('84 SE) My headlights quit on me the other night on my way home...I was visiting my parents ~50 miles away and left their place at dusk. Headlights worked fine on my way to the highway a few miles away. Before getting on the highway, I parked and got gas, then when I restarted the car and turned the headlights on, parking lamps came on, headlights popped up, but no high OR low beams! The only way to get any illumination was to pull back on the stem to "flash to pass" and hold it there with both beams on for the 45 mile drive home! My car is STIFF and LOW and it was such a horrible idea and so hard to do continually the whole way home, but I managed. I've had worn out combo switches on other FB's in the past, but it was always the loss of high beams, not both. All fusible links are visually and electronically tested, as well as all fuses. So were does my problem lie? I didn't have much luck searching, hoping this is something common and easy I haven't experienced before now...

 

Fusible link failure.

 

No sir...They(fusible links) have all been replaced with proper fuses and ALL test fine electronically(DMM) and visually. Is the "flash to pass" on a different circuit allowing it to still function, but not "normal" high or low beams?

 

What year is your car? I could check the wiring diagram for you.

 

I would lean towards the combination switch. Yeah it sounds odd for them both to fail at once, but if the fusible links are good then that would be my bet.

Does the high beam indicator light come on both when holding the "flash to pass" and in the other position?

You said the headlight go up and down normally when turning the headlights on and off.

I would take a volt meter/multi meter and check for voltage on the six pin connector at the combination switch. When you have the lights turn on check for voltage on the red/yellow wire or the red/blue wire. If the high beam indicator is coming on then I will bet you are getting power to the red/blue wire, but I suspect you won't get power or an indication until you hold the switch to the "flash to pass" position.

If you are not getting power to those two wires, and you are getting power to the combination switch, which I suspect you are because you can get the headlamps to go up and down by turning them off and on and the high beams work at all... then I would definitely replace the combination switch. (Although you might want to search for threads on combination switch. I think I remember reading a good one on cleaning/fixing them)

Good luck! Let us know what you find.

 

your combo switch is corroded (I think you know the solution)

either take it apart on the kitchen table with a towel underneath it to catch all the small parts and uncorrode it , or spray contact cleaner in it and exercise it.

or connector in the steering column was knocked loose or is corroded

"been that, did there"

 

Yeah kinda like opening a can of snakes, the towel is a good idea!

 

when opening a can of snakes, i like to have 3 beers... and a parts car (just in case)

 

The high beam indicator does come on when you flash to pass, but never otherwise. Headlights raise and lower if stem is twisted all the way, but never illuminate. I will have to try to check voltages @the switch with combo switch still connected. Thanks

 

Just last year, I had the switch apart, cleaned all corrosion, reassembled, worked great ever since(before I had problems with high beams staying on) until now. Another reason I find it really hard to believe it's the combo switch is because now matter how much you push/pull/jiggle the stem, neither beams even flicker once... It will be a few days, but I'll post what I find out when I finally get inside the switch. Thanks

 

Isn't there a fuseable link in the steering column?

 

I've never heard of one, but now I really want to know! I will also look for this and report when I get back to my car.

 

I just took a look at the 1985 wiring diagram and the olny fusable link for the headlights are under the hood. My guess is that the combo switch is bad.

 

Well, as far as I can tell, I do have power on the red/blue, no power on red/yellow...It was hard to find a good ground, but once or twice I saw ~11.95 VDC on the red/blue with the lights turned on...Sometimes it was ~4 VDC, but I was trying to hold a needle to a ground, a needle in the connector, twist and pull stuff, etc. Also, since it's cold, I broke pretty much EVERYTHING plastic I touched. The column surrounds, the nubs that turn your blinkers off, etc. This sucks. I guess I'll have to try another switch when I get one. BTW, where does power come INTO the combo switch? Thanks again.