[DeTomaso] Headlight circuit breaker

[Mike Scardina]

This is my first posting.  I've been a reader and big fan of the list and all of your advice and commentary for a few years.  Thanks for that.

I have a 1974 GTS #7204(www.panteraplace.com/page143.htm)and recently started having an intermittant electrical problem... a periodic lack of battery power going to various circuits.  I've referred to the wiring diagrams and schematics at Panteraplace and think everything seems to point to a switch problem similar to the one discussed here earlier in the month with Scott Carpenter.  Before I attack the switch I plan to look at a few of the other items suggested in those previous postings.

One of the symptoms I had was a buzzing of the headlight motor relay whenever there was no power going to the starter and various other circuits.  Having studied the schematics, I noticed that my headlight motor relay was wired differently than the schematics.  On my car, the red and black wire was totally disconnected (hanging loose) and there are three black (ground) wires leading to the headlight relay, rather than one as suggested by the schematics.  Remarkably,  when I'm not having the intermittant loss of electrical problem, the headlights work perfectly!  I plan to compare all of the relay wiring to the schematics and see if changing it makes a difference.

Another difference I noted was that my car appears to have a circuit breaker in the headlight circuit.  I can't find a wiring schematic that shows that.  However, I assume it is an OEM part.  I see one listed on various Pantera parts lists as part 15045A.  I simply want to make sure it is wired correctly since it appears someone in the past has messed around with some of the other wires which appear to be connected to the wrong terminals.  There are two terminals on the circuit breaker.  The way the circuit breaker is wired on my car is that a black ground wire goes to one of the terminals and two black wires come off of the other terminal and those two wires lead to two separate terminals on the headlight motor relay.  The schematics typically show just one ground wire leading to the headlight motor relay.  Are any of you familiar with this circuit breaker and how it is supposed to be wired?

Best,
Mike