68 2000 light problem

[sleepyzzz]

thanks Ray and Linda, great advice, and i have both a electric contact cleaner and die electric grease ready to tackle that. everytime i change a bulb on any vehicle i own, i always clean up the socket and add a light coat of grease to the bulb socket before installation. that always makes me feel like i am preventing future problems anyways with bulbs not burning.

[Bwana]

Advice on cleaning up the fuse box is good and probably the correct answer, based on beating the dashboard for problem solution.

However, IIRC, there is also an issue with the headlight relay mounting position in the engine bay. In the original factory position, the contacts would open if the car went over a bump or, er.... "jump" of some kind. You had to swing the relay 90 degrees so the contacts were at right angles to the ground so they would stay closed. Cycling the light switch would reset the relay and the lights would come back on.

We had this happen on US-101 north of El Capitan in CA many many years ago when my buddy and I crossed a bridge transition at warp speed, in the dark. A real pucker event. Found out about the real problem from a parts guy that worked in a Datsun dealer someplace near Richmond/Berkely who told me about a guy with a '69 that had the lights go out sometimes. Only the guy was out on U.S. 14/138 in the places where it crosses a bunch of dry washes. Every time he came out of one and got a little air, his lights would go out on touchdown.

[2mAn]

I checked the terminals this morning and they are very corroded. Do you know where I can buy a new one?

Doug,

Before replacing the fuse box, try giving it a vinegar bath to remove the corrosion!

Since your fuse box is a 1968 version, the fuse holders are probably in good condition (nice and tight in the housing-- this is a problem on later fuse boxes).

Mark the wire locations and unscrew them from the fuse box. Place the fuse box in a bowl of white vinegar overnight. Clean the terminals with a brass or stainless brush and when you are done, they should look like new again. Do NOT use sandpaper!

Re-install the fuse box and check your grounds. This should solve most of your problems....

Michael
spriso motorsports

Bumping this because I'm tackling the same issue. I'm about to give this fuse box a vinegar bath, but it doesn't look too bad. Still want to do it unless someone tells me not to.

Thoughts?

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[Jujuman]

I did a vinegar bath on mine, worked like a charm , my fuse box was considerably more corroded. brass brush after the bath. then spray some from of protectorate. nice and tight and allowing the juice to flow. lights are bright. check the "what did you do for your roadster post.

[Linda]

Left side, upper row 2nd in, looks suspect. I would do the vinegar cleaning, then rinse, then spray the contact cleaner. I consider the wiring system to be marginal at best, rightly or wrongly, so all cleaning is good, so that you can get the most out of the system. Getting some Vintage Connection connectors is helpful for replacing connectors that fall apart.
Linda
An old toothbrush worked well enough for me. Also I only soaked it for an hour or so, did not need to do overnite
I also really like a Dremel with the little stainless and brass brushes you can get at Harbor Freight
https://m.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty- ... 68696.html

[2mAn]

Any type of vinegar work? My wife has a collection of different types

[Jujuman]

regular distilled white. its just acetic acid.

[2mAn]

Sweet, thanks. So leave it in overnight (?) and then clean it tomorrow with a brass brush or toothbrush?

[2mAn]

Full bath of vinegar and some brushing. Tomorrow I'll have a few minutes to install it to see if this made a difference. If this doesn't do the trick, should I move on to the switch itself or is there something else to check?

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That same 2nd row still had some crud on it that didn't scrape off

[2mAn]

I don't think it did anything.

When I pull the headlight switch out it sounds like a clicking sound is coming from the behind the middle part of the dash and it doesn't really want to stay in the "on" pulled out position.

[Linda]

I would move on to the headlight relay and do the same thing, clean the contacts and spray the wires. Also the relay grounding points on the body should be clean.
Linda
You can also use vinegar to soak the fuse box wires. Mark them then suspend in vinegar. Same with the relay wires.
If that doesn't work, then pull the switch. The relay is easier to get to....

[2mAn]

I would move on to the headlight relay and do the same thing, clean the contacts and spray the wires. Also the relay grounding points on the body should be clean.
Linda
You can also use vinegar to soak the fuse box wires. Mark them then suspend in vinegar. Same with the relay wires.
If that doesn't work, then pull the switch. The relay is easier to get to....

I probably shouldnt have dumped all that vinegar down the sink! haha

Is the headlight relay behind the headlight switch? Theres a relay of some sort thats been literally hanging out right there. Its in the background of this other pic I posted in the quick/small/stupid question thread.

Same deal though, vinegar then clean all the contacts?

[Linda]

Headlight relay is in the engine bay, left side. Here is a link on cleaning:
http://www.311s.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.ph ... y+cleaning
Linda

[SLOroadster]

I would move on to the headlight relay and do the same thing, clean the contacts and spray the wires. Also the relay grounding points on the body should be clean.
Linda
You can also use vinegar to soak the fuse box wires. Mark them then suspend in vinegar. Same with the relay wires.
If that doesn't work, then pull the switch. The relay is easier to get to....

I probably shouldnt have dumped all that vinegar down the sink! haha

Is the headlight relay behind the headlight switch? Theres a relay of some sort thats been literally hanging out right there. Its in the background of this other pic I posted in the quick/small/stupid question thread.

Same deal though, vinegar then clean all the contacts?

I cleaned the relay contacts, opened it up and had a look inside. Everything looks good there. I think its something with the light switch itself. One minute the lights worked, the next nothing worked. I thought I had a spare switch that I was going to put in but couldn't find it. I think you switch is suspect, but Im not 100% sure its the culprit.

Will

[Linda]

Also clean, spray, the headlight ground on the frame by the alternator.
I think you are getting the idea that despite the exact location of the problem, it is still wise to clean/ check everything along the path...fusebox, switch, relay, ground, bulb housing. .bulb!
After 50 years bound to be corrosion
Linda