Head Lights

[Disposition]

Hey everyone,

Let me start by saying that for the past year I have had the funky headlight switch problem that many of you have encountered. I would have to turn it on and off a couple of times to get the headlights to come on. Recently the headlights finally went out. I was expecting this so I had printed off the PDF from here of how to take apart and clean the indicator switch. I followed the instructions to the tee, put it back together and still no lights.

I took the switch back apart thinking it could be the little nubs with the springs inside. They were fine. I decided to hold the contacts together by hand. Same thing, the parking lights would work, but not the headlights. I checked and I am getting heat all the way to the wiring up near the front bumper. Checked the fuses and the fuse box.

What are the chances both headlights could go at the same time and not blow the fuses? I would like to check to see if there is any power to the back of the lights, but I am going to have to drill the screw heads out and replace with pop rivets. Before I go through all of that I wanted to see if anyone else had a better idea.

Thanks for any susgeestions,

Darren M

[Daniel]

Wow! My hats off to you! My kind of tester! Your switch I assume is good after your "educational experence". The turn signal hi/ low is the next path. Thats the next weak link. Pay careful attention to the bottom of that switch where the fiber/ connections attach to the plastic housing.

[MikeW]

I was expecting this so I had printed off the PDF from here of how to take apart and clean the indicator switch. I followed the instructions to the tee, put it back together and still no lights.

I assume you're talking about the PDF I put together a while back. I'm glad you found it helpful but I'm sorry it didn't fix your problem. One thing I wish I had known during the years of driving with a flaky headlight switch is that you can bypass the switch completely in an emergency. The two heaviest wires coming to the combination switch (red and white as I recall) have bullet connectors and can simply be attached to one another. If the lights come on then you know it's the switch. If not, it's something else and hopefully all the work you did to repair the switch will still be useful once you track down the other problem.

[Disposition]

Thanks Daniel, I will check there next.

Yes Mike, that was the most detailed, well put together instructional guide I have ever found on this site. Thanks for your work on that. Even though that was not the fix, it needed it anyway and I learned a lot.

Thanks

Darren M