Re: Headlights going out on '78 Le Baron

Check the relay.

Bob

Thanks for the input! Do you know where this circuit breaker is located? According to the haynes manual "some circuit breakers are located in the fuse box", is that where this one is?

Which one?

I pulled out the headlight switch today and it gave off a slight clicking noise in unison with the headlights' blinking, would that be from the CB? Would a single bad connection in one of the high beam headlights cause all four headlights to go out simultaneously? The manual described a method for testing the dimmer switch for faults with an ohmmeter, which I plan to do as soon as I get my hands on one.

You nailed it exactly. Chryslers don't do this as often as Fords, but they do exactly what you describe occasionally. Once the breaker starts tripping, it only gets worse and has to be replaced.

The breaker itself is a part of the headlamp switch (the one on the dash, not the dimmer). Replace the whole thing.

There IS no relay in the headlamp circuit on a '78 LeBaron, unless it's been modified.

Yes, all 4 lights are fed through the single breaker. However I suspect there is no fault in the wiring (or it would go out almost immediately). the most likely cause is that the breaker is just "weak" from age and trips prematurely.

Not a bad idea. If you repeatedly trip your new switch and breaker because of a fault, it will begin to prematurely trip even without a fault.

Thanks! The headlamp switch is made up of a brown littel box (which I suppose is the CB) which all the wires go into, a wheel of some sort for dimming the instrument linghs and a retractable knob. The knob detaches from the rest along with an outer casing. I suppose I can keep the knob and the outer casing, that it's not really a part of the switch?

Is the part as inexpensive as I imagine and hope it to be, $10-20 ?

Thanks again.

Thanks a million for the help!

I'll replace the headlight switch and the dimmer (I'll replace them together) and examine all the things you mentioned.

I tested it today and it failed. According to the manual, the resitance should remain the same in the low beam circuit with the switch in either position The resistance in the high beam circuit should vary according to the switch's position. I this case I only got a reading on one at a time, either the LB or the HB depending on switch position, but never the LB and the HB. So I guess I'll have to replace that as well. I replaced it last year hoping to cure the same problem (it didn't), and used it for maybe a month before I put the car away for a year while I did my tour in the army, so it's hardly been used.