RenderPit

Hey guys, I just took my car for inspection and they failed it because the high beam indicator doesn't light up... lame sauce.

Anyway, before I start tearing into the dash, can anyway give me a solid overview of what I need to do? Any tips, tricks that may speed this up?

I have 15 days before I have to pay them for another inspection.

Oh, also, they said I have to take the half-moons off my headlights... I can handle that, but man... those are two really petty things to fail an old car on.

rocketraider

Sounds like you took it to a bunch of hard-asses. Lot of inspection stations make their money on failing components and repairing them. You're lucky to get thru inspection in Virginia without at least buying a wiper blade or license plate bulb.

If the high beams are functioning properly it's probably just a burned out bulb. Shop book says a 158 (which I think is obsolete) but a 194 or 168 should work. If car has A/C you'll have to take the manifold out to get your hands behind there. Once the manifold is out of the way it ought to be reasonably easy.

Worst case is the printed circuit is bad, but that thing is heavy duty compared to the flimsy ones used in later years. Do the other dash lights and indicators work?

J-(Chicago)

Take to someone else who isn't a *****.

Jaybird

Hey RenderPit: Take your car to someone else, unless it would cost you more to start again.
Let us know how things turn out.

RenderPit

Ha, luckily this car only cost 15 to inspect because it's so old. I may just take it to someone else.

so, yes, all other lights work perfect. The beams them selves work perfect. I took the bulb out and it didn't look burnt out, but I'll go get a replacement anyway...

Thanks for the tips guys.

I also disconnected the high beam switch and cleaned the contact points, however they looked fine. No corrosion.

RenderPit

Replaced bulb, still no indicator...

RenderPit

this is a hassle!
I've unmounted the fuse box to try and trace wires, taken the highbeam switch off to inspect, and checked all bulbs. The highbeam is the only thing not working in the entire instrument panel.

I took the buzzer off the back of the instrument panel to inspect, and I'm trying to figure out how many prongs are supposed to be coming off the back... mine has 3, but there is one that looks like it may have snapped off... are there supposed to be 4 prongs?

I don't know that this would effect the highbeams, but...

I guess I'll plug it back in and try the switch again.

RenderPit

I was bound and determined to fix this today, and I finally have.
The problem was the green wire going from the switch to the indicator light. It seems that the green wire splits somewhere along the way, and I could not find where. Probably behind the fuse box...

I simply disconnected the green wire from the floor switch
Ran a new wire from the floor switch to the back of the instrument panel (Left Turn Signal side clip; green wire)
Spliced my new wire into the existing green wire behind the instrument panel.

If you don't splice them together, you'll have to track down where the green wire splits and replace it to the headlight beams. I think there is a relay somewhere....

Anyway, Indicator now works, and surprisingly, it's not Blue, but Red!

buzz lightyear

What are these car inspection ? I see people talk about them on the threads. I'm in Calif. We don't have any inspections, except smog . Just curious. Thanks

RenderPit

TX does a safety inspection, no smog.
They check turn signals, brakes and crap like that.
They are relatively easy, as long as you have a safely functioning car, you pass. However, these douches failed me on a non-functioning high-beam indicator, even though the high beams work perfectly.

I lived in AZ, smog is a PITA... I had a turbo rotary RX7 that would barely pass with the factory equipment, much less the mod'd beast I had.

oldcutlass

I can't believe they failed you for that indicator lamp with the headlights operational. Glad you found the problem! Also there is no rule in Texas that pertains to those half moons on the headlights! Go somewhere else, those people are A-holes!

rocketraider

Mmph. They're more worried about whether a car smogs good than they are whether it's safe to operate. Somehow, that does not surprise me in the least.

Annual safety inspection is a PITA but without it, lord only knows what kind of unsafe junk we'd have on the roads.

Here in Vajenya, high-beam indicator has to work as well as driver's door window.

Bound to think a lot of HB indicators DON'T work though, as evidenced by the minivan that followed me for better part of five miles tonight, high beams blazing in my mirrors.

RenderPit

Hey oldcutlass, I was kinda thinking these guys were looking for reasons and BS-ing me on the headlights... I already took them off, and ruined them in the process.

You would think guys at a shop would like to see well-kept old cars on the road, as opposed to looking for reasons to keep them off.

Highwayman

Way back when, I put a customer’s car on the lift and the drag link fell off the idler arm. It had been held together with bailing wire. I showed it to the guy and suggested we should replace it. He said no, and wired it back up. He probably told his friends we tried to rip him off.

RenderPit

haha, that's brilliant! Gotta love hill billies.

I'd take Safety Inspection over Smog any day. If you want to pretend to regulate pollution, try imposing that crap on planes...

Danny Boy

I think I would have told them the High Beam Indicator works just fine...every time a car passes the other direction they flash their brights to remind me.

copper128

I think that has less to do with indicators and more to do with inconsiderate a-holes.

It's just more important that they be able to see than you

oldcutlass

You should have asked them what they drive?? Maybe they were treehuggers! Anyway sorry about the destruction of your parts! BTW where did you take it for an inspection?

RenderPit

Ya, good call, might've explained all the Prius's in the parking lot.

Kwik Kar in Little Elm...

Oh well, I'll have to order some new headlight moons I guess. I really liked they way they look

Oldbear

High Beam Indicator is one of the things on my safety here in Alberta... but so is Daytime running lights and ABS!!! I have a local shop that is "old/collector" car friendly. I've been going through the safety checklist as my to do list for getting the car back on the road.

Good luck

aussie oldsmobile 98

i think them inspectors are a bunch of mongrals!!!!

m371961

West Virginia, no smog, no safety inspection on historic tags, historic tags good for 10 years. I think there is such a thing as modified tags for street rods, but nobody pays attention to that where I am.
Montani Semper Liberi