<VV> another weird corvair problem. it is lights this time

[Gary Mierzwa]

  Vairdad wrote:"after high beam lights on about 5 min. starts flashing on 
off like hazard warning lights".

The symptom you describe is usually due to an overload in the headlight 
circuit or a defective headlight switch.  The headlight switch has a thermal 
circuit breaker built in to it.  If overloaded, it trips off, cools down, 
and resets.

An overload may be caused by:
1.    changing from stock incandescent lamps to power hungry high intensity 
replacements.  If so you need to add an isolation relay to the headlamp 
circuit to reduce the current going through the headlamp switch.  Have you 
added any extra lamps to the circuit, such as fog lights, side markers, neon 
belly lights?

2 Do all of the other lights on the car still work? A shorted lamp may be 
enough to push the current up past the limit.  Check the parking lights,turn 
signal lamps, side marker lights, license plate lamp, dash lights, glove box 
lamp, optional under-dash courtesy lamps (I know: not optional on 
convertibles), optional engine cover or trunk lights.  The radio, it may be 
tied in to the instrument cluster light circuit.  DO BOTH of the high beams 
actually come on?  Maybe a bad headlamp.

3. shorted wires to ground in the lighting circuit.  Most likely in the high 
beam circuit, or the dimmer switch.

4.  Just an old worn out headlamp switch.  Sorry, I don't know if early and 
late switches ar interchangeable.  I suspect they are physically, but may 
function differently.  The parking lights come on with the headlights in 
lates, they don't in some earlier models.

Gary Mierzwa
WFCC
Chapter 325