[DeTomaso] Electro-techno question: Headlight gremlins

[cengles at cox.net]

Dear Forum, 

The situation: due to the other civilian cars being at college with my daughters plus two more in the shop, I "had'' to drive the Pantera this morning. The schedule required departing at oh-dark-hundred just after my wife left with the last civilian car. 

She said ominously as she left, "Do you want me to wait to see if the Pantera will start?" 
"No, it'll be fine.", I replied nonchalantly. 

It had been running fine since the carb had been fixed, but I did have a little trepidation when I turned the key. It started with a familiar, "KA-WHUMP, rumble, burble, rumble." 

"Ah, No problems", I thought and hit the headlight switch. 

They didn't come up. Controlling myself, I remained calm and told myself that this was an Italian electrical circuit. I turned it off for a few seconds and turned it back on. They came up!!-------but, they went back down before my eyes! I waited a few more seconds and tried it again---it worked and they stayed up. I pulled out of the garage and then locked up the house. When I returned the Pantera was burbling along nicely, but the headlights were down again. Sigh. Switch off and then back on and they came up and stayed up for the eight mile run to the hospital. After rounds, it was time to take off for the other hospital and the up-and-down syndrome continued four or five times over the mercifully short run. 

So, I have a damnable electrical gremlin. I had to replace the position limit switches on this car last year and it did, at that time, normally operate the headlights up and down. The headlights *did* work also. However, there was never any occasion for night driving until this morning. 

Best guesses on the problem location: Headlight switch? Headlight limit switches? 

Tangential tale: I just got a call from a colleague. "Is that your yellow Pantera in the garage?" I answered affirmatively. He replied, "That car is ******g beautiful." I agreed and congratulated him on his good taste. I told him that I had been a bad influence on Tim Tytle, who had purchased two Panteras. He was interested. I'll have to see if I can influence him, too!! 


Warmest regards, Chuck Engles