I'm helping my buddy work on his 73 Nova with some electrical problems. The car sat for 2 years and he bought it up 2 weeks ago and started daily driving it. A week ago everything worked fine. Then the headlights went out, but he still had high beams. Then the high beams went out. The tail lights work, the brake lights work, the backup lights work, and the running lights work. The bulbs are new.

I pulled the connector that plugs into the headlight switch in the dash. It has 7 wires going to it.

Thick Red - Hot
2 brown wires (same terminal though) - tail lights/running lights??
Green wire - interior lights??
Orange wire - Hot w/ key on
black - ground
thick blue - ground
cream - ground

No voltage at the headlights (tested with a VOM)

I tested the black, thick blue, and cream colored wire and they are all zero ohms with the chassis all the time, so they are all grounded out. Does this sound right? Which wires (from the headlight switch) feed the headlights? And how is the fuse block involved with all this?

Any other suggestions on what to check, or what to do next?

Bet you its the floor mounted high/low beam switch..........

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Just doing this from 46yr old memory

The green wire should be dash lamps
The black and the White (cream) are a ground--(white for dome lights gnd)
There should be a yellow wire going to the floor dimmer.
Although it could be blue---not sure
Lift the carpet and have a looksee at the dimmer---
The brown and tan wires go directly to your headlamps
one terminal may have 2 wires in it----this goes to your high beams & high indicator on the dash.
The center wire is a connection directly from the headlamp switch.

In any case----a blue wire should not go to ground.

Poncho is probably correct---Dimmer switch--
I have had one of these fail and start a fire on the floor of my 79 chev c-10.
NOT FUNNY---2am on a moonless night, on hiway 58, in the middle of the California desert near Mohave.

Bryan

Doc here,

If yours is a 73, the headlight connector Should be as follows:

• BLACK = Ground
  
• BROWN = Park lamps
  
• LIGHT BLUE = *-->Beam Switch<--*
  
• BROWN = Tail lamps
  
• ORANGE = Ctsy Lamps
  
• GREEN = Instrument lamp fuse.
  
• RED = power
  
• WHITE = Dome and door switch.

Sounds to me like the beam switch has failed or power from the headlight switch (Lt Blue) to the beam switch has been lost. Thats where I'd look first.

Keep us updated!

Where abouts in Concord are you located? I'm over the hill in Lafayette!

Doc

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Thanks guys. I replaced the dimmer switch and got the headlights/highbeams to work. The connector on the driver side headlight is finicky and needs replacing, and the headlight switch in the dash could use replacing, but the main point is that I've gotten rid of the main problem.

docvette - Hi! I live on the eastern part of Concord, towards the navy base/Concord High School. However, I actually work at Diablo Foods in Lafayette! I used to work at the Concord store till they closed it last year. I drive a red 91' Camaro RS (350 swap) and my buddy with the 73 Nova also worked at the Concord Store until we both got transferred. For how small Lafayette is I'm sure you have/will see at least one of us putting around...you might even shop at our store. I sure see a lot of Corvettes, old and new..

Doc here,

WOW, Diablo foods IS right around the corner from home, IF you work there I'm sure you've seen my DD vette, The one in the AVATAR, Pearl white 80 Vette, with smoked T tops, Either at your store or Longs.

There is an 84 that lives at the Contracting office by diablo foods and I see a Black and Red 05's (I think) parked in your lot a lot..

Doc

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Bowtie exhaust tips?

Doc here,

Yup!

Doc

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Small World,

Bryan>>>>>>former Fremont resident

Doc>>>>>>Born and Raised in Oakland...Cruised The SL/Hayward strip regular in my 56 Vette..and Regular at Fremont raceway from the mid/late 60's to before it closed..

Doc

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