The switch is used to "dim" the brights, the high beams as we call them in
North America. My English father used to call the US-style one on the floor
the dip switch!

Jake

----- Original Message -----
From: "Wesley Pegden" <wes@CS.UCHICAGO.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 7:54 PM
Subject: Re: headlight relay installation problems...

> Thanks for the clarification!
> I was quite confused---I always assumed that the "dimmer" switch was the
> headlight switch in the dash, so-called because of the variable resistor
> that "dims" the dash-lights.  I feel foolish now!
>
> That explains all of my problems, and completely clarifies why the
> instructions I had didn't make sense to me.  For the record, the kit I
> have is the one Terry sells, and, with this new revelation, his kit is
> indeed straightforward to install, and the instructions are quite correct.
>
> Thanks again,
> Wes
>
> Jake de Villiers wrote:
>
> >Wes, the wand IS the dimmer switch!
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Wesley Pegden" <wes@CS.UCHICAGO.EDU>
> >To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> >Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 5:09 PM
> >Subject: Re: headlight relay installation problems...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>Hi guys,
> >>
> >>I've fixed my problem.  Indeed, the white wire was what I wanted.  I was
> >>quite confused.  Neither this, nor the yellow-and-black wire, go to the
> >>dimmer switch.  Both run between the wand and the fuse box.
> >>
> >>-Wes
> >>
> >>
> >>Wesley Pegden wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>Hi guys,
> >>>I'm putting in relays for the headlights in my '84.  I'm experiencing
> >>>some strange behavior, and am afraid I  have shorted something out (but
> >>>maybe not, then again).
> >>>
> >>>To install the relays, I cut the low and high beam wires (on my '84,
> >>>these are yellow-and-black and white-and-black, if I've done this
> >>>right), between the headlight (dimmer) switch and the turn signal/high
> >>>beam wand to the left of the steering wheel.  If I twist these wires
> >>>back together, everything works.  If I hook them all up to the relays
> >>>(which I believe are correctly grounded and powered) then only the high
> >>>beams work (but they really work: i.e, they stay on, whereas with both
> >>>of these wires cut, the high beams will flash when you pull the wand,
> >>>but not stay).  If I run just the high beam wires through one of the
> >>>relays, but twist the low-beam (yellow-and-black) wires together,
> >>>everything works, REGARDLESS of which relay the white-and-black wires
> >>>run through (Which is why I suspect the relays are okay).  On the other
> >>>hand, in any configuration where the yellow-and-black wires go through
a
> >>>relay, I can't get the low beams to work.
> >>>
> >>>Other possibly strange  behavior:  To get the low-beams to work, I need
> >>>to twist together both sets of wires, whereas for the high beams, just
> >>>twisting together the high-beam (white-and-black) wires is enough.
> >>>
> >>>Have I perhaps used the wrong wires?  There's a white wire coming out
> >>>the signal wand... should I have used that instead of the
> >>>white-and-black wire?
> >>>
> >>>Thanks for any help, guys.
> >>>
> >>>-Wes
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>--
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> >>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> >>Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.7/180 - Release Date: 11/23/05
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.7/180 - Release Date: 11/23/05
>
>