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In 2013, I finally gave in to a friend that kept bugging me to modify my car to use relays to trigger the headlights.
The car is a 1970 Charger with electric headlight doors.
I don't recall the exact wiring changes but he intercepted the wiring paths and added one relay each for low beams and high beams.
The changes messed everything up. The lights came on but wouldn't go off unless I hit the dimmer switch to engage the high beams. Another time, the headlights were on even with the ignition switch off. Again, hitting the dimmer switch turned the lights off and closed the doors.
I knew very little about electrical stuff and the friend was equally confused. I ended up replacing the harness with a new Evans wiring section and the doors and lights worked properly again.
In the years since, I have considered another try. I want brighter lighting and I want it street legal at a decent price. I figured that the first step would be to install one of the harness kits offered by FABO/FBBO member "CrackedBack". I ordered a kit and it arrived last week. I relocated the battery in the trunk in 2013 so I had room to mount the relays where the battery used to be.
I ran the wires, attached the grounds and.....
The headlights come on with the ignition key. The switch has zero effect on the lights or headlight doors. The dimmer switch does do it's job, high beams off or on. The headlight doors do not close. The headlights stay on when I shut off the ignition, but will go out by pressing the switch if the ignition is OFF.
I emailed Crackedback and he responded quickly. He has made harnesses for many Mopars including the '70 Charger. He believes that the problem is likely a poor ground.
The car is a 1970 Charger with electric headlight doors.
I don't recall the exact wiring changes but he intercepted the wiring paths and added one relay each for low beams and high beams.
The changes messed everything up. The lights came on but wouldn't go off unless I hit the dimmer switch to engage the high beams. Another time, the headlights were on even with the ignition switch off. Again, hitting the dimmer switch turned the lights off and closed the doors.
I knew very little about electrical stuff and the friend was equally confused. I ended up replacing the harness with a new Evans wiring section and the doors and lights worked properly again.
In the years since, I have considered another try. I want brighter lighting and I want it street legal at a decent price. I figured that the first step would be to install one of the harness kits offered by FABO/FBBO member "CrackedBack". I ordered a kit and it arrived last week. I relocated the battery in the trunk in 2013 so I had room to mount the relays where the battery used to be.
I ran the wires, attached the grounds and.....
The headlights come on with the ignition key. The switch has zero effect on the lights or headlight doors. The dimmer switch does do it's job, high beams off or on. The headlight doors do not close. The headlights stay on when I shut off the ignition, but will go out by pressing the switch if the ignition is OFF.
I emailed Crackedback and he responded quickly. He has made harnesses for many Mopars including the '70 Charger. He believes that the problem is likely a poor ground.