fine69
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2004
- Messages
- 975
- Location
- Maryland / D.C.
- Corvette
- '69 Convertible Vette; '72 Z28 Camaro Rally Sport
I decided to take a ride this evening in my 1969 mobile sauna - it's in upper 90s, but so what... I've got the timing pretty much right (save for slight lurches when going 30-40 mph). The gauges - all working.... I keep driving and it gets dark.
I tentatively pull on the light switch; the left side headlight slowly rises up. I depress the clutch, give her some gas and get the RPMs up (just to help her a bit)... then the right side lethargically rises up. That's cool - I've got lights! Wait, something's not right... THE DASH LIGHTS AREN'T ON! I WIGGLE THE SWITCH, NOPE. UGGH!
I go straight home, and check the fuses – they’re all good. With that "Corvette OCD" cloud over me (it's after 9:00 pm) I lower the steering column, remove the lower dash screws and access the headlamp switch. Using a low volt penlight, I find that the switch is not powering the green wire when turned on. Of course, I've recently learned from the good folks here at CAC that the green wire provides power to the gray wires that give life to those pesky dash lights.
This particular headlight switch is only a few months old and I really don't feel like spending another $40 on another replacement - or having to keep my dash opened up. So I did it... with a length of 16 gauge green wire, I crimped a small terminal on each end and jumpered the light blue wire to the green wire. Voila, the dash light work again.
Yeah, that's right I jury-rigged it... call me Bubba. I'm talking big I know... but I also know that reality is that Corvette OCD won't let me keep the switch jumpered like this. Any idea why the switch would go bad?
Thanks for allowing me to vent again...:ugh
Ralph
I tentatively pull on the light switch; the left side headlight slowly rises up. I depress the clutch, give her some gas and get the RPMs up (just to help her a bit)... then the right side lethargically rises up. That's cool - I've got lights! Wait, something's not right... THE DASH LIGHTS AREN'T ON! I WIGGLE THE SWITCH, NOPE. UGGH!
I go straight home, and check the fuses – they’re all good. With that "Corvette OCD" cloud over me (it's after 9:00 pm) I lower the steering column, remove the lower dash screws and access the headlamp switch. Using a low volt penlight, I find that the switch is not powering the green wire when turned on. Of course, I've recently learned from the good folks here at CAC that the green wire provides power to the gray wires that give life to those pesky dash lights.
This particular headlight switch is only a few months old and I really don't feel like spending another $40 on another replacement - or having to keep my dash opened up. So I did it... with a length of 16 gauge green wire, I crimped a small terminal on each end and jumpered the light blue wire to the green wire. Voila, the dash light work again.
Yeah, that's right I jury-rigged it... call me Bubba. I'm talking big I know... but I also know that reality is that Corvette OCD won't let me keep the switch jumpered like this. Any idea why the switch would go bad?
Thanks for allowing me to vent again...:ugh
Ralph