Stupid *^&^(## headlights....Help :(

[Tychro88GT]

Okay, some of you already knew from last year that i was having troubles with my headlights, But i'll explain my situation again.

When i turn on my headlilghts, they dont turn on, the side parkers do turn on, as well as the rear lights, but not the actual headlamps. Now if i pull back on the high beams, they do turn on, but only if i hold the switch back, they dont turn on if i push the switch forward into the locking position for the high beams. I cannot figure out why and i'm hoping you guys canhelp, cause its freaking annoying and pissing me off.

1. I put in brand new bulbs
2. I checked the fuse and even replaced it just in case, but it still wouldnt make sense because the side markers come on which is connected to the same fues as the headlamps.
3. I replaced the entire light switch itself, i was thinking maybe the reley inside was fried.
4. I did a visual inspection of the plugs and wires, no burn marks or sign or tearing or general wear and tear on them, they look fine.

What else am i missing? Last season before i parked it when i went to turn on the lights and if they didnt turn on that time, usually all i had to do was flick the high beams off and on one or 2 times and the head lamps would turn on. It did this for months, all i had to do was flicker the high beams and boom the lights would come on. But now this no longer works.

HELP :(

[tear u a new 1]

hmmmm .. it sounds like the switch to me. cause when your pullin they go on, right ? im talkin the one in your steering colom might be fucked ;) . cause thats the tatle tale that lets the circut know if your on high or low

[SilentNoise]

Well, as far as I can tell, it should be something toward the switch side of things.... I say that because of the thing you mentioned about having to keep a hand on the headlight switch.

I'm kind of wondering if it might be the connection that the headlight switch plugs into that's causing the problems. Without actually sitting there and looking at it, I'm going to guess that it would probably be a bit of a pain to replace, but that's probably what I'd put my money on at the moment.

When you replaced the switch, was it a used one or brand new that you swapped in? (figured I'd ask).

[Tychro88GT]

It was a brand new switch i put in.

And i when i pull back on the high beam switch, it's still the high beams that come on and not the low beams.

[SilentNoise]

Ya, I'm betting on the connection that the switch plugs into

... at least that's what I'm thinking without being able to get in there.

[5.0 Fugitive]

Dustin, did you just replace the on/park/lights switch on the dash pod or the high beam switch on the steering column. Sounds like your issue is in the high beam switch on the column. If that doesn't fix it, you need to get a wiring diagram and a meter and start tracing where the problem exists.

[SilentNoise]

Oh hey, duh. Good call

[Tychro88GT]

ya i just replaced the dash pod switch, not the high beam steering column one. I've never actually look at how the column cover comes off, is it fairly easy or complicated?

[Matthew]

It's not that hard to take apart. You need a long phillips screwdriver for the two screws in the cover. You can probably get at what you need with just the plastic cover removed.

-Matthew

[tear u a new 1]

ya what 86 lx said ;D

[Tychro88GT]

Fack, i'm not so sure i feel like tearing apart my wiring system, it will just get worse if i try that haha. :( i'll just take it to a garage and let them deal with lol.

[5.0 Fugitive]

Dustin. It shouldn't be that hard to change the column switch. Don't be scared to try. Taking it to a garage can be expensive. Electrical work is done strickly by the hour and can get real expensive fast.

[Tychro88GT]

lol its not that i'm scared, its that i'm lazy :P

i'll work on it when i find time, still pisses me off tho..

[Mavrick]

I had a similar problem with my Capri. When it got cold outside, I would pull the switch and get my running lights (side markers and tails), but no headlights. The headlights would work in the flash-to-pass mode, but otherwise nothing. After about 15-20 minutes to 'warm up', they would come on.

My problem happened to be a relay that was attached to a timer that would turn the lights off automatically X-minutes after the ignition was turned off. It seemed that the colder weather thickened up the grease inside the relay too much, and it couldn't engage. Once it warmed up, and all summer long, it was fine.

You might not have a timer, but if you have an alarm or a command start that flashes your lights, check your relays.