Headlights won't shut off

[Big O]

I need to lean on some of the Mortar experience out there as I've run out of ideas here. 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye, 440 Auto, w/hideaway headlights. So out taking a Sunday afternoon cruise last week and when I pulled into the garage, my headlights were on along with the high beams. I worked the floor switch and headlight desk switch to no avail. So I disconnected the battery and started addressing it yesterday and today. I replaced the floor high beam switch and the lights stayed on. I replied the dash headlight switch (good times there) and there headlights and hideaway hoods stay on and up.

At this point, I just disconnected the headlights and can manually roll the doors back down, but I want to get this issue fixed. I've heard mention of an instrument relay switch that to me looks like a starter relay switch, but I'm not sure of the purpose of that. Anyway, I know enough about electrical to be dangerous, but need to know who has dealt with this before and what suggestions or recommendations would you make. Much appreciated...

 

[Nacho-RT74]

I'm assuming you don't have a headlights time delay option.

Something is keeping the green wire coming out from light switch ( arriving to the floor dimmer switch ) energized. Either the concelead headlight doors relay ( located down the dash frame between glove box and ashtray housing) or headlight switch on cluster itself.

Concelead headlights relay should be energized just with ign switch in RUN thought, so if this relay were shorted to the green wire, it still should cut the power as soon you put the key in off and still if keeping doors up as soon you put the key in off, the headlights should be turned off. Headlights switch on cluster thought is sourced straight from the batt/alt circuit. SOOOOO i'm more toward to the cluster switch circuit. Not necesarily the switch but wiring down the harness... or plug itself.

Maybe even the forward headlight harness being shorted between some constant source ( batt/fuse link wire ) and high or low beams ( red & or violet wires both traced ) wires, reaching the floor dimmer switch then the green wire after that. The green wire will keep doors open. The power for concelead system comes from RUN circuit, the green wire is just the trigger to activate the doors motor up and down BUT JUST while ign switch is in RUN. However, once doors are up if the green wire power is not cut, the doors will remain up even after the key is shut off.

Bulkhead could be also melted into the red thick wire cavity ( BATT/fuse link ) and making contact with low or high beams wires

Do you have some headlights relays upgrade?

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I need to lean on some of the Mortar experience out there .

Got This..... Just down tell anyone, I live in California after all....

 

[JG71B]

I need to lean on some of the Mortar experience out there as I've run out of ideas here. 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye, 440 Auto, w/hideaway headlights. So out taking a Sunday afternoon cruise last week and when I pulled into the garage, my headlights were on along with the high beams. I worked the floor switch and headlight desk switch to no avail. So I disconnected the battery and started addressing it yesterday and today. I replaced the floor high beam switch and the lights stayed on. I replied the dash headlight switch (good times there) and there headlights and hideaway hoods stay on and up.

At this point, I just disconnected the headlights and can manually roll the doors back down, but I want to get this issue fixed. I've heard mention of an instrument relay switch that to me looks like a starter relay switch, but I'm not sure of the purpose of that. Anyway, I know enough about electrical to be dangerous, but need to know who has dealt with this before and what suggestions or recommendations would you make. Much appreciated...

Do you have a FSM or a color schematic to work with? Makes things a lot easier!

 

[72sunroof]

The problem is probably in the switch, they are junk, they melt very easily especially with halogen lights.
Test for continuity from the input I think Tan(actually just put 1 probe on the fuse with car off) to the switch to the output Black yellow {and this could be to the wire going to the hidden headlight) and see if there is no resistance with the lights off.
I would disconnect the battery

 

[Nacho-RT74]

The wire to the headlight relay is the green one which runs to the high low/beams selector on floor ( tipically called "floor dimmer switch" Althought it's really a beam selector ), not black/yellow

Black/yellow is the parking lights circuit

Tan is the wire which comes from rotary dimmer system to the cluster. Becomes orange after the fuse.

Both are somehow linked into the switch since the parking circuit feeds internally the dimmer wheel input, so the tan wire leaves the rheostat spring output at the porcelain wheel. With a continuity test between those wires, the tester should read the rheostat resistence according with its position and should change while rotating the dimmer.

That same test can be made also with the fuse feeding the parking lights function ( along with some other functions into the car ) as far the light switch is on its 1st step.

 

[Nacho-RT74]

this would be a basic diagram of a 71/74 ( and many others ) light switch and related wiring. Correct colors included

need to say, the light switch gets an internal breaker for the black wire coming from amm wire feeding headlights... just is not represented on diagram