Headlight nightmare

[M91]

Hello everyone taking the time to read this:)

 

I purchased a 69 510 wagon a few weeks ago that after driving a few days the battery went dead:(

To my dismay there was no voltage regulator installed and the alternator was not wired properly:(

After purchasing a new regulator and rewiring it now it's charging the battery and working properly:)

 

Unfortunately the headlights also were not wired properly and after spending three nights messing with them I am at my wits end:(

 

Is there anyone local that I can pay to help me get my headlights working properly? Or a shop that someone can recommend.

I am located in Fresno

 

[Tristin]

Maybe youre just winging it, but with a diagram you should be able to wire the headlights up by yourself pretty easy. I would suggest going to relays while youre at it as well. Look below for a picture to help you out. Just a few wires and you will be good to go:

 

[Laecaon]

That doesnt fix the problem Tristin... especially if there is no power at the existing headlight plug...

 

510 headlights are tricky, well the trickiest wiring on the whole car.

 

You need to check a few things...

 

Is it just your headlights that dont turn on? Or your dash lights too?

 

If your dash lights turn on, get out that test light or multimeter and check voltage at the headlight socket. Driver side wire with power is the Red/Blue wire. Passenger is the Red wire. That should have 12v at it with the headlights turned on (2 pulls out...)

 

If you do have 12v there then you have a ground issue. Check to make sure the headlight relay is plugged in, it is attached to the rear side of the passenger strut tower.

[M91]

Hello and thanks for your response:)

 

So for the low beam relay I just take the red wire from the headlamp socket and run it to 85 on the low bean relay?

 

I also need to run a ground directly to one of the red plugs on the headlight sockets?

 

Thanks again for you helping me with this!!!

[DanielC]

510's use switched grounds to control the headlights. Power is always applied to the headlight common pin, the headlight relay switches a wire going to the light switch on the dash, and when you turn the headlights on, the headlight switch completes the circuit to ground.

[Tristin]

That doesnt fix the problem Tristin... especially if there is no power at the existing headlight plug...

 

510 headlights are tricky, well the trickiest wiring on the whole car.

 

You need to check a few things...

 

Is it just your headlights that dont turn on? Or your dash lights too?

 

If your dash lights turn on, get out that test light or multimeter and check voltage at the headlight socket. Driver side wire with power is the Red/Blue wire. Passenger is the Red wire. That should have 12v at it with the headlights turned on (2 pulls out...)

 

If you do have 12v there then you have a ground issue. Check to make sure the headlight relay is plugged in, it is attached to the rear side of the passenger strut tower.

 

He never said they didnt turn on... just that they werent wired properly. Its hard to troubleshoot an electrical problem if its arent wired correctly. Personally, if I could tell that it wasnt the way it should be, I would rewire the headlights by following the diagram I posted. Then if Im still having issues, I would follow suit with that Laecon posted.

 

Now I wouldnt rewire anything if they dont work and youre just assuming its not wired properly.

[Laecaon]

510's use switched grounds to control the headlights. Power is always applied to the headlight common pin, the headlight relay switches a wire going to the light switch on the dash, and when you turn the headlights on, the headlight switch completes the circuit ro ground.

 

False.

 

The headlight switch gives power to the headlights. Otherwise the headlights would have power when the car is off, they dont.

 

The low beams are grounded through the headlight relay which in is normally closed position is grounding the lows. The highbeam switch activates the relay switching the ground to the highbeams.

[M91]

 

 

He never said they didnt turn on... just that they werent wired properly. Its hard to troubleshoot an electrical problem if its arent wired correctly. Personally, if I could tell that it wasnt the way it should be, I would rewire the headlights by following the diagram I posted. Then if Im still having issues, I would follow suit with that Laecon posted.

 

Now I wouldnt rewire anything if they dont work and youre just assuming its not wired properly.

 

Do I cut the red wire running from the factory fuse box to the passenger side or leave it and tap into it and put it to the 85 pin on the relay?

 

Thank You

[Laecaon]

Do I cut the red wire running from the factory fuse box to the passenger side or leave it and tap into it and put it to the 85 pin on the relay?

 

Thank You

 

you dont follow that guide as I listed above, you may not even have power there. If your lights dont turn on, you have other issues.

 

And finally what is wrong with that diagram, it leaves your low beam filament on, even if you switch to highbeams. You will cook your outer lights.

[bananahamuck]

The old saying a picture is worth a thousand words ,, you could have people guessing every fix in the book, till hell freezes over, but with just a few pictures they might be able to zero in on it much , faster..

 

Is there power to every plug on lights when switch is on or no power at all??

[M91]

you dont follow that guide as I listed above, you may not even have power there. If your lights dont turn on, you have other issues.

 

And finally what is wrong with that diagram, it leaves your low beam filament on, even if you switch to highbeams. You will cook your outer lights.

 

If I put a test light to all 3 pins at the actual headlight connectors when the light switch is in the off position my test light shows power.

 

I have traced the red wire running frow the fuse box to the passanger side lights and its good.

 

I have traced the red with blue stripe wire running to the driver side lights and it is good.

 

There is a red with yellow stripe wire that runs from the actual headlight switch that is not connected to anything in the engine compartment?

On one wiring diagram I downloaded it shows the wire going to the fuse box and on another diagram i downloaded it shows it going directly to the headlight relay?

[Laecaon]

Oh sigh, 68-69 is different than 70-73... Ill remember that from now on...

 

Yes Red and Red Blue should have live power with car off...

 

if you lights are off you have a ground issue.

 

I dont know right now as I dont have access to a 68/69 diagram this second (its in my car...)

[DAT510]

Just to give ideas..

My 510 had power at the sockets, power at the fuse box, and at the switch.

My problem was a ground problem, but not anything like a loose wire, I was actually missing a relay thing.

I'll pull up a pic in a sec, try replacing this first before rewiring the lights.

[Laecaon]

And that change(me realizing your car is a 69) means you cant use that diagram for another reason, your low beams will no longer be switched(ie they will be on forever unless you unplug them).

[DAT510]

I don't actually have a pic of the actual component, but it plugs to this 6 pin connector (70-72 wiring)

You also want to make sure the component is grounded correctly.. Lol

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

Nigga Plz!!!!!!!!

If I put a test light to all 3 pins at the actual headlight connectors when the light switch is in the off position my test light shows power.

 

ABOVE STAEMENT is CORRECT and that the way its suposed to be. I dont know why people post a whole new wire diagram.making it switchable POWER

 

If you got 12volts to all 3 pins at the low beam lamps(switch OFF) then its a ground proplem.

When you pull the switch it grounds thru the relay as a pass thru(switch is still NOT energized) Now if tyhis is stock wiring this should be just a clean up job, corrossion or loose connection. maybe swap or clean the relay contacks also.

If you have LOw beam and swtich to High beam and loose all the lights its the relay contacks that switch to a double ground inside the relay. Mostly dirty contacks and CAN maybe bo opened up and cleaned.

 

If there is the 12volts to the lamp its going thru the fuse box but maybe when you pull the switch is loading up and loosing contack.

 

Now if this has a hacked wire job or a Alarm installed all bets are off.

 

 

clean the fuse box. reconnect the harness at fuse box so it cleans the contacks ,put in new fuse.

 

But dont be cutting up a stock wire harness for soemthing simple as this.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Maybe the lampos are just bad??????????

[DanielC]

Like I said, 510 use switched grounds, at least some of them do.

From the fuse box, there are two individually fused wires. A red wire, and a red wire with a blue stripe. These wires go to the headlight, red to one side, red with blue to the other side. At, or near the headlights, these wires have a "Y" and go to the common pin on the headlights. They are always hot, unless you have a problem with these wires, or a fuse is bad.

 

The high beam headlight wire, on each side is red with a white stripe. It has a "Y" connecting the high beam terminal of each headlight on each that side of the car. Then one wire goes to the headlight relay, from each side of the car.

 

The low beam headlight wire is red with a black stripe. One wire from each side of the car goes to the headlight relay.

 

The relay switches the red with yellow from the red with white (high beam) to the red with black (low beam).

 

The red with yellow wire goes from the relay to the headlight switch.

 

The headlight switch, when it is pulled on, grounds the red with yellow wire

[M91]

Hello I do have a headlight relay but it was not wired so my relay has a

 

2 Red with white stripe wires

Black with red stripe

Green with blue stripe wire

2 Red with black stripe wires

 

[M91]

If someone could walk me thru this I would be extremely appreciative!!! I can be reached at 559-904-2617

[M91]

If it helps if I ground the red with black stripe wire coming off the headlights I get lights.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Hello I do have a headlight relay but it was not wired so my relay has a

 

??????

 

 

what does this mean exactly?????????

 

 

is there a connecter? a connector plugs in to the relay. thats it.

 

I have see 2 set ups buy my cars are above 1970.

1) I seen where the relay has wires on it already with a plug. the will plug into another plug. male to female.

2) then there is the relay with male tabs that will plug into a female connector.

[M91]

Hello I do have a headlight relay but it was not wired so my relay has a

 

??????

 

 

what does this mean exactly?????????

 

 

is there a connecter? a connector plugs in to the relay. thats it.

 

I have see 2 set ups buy my cars are above 1970.

1) I seen where the relay has wires on it already with a plug. the will plug into another plug. male to female.

2) then there is the relay with male tabs that will plug into a female connector.

 

Hello there was a headlight relay in my car but it had nothing plugged into it.

Here is a picture of it:

http://

 

There was no wire ran to it so currently I am trying to figure out which wire goes where

 

The top left wire Red with white stripe / The top right wire is Red with black stripe

The middle left wire is Green with blue stripe / The middle right wire is Black with red stripe

The bottom left wire is Red with white stripe / The bottom right wire is Red with black stripe

[banzai510(hainz)]

OK photos help.

 

this relay(should bolt ot the back of the strut housing)

 

The relay see above isnt there a connector at the end of it? (take a photo)it should plug into the female side connector in wire haness?

 

I think you shoulkd take some photos of the area and whats going on.

[M91]

OK photos help.

 

this relay(should bolt ot the back of the strut housing)

 

The relay see above isnt there a connector at the end of it? (take a photo)it should plug into the female side connector in wire haness?

 

I think you shoulkd take some photos of the area and whats going on.

 

That's the problem there is no connector that it plugs into.

 

I found the Red with yellow stripe wire that runs to the headlight switch

I tapped into the Red and black stripe wire that runs between the headlights for the low beams

I tapped into the Red with white stripe wire that runs between the headlights for the high beams

I tapped into the Green with blue stripe wire running to the orange running lights

 

Now I need to know which wires wire into which wires on the relay and what wires am I still missing and where do they go?

 

Thanks again!!!