# Headlight blues **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** oldsmobile\ **Created:** [June 14, 2015, 9:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274 "2015-06-14T09:24:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![41\_Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/8e7dd6/32.png) [@41\_Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/41_Olds)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 11:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/21 "2015-06-18T11:17:52Z")
here is her back side ---
**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/22 "2015-06-18T14:13:14Z")
Wow, what a nice looking car! ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 11:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/23 "2015-06-18T23:50:33Z")
Beautiful from any angle. If you don’t mind my asking, is the Pearl-41 license plate a reference to the Pearl Harbor attack and are you a Navy vet? Hats off in honor… 🙂 Just wondering. My late father was a Navy vet, served in WWII, and visited Pearl Harbor a few times along with quite a few other places in the Pacific; some of them not so friendly at the time so to speak. He was too young to enlist in 1941 but did lie his way in by 1944 before being assigned to the U.S.S. Springfield. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/24 "2015-06-19T01:04:56Z")
As I recall, these GM cars had a headlight relay. Trace the wires either back from the headlights or forward from the summer switch to see if this is the case. If so, the cause of the problem may be the relay. I get very excited about old cars like yours. I had a 1947\_Pontiac with the,Streamliner B body. If yoiur Olds is the 70 series, it has that same body. ---
**Author:** ![41\_Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/8e7dd6/32.png) [@41\_Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/41_Olds)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/25 "2015-06-19T01:29:28Z")
ok4450 Yes I served in the Navy for 20 years my father served for 30 years I bought Pearl when I was on active duty and I have had her for almost 20 years now. My father was stationed at PMRF Barking Sands on the island of Kauai. I loved it there as a kid. I drive the car in the memorial day parade each year. ---
**Author:** ![41\_Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/8e7dd6/32.png) [@41\_Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/41_Olds)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/26 "2015-06-19T01:30:07Z")
I am going to the garage to try some of your suggestions wish me luck!!! ---
**Author:** ![41\_Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/8e7dd6/32.png) [@41\_Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/41_Olds)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/27 "2015-06-19T02:08:16Z")
Here is my car at a local cruise night ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/28 "2015-06-19T02:11:11Z")
Any pics under the hood? ---
**Author:** ![41\_Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/8e7dd6/32.png) [@41\_Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/41_Olds)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/29 "2015-06-19T05:28:27Z")
I just changed the headlight switch and I still have the problem. It was a lot easier than it looked. The pictures I took just now did not come out very well but I did notice some very badly frayed wires so I am just going to carefully slice open the loom and replace from the generator break to the terminal blocks. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 5:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/30 "2015-06-19T05:42:22Z")
I did some checking and your. Olds has a headlight relay. I still suspect that part. ---
**Author:** ![41\_Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/8e7dd6/32.png) [@41\_Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/41_Olds)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 5:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/31 "2015-06-19T05:53:34Z")
My 41 Olds does not have a headlight relay. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 6:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/32 "2015-06-19T06:06:37Z")
That’s interesting because I found a parts listing for a Delco headlight relay for GM cars including the 1941Olds. I think my 1947 Pontiac had a headlight relay, but it has been too long ago. Try googling 1941 Olds headlight relay. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/33 "2015-06-20T02:51:18Z")
I’ve concluded that some on-line parts places will list parts that aren’t original, but that you might want to buy. You certainly could add a headlight relay to a car that didn’t have one originally. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/34 "2015-06-20T02:58:37Z")
> My 41 Olds does not have a headlight relay. 41\_Olds: Are you saying both your dashboard headlight switch and the floor hi/lo switch have full headlight current passing through them? When did manufacturers stop doing that? I assumed by 1941, but I guess I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/35 "2015-06-20T04:44:17Z")
> _Are you saying both your dashboard headlight switch and the floor hi/lo switch have full headlight current passing through them?_ > > _When did manufacturers stop doing that? I assumed by 1941, but I guess I’m wrong._ 1993 Chev Corsica/Beretta FSM shows full headlight current through these switches (no relays). ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/36 "2015-06-21T02:14:10Z")
I don’t think that any cars of that era used relays. The earliest ones that I can think of were 60s era Type III VWs that used a dual relay for the fuel injection. With a voltmeter maybe it would be a good idea to proble the headlight connectors and determine what kind of voltage is present. I assume this car is a 6 volt that has not been converted to 12. Sometimes the old 6 volt VW Bugs and Busses would develop issues when they would not start due to aged wiring and connectors. Maybe you need to verify the voltage present and also make sure the ground connection(s) on the leads from the lamps are clean. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/37 "2015-06-21T02:42:02Z")
I found a Delco Remy headlight relay part #1116789 for GM 6 volt cars from 1936 through 1954. I don’t know if there was one for each headlight or one relay served both headlights. I thought the headlights on my 1947 Pontiac and my 1950Chevrolet pickup were fed through relays. It has been too long since I owned these vehicles so my memory might not be accurate. It also seems to me that either Sears or Montgomery Ward had headlight relays available in its catalogues. It may be that when 12 volt systems were adopted\_relays weren’t necessary because the lights required only half the amperage. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/38 "2015-06-21T02:49:18Z")
I just thought of somethng else for the OP. Does the high beam indicator come on when you press the summer switch for high beams? ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/39 "2015-06-21T03:20:15Z")
I stand corrected about the relay. Seeing as how there is a relay involved I would make sure that thing is clicking when the lighting is turned on. It should not be that difficult to sort this problem out. I wasn’t aware that cars of this era even used relays although Harley Davidson motorcycles going way back before 1941 do use a relay for their 3-Brush generators. ---
**Author:** ![41\_Olds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/8e7dd6/32.png) [@41\_Olds](https://community.cartalk.com/u/41_Olds)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 7:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274/40 "2015-06-21T07:09:14Z")
I am pretty sure I have found the prolem the high beam wore fom the dimmer switch is severely deteriorated and is broken in several places. My car DOES NOT have a headlight relay. The high beam indicator does not come on when the high beams are selected. I am currently replacing ALL of the wiring in the engine compartment. One wire at a time. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/headlight-blues/90274.md?page=3)