73 Charger headlight problem ???

[3rdgencharger]

I have been working on this 73 Charger to try to get the headlights to work for quite a while now! I have changed the headlight switch, the ignition switch, checked the wiring ( which seems to be a bit cobbed up). I can get the lights to come on if I run a wire from one of the tabs on one of the headlight plugs to a ground, but the wire is a HOT wire..... When I check it with the meter it checks out hot! Seems like a ground problem of some kind, but I am running out of ideas! Got any suggestions? Thanks!

[Topher]

Check list:

Do you have a meter?

Do you have a wiring diagram?

Did you use them correctly?

If you answered no to any one of the questions above, take the car to a professional before you hurt yourself or burn the car up.

Don't take it the wrong way, but you seem to be grasping at straws by grounding random wires. Use the right tools and you'll find your problem and hopefully fix it.

[3rdgencharger]

Thanks for the input, topher, but I have been working on cars now for 35 years and I have been getting the job done myself by asking questions and just doing it....trial and error. This one will not be going to any "professional"....I will get it done myself with a little help form my Friends! Just looking for some practical advise in getting down to the root of the problem! Thanks for your well meaning advise, but that is not what I have in mind.

[Topher]

Do you have the above mentioned items? If so, the first 2 things to check is:

Do you have voltage coming to the headlights?

Do you have a good ground?

If you don't have either one, use the wiring diagram to work backwards from the lights to find your problem by checking all connections from the headlights to the headlight switch, and proper ground.

[3rdgencharger]

Yes, I have all those tools. I have the meters, the wiring diagrams ( Body and chasis service manuals) and 35 years of tool collecting! I am not the greatest at using the diagrams to figure out problems, but I will see if they help locate this problem. There is a thicker black wire coming from the steering column that goes into the white plastic plug, and it plugs into the other side where the black wire is supposed to be connected.....
On my 73 SE, these 2 black wires connect together with this plug, but on the Charger that I am working on the black coming from the column is hot, but so is the black wire coming from the harness that is supposed to be connected to each other...CAN'T do that! And the white plug is burnt at the spot where these 2 wires once plugged in together! It is a bit of a puzzle, but if I cannot get it figured out, I will take the complete wiring harness from one of my parts cars that is in working condition, and put it into this car!  Only thing is that all I have to use are SE cars, and this one is a Charger.
I hope this makes sense and someone has an idea of what is going on with this electrical problem!
Thanks for any help!

[3rdgencharger]

GOT IT ! I went ahead and changed the wiring harness from the firewall to the lights...presto...Lights! Now I need to explore why I am getting no power to the wiper motor! I pulled the switch and checked for power in the connector....nothing! Again....any suggestions would be appreciated! I cleaned the connector for the wipers on the firewall, but maybe not good enough... It looks from the wiring diagram like power comes into that box from another plug, but I need to examine those diagrams closer...

[3rdgencharger]

Trial and Error...the way we did it back in the day! That black wire was not hot on both ends anymore after I changed the wire harness under the hood. I Put the black wire together, and now it all works!
The "professionals" are great for folks who don't have much experience and have more money than time, but for those of us who drove these cars back in the day, Held them together with bailing wire and ran them on a $1.00 per hour minimum wage job...we learned to get the job done without the "professionals" !
I should have this one on the road within a couple weeks!
Not a show car by ANY means, but one that brings me back to another day...another time when I get behind the wheel!