1965 65-03117 365 hp- headlights go on and off by themselves

[Michael V.]

I have a 1965 365 hp - I have rebuilt the headlight motors and all is fine with the motors, however the headlights when on- after a short while turn off- then after a short amount of time ( could be about 30 sec to 1 min) they go back on, I thought it was a short or a loose wire because I was drving, but it did it again when I was stopped- any thoughts? someone had said the head light switch itself- but they were not sure

-thanks
Mike- 65 365hp conv

[Dan D.]

Re: 1965 65-03117 365 hp- headlights go on and off by themselves

Its the circuit breaker in the headlight switch. Did you buy a new switch, or is it the original? Did you change to Halogen headlights? The repro switches are famous for this. It can be fixed. I have a test setup for this and I have fixed several of them for other members.

-Dan-

[Michael V.]

Re: 1965 65-03117 365 hp- headlights go on and off by themselves

Im not sure if it is original or was changed prior to me getting the car, not sure about the headlights either- I am having issues with my interior lights not even going on, so I was going to buy a new switch but wanted to check to see if this is a known problem, what do you recommend I do first?

[Dan D.]

Re: 1965 65-03117 365 hp- headlights go on and off by themselves

Mike, when you say interior lights, do you mean courtesy lights or dash lights? The only part the headlight switch plays with the courtesy lights is it turns them on when the knob is rotated fully CCW. The dash lights are a different story. The headlight switch provides the dimming function, and corrosion in the rheostat connections are a common problem with these old switches. This too can usually be fixed, as long as the nichrome resistance wire and the ceramic housing are not broken. If the dash lights are not working at all, first check the 3 amp fuse in the firewall fuse panel.

I would recommend you try and fix the existing one if you can. A repro may work okay, and if not it can probably be made to work with some minor tweaking. But the rule of thumb on this forum is "use the original if at all possible". And I definitely support this rule.

I see from your profile you are in NY. I'm in the Rochester area.

-Dan-