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Headlight question

To: bricklin@autox.team.net
Subject: Headlight question
From: "K M" <symbiotic@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1999 12:35:35 PST
I got a question from a member asking about headlights.  Below is my 
response and I would appreciate any comments on it.  I have another 
question.  When the headlights are down, is there anything that keeps 
them in place.  As I recall, there is a spring that helps keep them in 
place but I can't really remember.  Also, assuming that there is no 
vacuum.  Will the headlights pop up over night (in other words, without 
the motor running and creating vacuum for the up position? 

Below is what I wrote and I am not sure that I covered all the main 
points. Thanks, Kim.


First, the headlights won't just pop up without the motor running, or do 
yours?  On the two that I bought, both without functiong lights (read 
functioning vacuum systems) neither would pop up unless the engine was 
running.  On the other hand, in the dark recesses of my mind I think 
that I do remember reading somewhere that someone was getting up in the 
morning and finding his lights up.  So, that is the first thing to note.  
Then you can look at page two of vol 23 num 2 where the article I wrote 
is.  That has a diagram of the vacuum system.  Your problem is probably 
with the switching leg, the darker one.  If the lights pop right up, 
then one of the hoses probably fell off completely -- that would likely 
make the engine run a bit rough also.  If they come up more lazily, then 
there is just a leak.  The way that it is intended to work is when there 
is no  vacuum on the relay (mine has two relays but later cars had just 
one), the lights go up.  The interior light switch and emergency switch 
just cut off vacuum to the relay and that relay is spring loaded to 
default to the up position. The routing usually goes from the storage 
cannister bumper on 75s) to a "t" that has one leg going to the common 
switched 
leg on the relay and the other leg going to the emergency switch, then 
from that switch to the light switch and from that to the switching leg 
on the relay (note that there is a switching leg and three switched legs 
on each relay -- the switched legs include the common vacuum supply in 
the middle plus one for going up and one for down). To make a long story 
short, there is likely a leak and everything can be gotten to either 
through the air dam, under the hood, or under the dash and it should not 
take more than a minute or two.


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