headlights not working

Thanks for the prompt replys back. Car: 1968 Mustang 302

When you say new switch, is that the knob I pull to turn the lights on/off?

Can I buy a new switch at my local auto part store, and is this easy to install?

The car runs great, has new alternator, battery and all the signals and brake lights work. The headlights also look new. I was driving at night and they were turning on and off. And the next day they wont even turn on at all.

Thanks
Trey

First, I would look under the carpet on the drivers side at the dimmer switch and the connections as both low beams and high beams run to it, and being under the carpet it is subject to corrosion, etc, and it could just be stuck halfway and need a little lubricate like wd40. Then follow the info I posted earlier, it may be that you need a switch as they will wear out in 45+ years, but it may have been replaced already. So it would be better to check to find out what exactly is bad, sometimes it just a bad connection and a little sandpaper or a thin nail file can fix it at no cost. Good Luck.

rmccas3 said:

Thanks for the prompt replys back. Car: 1968 Mustang 302

When you say new switch, is that the knob I pull to turn the lights on/off?

Can I buy a new switch at my local auto part store, and is this easy to install?

The car runs great, has new alternator, battery and all the signals and brake lights work. The headlights also look new. I was driving at night and they were turning on and off. And the next day they wont even turn on at all.

Thanks
Trey

Click to expand...

If it is the switch it's not the part you pull on that goes bad but the part behind the dash. If you go to CJ pony parts they explain the changing the switch fairly well. It can be a pain but not that hard.
I would check the dimmer first, I've never had that issue so I'm not sure how often it gets stuck.

I had problems with headlights once. Took the halogens out and put regular lights in and problems went away. I read the old wiring was probably the culprit.

Someone here disagreed with me about the using halogens & them causing the problem I had. but that's just my story and what fixed my problem.

Ken

The switch should be available at any auto parts store.

1968 FORD MUSTANG Headlamp Switch

There is a dimmer resistor on the back that powers the dash lights. Its a different part of the same switch so either part could be working while the other part could be dead.

Checking all the wiring connections, including the floor switch, would be a very good idea. That might be an easy fix. There is a single wire that runs power to the floor switch from the dash switch. The floor switch should then put power on only one or the other of the other two wires, Hi or Lo beam. Like Rex said, it may not be putting power on either one. If so, that switch is a bit cheaper.

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1132333,parttype,4340

Here are some wiring diagrams:

Master Wiring Diagram – 68 Mustang | Mustang Fuse & Wiring Diagrams
Mustang Wiring Diagrams
http://www.midlife66.com/wiring/wiring.html

I didn't open all of them, but at least one should give a good diagram, which is nothing more than a electrical roadmap. A good voltmeter or DVM (W-mart has one for about $20) will prove invaluable on electrical problems and will save more than enough money to pay for itself. And the DVM's are so simple to operate. Do a little troubleshooting, and you will find the problem. All electrical must have a complete path for the electrical to do any work. So in simplicity, it has to go from the battery through the wiring to the light switch to the dimmer switch to the light filament to a ground connection which goes back to the battery ground connection to the battery. To use a voltmeter or DVM in checking voltages, you take the black probe and hold on a good electrical ground, the place the red probe on the place you are checking and it will read the voltage. For instance if you do that to the battery it would show the battery voltage. Good Luck.