Headlights Flickering

[Ken's 57]

Driving home tonight I noticed the FE's Lucas headlights were rapidly going off and coming back on again (as well as the dash lights). Stopped and checked the rear only to observe tail lights and number plate light doing the same. It was okay on parking lamps though.

Switched off the valve radio and turned the headlights back on and they seem to behave themselves. Aha I thought.....there's the issue. Headed up the road and turned the radio back on but headlights were fine. 

I'd appreciate any thoughts on the matter although I'm not going to tackle this one myself. My knowledge of car electrics extends to knowing that to make the lights come on you pull the knob out and push it back in to turn them off 

If anyone can recommend an auto electrician in the Hunter or Central Coast I'd appreciate it as well as any suggestions as to possible causes.

Cheers, Ken

[Harv]

G'day Ken,

The FE is fitted with a protective device in the lighting circuit (its part of the headlight switch). It has an internal bi-metal strip, and acts as a circuit breaker. If there is too much current flowing in the lighting circuit, the bimetal strip heats up, flexes, and opens the circuit. The lights go off, the bimetal strip cools, bends back and remakes the circuit. This causes the lights to rpaidly flicker. Its supposed to be safer to have flickering lights than no lights at all (say if a fuse was fitted).

So your vehicle is drawing too many amps, and is protecting itself as designed.

Ask your sparky to locate which lighting circuit device (bulb, wiring, switch) is drawing the high current, and then either clean it up or replace it.

Cheers,
Harv

[Ken's 57]

Thanks Harv. Will take a print-out of your comments to an auto electrician. I'm told there is a good one at Raymond Terrace.
Cheers, Ken 

[HAD 708]

Hi
Just a note re headlight flicker!! About 16 yrs ago I was driving home from a drive in night in my FC and had the lights flicker on and off numerous times and go out  drove to a friends on parkers and he installed a new headlight switch all good ............ no driving 20 minutes up the road and the loom caught on fire in the main street of Cranbourne !! I rolled the car over the intersection and a man from the fish and chip shop came out with a fire extinguisher and put the fire out which was leaping from the bonnet by then !! the moral ALWAYS carry a fire extinguisher and ALWAYS check and double check electrical issues!!
Brett

[Ken's 57]

Oh yeah! Cheers Brett.