[toobroketoretire]

If any of you have headlight problems feel free to e-mail me at sw82vette@yahoo.com for help. I fully understand how they work and will be glad to help you get yours working right again.

[bluedawg357]

My problem is [ excuse the terminology] when the headlights are hooked up to the vaccum source in the engine compartment, the lights stay down, but when i unhook them at the little silver colored disk that has one in and two out, the come up. I figure that this means that the switch thats connected to the headlight switch is bad, but im not for sure. I would have emailed ya, but figured that wouldnt help the next guy that used the search engine.
Thanks in advance.
Blue

[toobroketoretire]

Originally Posted by bluedawg357

My problem is [ excuse the terminology] when the headlights are hooked up to the vaccum source in the engine compartment, the lights stay down, but when i unhook them at the little silver colored disk that has one in and two out, the come up. I figure that this means that the switch thats connected to the headlight switch is bad, but im not for sure. I would have emailed ya, but figured that wouldnt help the next guy that used the search engine.
Thanks in advance.
Blue

Go ahead and e-mail me as I can send you AutoCad drawings of the system along with detailed instructions how the system works. I prefer to work one-on-one outside of the forum for things like this.

[bluedawg357]

Alright.

[toobroketoretire]

Originally Posted by bluedawg357

Alright.

I read your post again and now I am getting the picture a little better. When you remove vacuum from that "little disc" that allows the spring-loaded spool inside to drop and reroute the vacuum to the front side (the open side) of the headlight pots. That's perfectly normal.

So what exactly is your headlights doing that you think is wrong?

The actuator relay valve under the nose is the valve that determines whether your headlights are lowered or raised and the headlight switch controls that actuator relay valve. When the headlight switch is turned OFF vacuum is sent to that "little disc" (lowering the headlights) and when the headlight switch is turned ON it cuts off the vacuum going to the "little disc" (raising the headlights).

[fishslayer143@yahoo.com]

Toobroke is right, if you eliminate vacuum to one side of the spool ,the other activates .. these things really aren t that complex, if you understand that vacuum is used to both,pull them open and pull them closed

[bluedawg357]

They dont come up unless i unhook it from it from the disk. I figure that its the headlight switch causing this, from the auto cad drawing if im correct, once you pull the switch it cuts the vaccum just like disconnecting the hose from the disk. Thoughts or corrections?

[toobroketoretire]

Originally Posted by bluedawg357

They dont come up unless i unhook it from it from the disk. I figure that its the headlight switch causing this, from the auto cad drawing if im correct, once you pull the switch it cuts the vaccum just like disconnecting the hose from the disk. Thoughts or corrections?

Yep, I have a gut feeling the two little hoses going thru your firewall got switched so your "hot" hose is going to your override valve instead of your headlight switch (I sent you an e-mail).

[toobroketoretire]

For those of you who have ever had vacuum hose routing problems I suggest putting a dab of paint on the ends of hoses that join together so you'll always know which hoses connect together. I just soak the end of a Q-Tip with spray paint then dab some paint on the hose ends. I also marked my headlight switch's nipples with red paint on the incoming nipple and blue paint on the outgoing nipple as well as marking the hoses that go to those nipples. Then once marked you'll always know where the hoses go.

I also put a wrap of 1" wide masking tape on the larger hoses that go to my relay valves; marked "top", "middle" and "bottom" so when I have them off for any reason I'll know right away how they go back on.

[toobroketoretire]

Originally Posted by fishslayer143@yahoo.com

Toobroke is right, if you eliminate vacuum to one side of the spool ,the other activates .. these things really aren t that complex, if you understand that vacuum is used to both,pull them open and pull them closed

The "actuator relay valve" under the nose has a spring-loaded diaphragm at the top that is controlled by the little vacuum hose that attaches to it. When vacuum is applied to that diaphragm it lifts the internal spool up and connects the middle hot hose to the top hose that goes to the rear of the headlight pots (closing them). Then when vacuum is removed from that diaphragm the spring pushes the spool down and connects the middle hot hose to the bottom hose that goes to the front of the headlight pots (opening them). And it's the headlight switch that controls the vacuum going to that top diaphragm. When the headlight switch is turned ON vacuum is supplied to the diaphragm and when it's turned OFF that vacuum is cut off (and bled off inside the switch).