High beam / Low beam reversed on a 73E

[damsroy]

I currently have the original sealed beam GE sugar scoop headlights and will install soon European 72/73 H4s.
Currently high beam and low beam are reversed and I would like to fix it before I swap the headlights

Turn indicators and parking lights are working fine.
When the key is in the ON position:

-If I pull the light switch on the dashboard to the parking lights position (first stop) the green light on the dashboard will turn on and the city light in the turn signals will illuminate. Fine.

-If I pull the switch all the way:
o The blue light on the dashboard will turn on (it shouldn’t since it should activate low beams and not high beams)
o The high beams will illuminate on both headlights (same comment)
o Headlight flash or pushing the turn signal switch to the high beam position will illuminate the low beam on both headlights

I looked at the back of the light switch on the dashboard and everything seems to be wired properly and according to the diagram.
Also looked at how the headlights are wired and all looks original. There is no relay or non-original changes that I have been able to identify.
Where to go next? Turn signal switch ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Damien

[RSTarga]

Blue light goes on with high beams. Your wiring is switched around somewhere.

[edmayo]

Most common is either the plug at the back of the headlight or at the fuse panel. Did they EVER work correctly?? and if so what has been done since then,,,,like car disassembled for restoration?

[jim amato]

I had same problem on a 67 turned out the wiring had been repaired about 2-3 feet downstream from headlight plug connector and the wires were crossed on both sides

[damsroy]

Thank you David, Ed and Jim for your reply.
The car has never been disassembled nor restored. I don't think it has ever been repaired. All wiring looks original except for the suppression of the "check your seatbelt" light.
I don't know if they ever worked correctly. At least not for me ;-)
Based on your comments I will start at the headlight plug connector and work my way up from there.
Before reading your comments and since blue light goes on with low beams right now I was going to start from the T/S switch.

[edmayo]

Start with the headlight plug. When viewed from the front the order is white on your left, yellow on top, and brown on your right.

[dummkopf]

Mine was swapped at the head lamp plug when I first acquired it. It was doing the same thing.

[NeunElf]

The socket at the headlight bulb is probably the easiest place to switch the wires, but if the blue high beam indicator is on with the low beams then the wires are "crossed" somewhere between the fuse box and the high/low beam--turn signal switch.

It's probably more likely at the relay than at the high beam/low beam--turn signal switch.

You can switch the wires at the headlight socket and get low beams with the high beam/low beam--turn signal switch at the middle/aft position and high beams at the forward position, but the blue indicator light will probably be on with the low beams.

[damsroy]

Thanks Jim. Makes sense. What do you mean by "at the relay"? Where is it located?
Will spend some time on it during the weekend.

The socket at the headlight bulb is probably the easiest place to switch the wires, but if the blue high beam indicator is on with the low beams then the wires are "crossed" somewhere between the fuse box and the high/low beam--turn signal switch.

It's probably more likely at the relay than at the high beam/low beam--turn signal switch.

You can switch the wires at the headlight socket and get low beams with the high beam/low beam--turn signal switch at the middle/aft position and high beams at the forward position, but the blue indicator light will probably be on with the low beams.

[NeunElf]

Thanks Jim. Makes sense. What do you mean by "at the relay"? Where is it located?
Will spend some time on it during the weekend.

Well, you caught me. My car's considerably older than yours and I don't have much documentation for LWB cars; just wiring diagrams SL33 and SL35. The headlight wiring for various early 911s is similar.

All early 911s (and presumably later 911s) have a relay (an electrically operated switch) that handles switching between high and low beams, or at least flashing the headlights. On my car, the headlight relay is a rectangular thing which I believe is hidden under the toe boards behind the pedals--I've never had to mess with it.

I think the wiring diagram for a '73 is probably SL33 which indicates a round relay. I think it's most likely in the trunk near the instruments. SL35 shows a rectangular relay so I think it describes an older car than SL33.

According to both SL33 and SL35, there should be terminals at that relay with DIN numbers:

Terminal#	Wire
30	White Wire from high/low beam switch
87a	White Wire to fuse box (and on to high beams)
87	two yellow wires, one from high/low beam switch, one to to fuse box (and on to low beams)

You can download wiring diagrams from:
http://early911nzdownloads.yolasite.com/electrical.php
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars/WiringDiag.htm

I do hope someone with more experience working on LWB cars will correct me if I'm wrong about the relay's location.