Big Features

Ok gang, need some help here. Car is a 1968 442


My front parking lamps do not work. Only work with flashers/blinkers.
I've replaced the bulbs, front light harness, and headlight switch. No fuses are blown and all grounds look good (sanded to bare metal and secure).


My right low-beam flickers on/off when I drive too.


Also, when my head lights are on the right turn indicator on my dash stays lit. I replaced both bulbs and now both dash turn indicators don't work.


All of these little electrical gremlins are killing me! Any help is greatly appreciated.


Mike

garage goat2

Sounds like a ground problem to me!

joe_padavano

You have multiple, unrelated problems. The headlight circuit is separate from the parking light circuit. The high and low beam headlights share a ground point, so any flickering in one bulb only is a problem with the bulb or the connector to the bulb. Check these.

What happens with the headlight switch in the parking light (not headlight) position? Do the park lights come on or not? What about the indicators on the dash?

The parking light circuit is very simple. A single terminal on the headlight switch provides power to both the front park lights and taillamps. If the tail lights work, the switch is good. The problem could be anywhere from the splice at the headlight switch connector to the firewall connector to the sockets at the parking lights to the grounds. Do the side marker lights work? These are also fed from the same terminal on the headlight switch.

Note that the park light and turn signal circuits only touch at the common ground point. The 1157 bulbs have two filaments with a common ground. If the ground is bad, the park light circuit will ground through the turn signal circuit. This creates all sorts of havoc.

MDchanic

Have you inspected and cleaned all of the connections to these lights up front (where they are exposed to the weather)?

Have you actually checked for current at the respective wires?

Have you checked the grounds of all of the lights with a test light?

Have you consulted the relevant schematic in your Chassis Service Manual?

Have you tested or done troubleshooting on anything at all?

Test each system systematically with a meter, or, even better, a test light, and let us know what you find.

- Eric

stevengerard

I had the same problem with my parking lights. Turns out it is the connector right behind the headlight that leads to the parking light. For me there was a loose connection. Even though the connectors were snapped together i was able to wiggle the wires within that connector to get the lights to work.