Hello

In Norway we have some strange (and inconsistent) rules about lights on cars, and american cars are above the rest when it comes to "no-no's". So my car - a 1979 Cutlass Cruiser - needs a bit of a clean up in the wire department up front.

Looking down I notice that the head lights have TWO lamps inside them. The main lamp and a small bulb at the side of the housing, that must be some sort of parking light. The wire to the small bulbs have been snipped. In my service manual wiring schematic I can't seem to find these small "parking bulbs" anywhere.

So my question is: how are they supposed to work?

My theory is that they must be connected in line with the front park/turn signal lamps, so that they are on regardless of the headlight, and at the same time as the other parking lights. But wouldn't that make them blink when I use the turn signal? Then again, since they are so small it probably (?) wouldn't be noticed anyway.

Am I correct?

Thank you.

 

What you are describing doesn't sound like anything I've ever seen.

Photographs might be helpful.

- Eric

 

You're on the right track.

The small (#194) bulb in the side of the housing is a side marker or clearance light, mandated in US since 1968. They are on whenever parking lamps are on and can operate independent of the headlights.

Sometime in the mid 1970s these lamps were also wired into the turn signal circuit so that they flash with the turn signals.

I don't have a 79 CSM but in my 78 book these lamps are shown in Fig 8A1-3, Cutlass engine and lights wiring schematic.

The 1980 book is a little different and I suspect may be the same as your 79. Look on page 8A-45 Electrical Diagnosis and you should see "Front Marker Lights" to center of the page.

There is a brown wire to both these lamps which is the parking lamp circuit.

The left (driver) side uses a light blue wire for turn signal part of it. Right (passenger) side uses a dark blue wire.

They ground thru the black wire at the parking lamp.

So yes, correctly wired they are on with the parking lamps and will flash with the turn signals.

My question is: most European countries required a side marker or clearance light on the front fender (which until the mid 80s had to be disabled before car could legally be sold here), so would this clearance lamp not serve the same purpose as the European fender lamp?

 

I'm still confused - I thought he was talking about the headlight itself, as there are European headlights with a parking light inside the headlight housing (I have had Mercedes, BMWs, and VWs with these), and one of these might have been retrofitted.
That's why I'd like clarification before saying more.

- Eric

 

MDchanic:

Yes I'm talking about the main head light lamp itself. The physical lamp with glass and back cover. It has two lamps in it:

One main light bulb, and a small bulb at the side closest to the parking light housing. I'll try to take pictures later if I'm able to. It's cold out there

As far I can see MDchanic - your description is correct. But isn't this the same as Rocketraider is talking about? Now i'm confused.

 

OK-I'm confused now. You're saying the headlight capsule itself has two bulbs- the headlight bulb and this one?

I was reading that you were asking about the small lamp in the headlight bezel. And now that I think of it, 79 did not have the wraparound bezel as later cars had.

Pictures will help. I've never seen an American car with this setup, though I remember Volkswagen Beetles having a small lamp at the bottom of the headlight bucket, and a glass cover over both that and the headlight bulb. I believe VW used it as a parking lamp.

 

And the strictly Euro cars, with the non-sealed-beam headlights, had the little bulbs right within the headlight lens / reflector unit itself.

They were used as parking lights in the literal sense - you were supposed to leave them on while you were parked - as far as I know it was because of the "interesting" parking arrangements that were accepted in Europe until rather recently. The headlight switch had two additional positions (on the Mercedes, you twisted the switch clockwise one click for "US-definition" parking lights, two clicks for headlights, pulled it straight out for fog lights, and twisted it one click from OFF for right "European" parking lights, two clicks for left parking lights), which operated tiny flashlight-type bulbs in the taillight, headlight, and side-flasher lights, which you could leave on all night without draining your battery, and which marked the car to other drivers. You turned the lights on on the side facing the road.

- Eric

 

Allright. Here is a picture. Didn't bother to remove the headlight from the car, but you can clearly see the little extra bulb from the front in the picture. I made an error earlier - it's on the side closest to the side of the car.

Looks like this is some sort of euro-thing then?

Edit: And looking at the picture of the headlight it's stamped "Made in Germany" - haha - think we have our answer

 

It also says "H4." All US cars at that time had sealed-beams. H4's were illegal.

That's something someone added later on, on your side of the pond.
I'm afraid we are unlikely to be able to tell you anything more.

- Eric

 

I guess what we should ask is, do Norwegian lighting standards require this lamp to work? If not, you may be as well off to leave it unwired.

I would think Hella's website could answer the question of how it should be wired, or maybe a European car forum.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the help guys - now I know why they are there at least

 

I have had Cibie headlights (with H4 bulbs) in my cars for over thirty years and I am trying to replace one of my lamps due to damage after hitting a deer...on e-bay those headlights with the extra small bulbs keep popping up which I do not want...it's a French thing and/or something they require on the Continent...