the switch through it's points.

I'll try some lube.

Your switch positions are correct. I mixed up the low and high positions when I asked the question.

Could your low beams be burned out? On second thought I see you have no tail light in the low position, so by that statement I assume you DO have a tail light in the other positions. Sure sounds like a contact plate problem. Are the wires soldered at the switch plate, so you know the problem isn't with the terminal? Look at the low beam contact to be sure it isn't just a bit too recessed.

One more thought, is the contact plate properly seated in the retaining cap, so that it sets parallel to the spider? And, is the retaining cap properly seated to the switch body?

 

[sonny30coupe]

run a test light on the back side of the plate where all the wires come out then trace it from there if you have power there.

 

[pat in Santa Cruz]

is the switch a repro? they often fail as the dimples in the switch are too shallow and the spring is weak. my station wagon did exactly what your car is doing. I replaced the switch with an original, and have had no trouble since.

 

[roccaas]

is the switch a repro? they often fail as the dimples in the switch are too shallow and the spring is weak. my station wagon did exactly what your car is doing. I replaced the switch with an original, and have had no trouble since.

Thanks.

This certainly feels like the problem. I get no sense that the switch bumps are riding in to the low beam dimple. No click, no ammeter twitch. A paradox? It seems that a shallower dimple should mean that even a weak spring would gain you a better chance of a connection than a deep dimple???

Off to the swap meets for a stock replacement. It seems that these two items are not available from the internet vendors as stand alone from the wiring harness.

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

Thanks.

This certainly feels like the problem. I get no sense that the switch bumps are riding in to the low beam dimple. No click, no ammeter twitch. A paradox? It seems that a shallower dimple should mean that even a weak spring would gain you a better chance of a connection than a deep dimple???

Off to the swap meets for a stock replacement. It seems that these two items are not available from the internet vendors as stand alone from the wiring harness.

I see light switches quite often at swap meets, but the last swap meet for the season in MN. was a couple weeks ago. If you don't find one locally, I'm sure Bert's in Denver would have one. Remember there is a shallow cover and a deep cover, depending on the time your A was made.

 

[pat in Santa Cruz]

Thanks.
It seems that a shallower dimple should mean that even a weak spring would gain you a better chance of a connection than a deep dimple???

I am referring to the dimples (or pimples)on the brass switch, not in the plate. The originals are higher, and work better even with repro plates. What you need is the actual metal switch. As mentioned, the bulbs are different. Some repro bulbs fit original tops, but the last one I tried did not fit. Berts should have a switch. If Berts has none, try Dan Bixby on ebay aka phonconn. He sells good parts and stands behind them