How fast should the headlights go up and down?

[andyelan]

Hi

As I say, the lights on my car, '74 130s/5 (fail safe), will say down for weeks if not months without a problem so it is quite possible.

Andy

[JimE]

The most I leave my car is 5 weeks when I am abroad for my summer holiday and they haven't budged when I get home. They are failsafe. The only time they failed was when the vacuum was breached as a result of a faulty chassis which had to be replaced. JimE.

[hastu]

I looked at the whole thing again yesterday. I disconnected all the pipes for the vacuum. I then pushed the pods down by hand. These should then snap back up again using spring pressure. But they don't. So before I look for the leak in the vacuum, this mechanism has to work first.
I have discovered that screw 53 does not properly secure rod 50 to the POD. Is it correct that this rod-POD connection must be absolutely fixed?

[andyelan]

Hi There

Yes bolt 53 secures the rod to the pod and needs to be tight. The hole in the rod is larger than the diameter of the bolt to allow the two pods to be adjuster individually to get them flush with the bodywork so there needs to be a good thick washer under each bolt head so they can tightened up properly to clamp the pods to the rod otherwise they'll just keep coming lose. Bolt 51 is of course the pivot.

Regards
Andy

[gus]

Staying down weeks or months is different from 'permanently'

I bet the large washer is missing and the hole is getting egged out. Get that connection tight and located so it will operate full up to full down. You may have to open the stops on the farside[or not] to get the travel correct on the nearside. Once the nearside is working you can adjust the farside to match

[billwill]

There is usually a one way valve in the vacuum pipe from the manifold. You have not mentioned that, so is it OK.
Or there must be some air getting in somewhere.
Although mine is an Elan without the fail safe system the lamps rise in a few seconds and will hold for a few hours.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

I believe that the one-way valve there is important as it should prevent petrol fumes from getting into the air/vacuum reservoir.