Headlights do not turn on.

[Fiatracertracer]

My headlights do not turn on.

The car starts but the headlights do not come on when the switch is turned on..... it worked fine a month ago.

While the car is running, the red battery light comes on when I switch the headlight switch to the on position.

Is this a common problem? Any ideas?

[phaetn]

I'm not an electrical guru but first things first I'd check the fuse.

Do you have the brown wire fix? Are you running the lights through a relay?

If your battery has enough power to turn the starter then it's likely not a battery issue in and of itself (e.g. low charge or not taking a charge b/c of an alternator issue, which is normally when the red light comes on).

Have you changed anything at all on the car since they worked?

Cheers,
phaetn

[124JOE]

there are two ground pods on the inside of your fenders one right side and one left
i will bet they are not in good condition
go thru one wire at a time and clean and use dielectric grease
then you should be fine

[So Cal Mark]

if the red battery light is on with the engine running, the alternator is not charging

[Fiatracertracer]

Hello phaetn,

Regarding the brown wire fix..... correct me if this is wrong, but I was told that because my spider is a 1982 model year, it does not need the brown wire fix. Is this correct?

Hello Mark,

The red light comes on when the light switch is turned on.

Also, when I turn the radio on, the radio continually flashes on and off, (powers on and off) and the red battery light on the dash flashes in concordance.

I was wondering if the ground wire that is soldered on the chassis and is connected to the lower battery bolt, could be the cause?

[DieselSpider]

Hello phaetn,

Regarding the brown wire fix..... correct me if this is wrong, but I was told that because my spider is a 1982 model year, it does not need the brown wire fix. Is this correct?

Hello Mark,

The red light comes on when the light switch is turned on.

Also, when I turn the radio on, the radio continually flashes on and off, (powers on and off) and the red battery light on the dash flashes in concordance.

I was wondering if the ground wire that is soldered on the chassis and is connected to the lower battery bolt, could be the cause?

You need to get a volt/ohm meter and follow the power. For example with the car running without disconnecting anything
if you get a small voltage reading between the negative terminal itself on the battery and the ground cable then you have a dirty ground cable clamp on the battery however if you get a small voltage reading between the ground cable and the chassis then you have a bad ground cable to chassis connection. You really have to follow the power on both the ground and positive sides until you find the problem. Yes many times it will be the ground pods on each front fender or under the dashboard. You may also have an alternator that needs attention since the radio flashing on an off is an indication of low voltage.

Go though it methodically and you will get to the root cause.

Harbor Freight regularly has their small Volt/Ohm meter on sale for less than $7 which will do the job nicely and includes the very common 9 volt battery that's easy to find replacements for.

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function ... 90899.html

[geecee]

Did you ever resolve it?

[Fiatracertracer]

Yes. I had to wipe clean all the ground connections in the engine compartment. Also cleaned the the connector behind the headlights

I am i the process of installing relays on both the headlights. I bought 2 - 5 prong relays with pigtails from Napa.

Does anyone have a "how to" on how to install relays on the headlights?