Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 16:59:46 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Head lamp mystery (real questions this time)
In-Reply-To: <9559f8780802041226nbfde50ei573728937ea503b4@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
It's likely or very possible the grounds for the headlights are weak.
There's a push-on multi point grounding spot above the fuse box on the left
side of the underdash area. It's hard to see at all. The push-on connectors
get weak with heat and current flow over time. When my 82 turbo diesel
vanagon had weak headlights that's what it was. I converted the push-on
spade connectors to eye wire terminal and screw. That fixed it just fine.
Two- ...........teach yourself how to use your volt meter. Just go to your
battery, knowing that it should read somewhere between 11.9 volts and say
12.4.............be sure you are on the right scale ( all volt meters have
different scales for 10 volts max, 1 volt max, 50 volts max, or
whatever............plus make sure you are on DC and not AC or mililvolt. )
...........so teach yourself how to tell when it's working right.
Heck, before I do a test with a test light or meter, I confirm first that
the test light or meter is working on a known good thing like a battery
Three............get a 12 volt test light. There are many times a simple
test light is better than a meter. When you are looking for the PRESENCE of
something, rather than the VALUE of it, the test light is better, and
faster, and there's a satisfaction of seeing something actually light up,
like when you are testing on lamp circuits.
And.........first test for the presence of the low or hi beam signal using
the front bumper for ground. Say its' on low beams you find the low beam
voltage where you expect it. Then next, test for ground by swapping your
test light around, instead of having the clip on the grounded bumper, put it
on the voltage you just found on the plug ( need paper clip or something to
stick in there to clip to ) ...............then you have a test light that
can find ground.
Test it on the bumper - ok......it can find ground. Now stick in the plug
terminal that has the brown wire going to it and see if you find ground
there. If that works then you know the low beam side, if that's what you
were testing on, works.
And I hope you know the key has to be on to get headlight voltage working.
And voltage will only be present on either hi beam or low beam, but not both
a once.
But get a test light for this sort of testing.
And teach yourself how to use to find both power and grounds.
< I worked on my tricycle before I went to kindergarten, on my own - now one
showed me or taught me. I don't know where or how I got the wrench I used.
My first electrical thing I remember is I discovered that connecting two
flashlight batteries to an electromagnet I had in an Erector Set, made the
electromagnet work, but I didn't know it would run down the batteries if
left connected. I learned that right there several hours later. I had left
it connected to show my father when he got home and the batteries were run
down. Never made that mistake again. . I can't even remember when I didn't
know how to use a test light. Probably the first time I hooked a flashlight
battery to a light bulb, I realized that a bulb could be used to detect the
presence of DC voltage.
- there's one other way in an emergency ............scratching or
rubbing a hot wire on a ground surface will make sparks, and then you know
you have voltage present from that indication. >
Scott
www.turbovans.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Chad Lyles
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 12:26 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Head lamp mystery (real questions this time)
Hello all,
well for fear of looking dumb...again...i need help figuring out whats wrong
with my head lights.
Symptoms: passenger side head lamp does not work. keeps going
out...typically has been going out a week before the ignition switch goes
out. (just put in 2nd ignition in 2.5 months)
What i've done: i switched the working (Left) headlamp with the non working
one (right) to see if it was just a burned out head lamp...the right lamp
worked on the left side. and the left one did *not* work on the right side.
which obviously means its NOT the headlamp.
i also busted out my 8 dollar multimeter (which i dont know how to read or
use really) but what i did see was that when i connected + to the right head
lamp plug (if you are facing the front of the van i put the + in the right
terminal of the plug) and then put the neg post into the opposite terminal
(left one) ...and i got a reading in the green area of just under the "1"
mark (to the far right)...and then i put the neg post in the top (or middle
terminal) and it went backwards on the meter...below negative... i dont know
what this tells me...but shouldnt that mean there is obviously flow? so why
isnt the head lamp working... mind you i have no idea what i am doing so be
gentle on my novice-ness.
also ..this is isolated to JUST the passenger head lamp...none of my other
lights or doing this... including marker lights and tail lights.
thanks, i hope this all make sense.
--
Chad~
84gl "Hop-a-long"
