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Re: Monte Carlo Headlights

On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 12:58:03 GMT, "Rick Brandt"

> was heard to say: > >>Raym>>> On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 23:18:21 GMT, "Rick Brandt" >>> was heard to say: >>> > You're incorrect. High beams never mean all four lights on. At >>> > least not on any car I've ever seen. (maybe really old ones?) >>> > >>> >>> Well, of the cars with a four headlamp system I HAVE owned, (counting >>> on my fingers) a 1963 Buick LeSabre, 1971 Fury III, 1974 Fury, 1985 >>> Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, 1988 Lincoln Towncar, 1969 Dodge >>> SuperBee, and TWO 1984 Pontiac Sunbirds, I seem to remember that with >>> the highbeams on, the lowbeams would also be lit. I know it for a >>> fact, because I have always done my own maintenance, including >>> headlight alignment. Guess it IS possible that all of those cars had >>> a wiring fault.... >> >>My bad. I couldn't remember any instances of that, but of the two cars in >>my >>garage currently (94 Dodge Stealth and 02 RX300) the Stealth highbeams do >>NOT >>leave the low beams on, but the Lexus does. On the Stealth I can pull >>back on >>the turn signal stalk to "flash" the headlights and that illuminates all >>four >>lamps at once, but only as long as you hold the stalk back. >> >>So to the OP...apparently it depends on the model. >> > > Not a problem. Anyway, the question remains (but is somewhat answered > by Rick as being possible) is this setup normal for a 1998 Monte Z34? >

I'll crosspost this thread to the GM Newsgroup. Someone there should know.

Reply to
James C. Reeves
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All 4 headlights being lit was common back in the days of glass & metal headlight fixtures. Now, with plastic/plastic headlight fixtures, heat is the enemy.

Reply to
Sharon K.Cooke

One bulb on each side was a high beam bulb. The other was a 2 filament bulb, high and low. Therefore, all four were lit only on high beams.

Dave

Reply to
Hairy

And there are few vehicles that have that configuration any more, now being only two high/low dual filament fixtures per vehicle, or four headlights per vehicle, with discrete low beam outboards and inboard high beams. The official justification for the low beams going off when the highs were engaged was that high levels of foreground light from the low beams being left on with the highs diminished the effectiveness of the high beams, but I still think it's the heat from 4 bulb filaments burning at the same time in those plastic housings with plastic reflectors and plastic lenses.

Reply to
Sharon K.Cooke

You are probably correct that the plastic housings and reflectors wouldn't stand up to the heat produced by both filaments, but the old glass sealed beams wouldn't have had that problem, yet they only burned one filament at a time. I suspect filament life would be drastically reduced if both were on at the same time.

Dave

Reply to
Hairy

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