Bad Brights Switch

[John_parkeriv]

So recently I reconnected the old floor mounted bright switch in my '66... And now the headlights don't work. The small indicator lights will still work, but not the main headlights. I've disconnected the bright switch but still nothing. It's almost like the lights are stuck with the brights on but the brights aren't working, anyway to like hard reset it?

 

[Broncobowsher]

Go to the headlights. If the high beam indicator on the dash is working you have power from the headlight switch to the dimmer switch and out of the dimmer switch to at least the high beam circuit. The dash indicator is tapped in after the high beam switch.

If you can disconnect the high beam switch and still have headlights, you don't have stock wiring. Someone had gone and done something... just call it creative. Because it isn't anything people normally do.

 

[B RON CO]

Hi, the button switch on the floor is usually called a dimmer switch. How it works is there are three wires in the plug (don't ask me the colors). A wire from the headlight switch feeds the dimmer switch when the headlight switch is pulled all the way out (two clicks). One of the other wires feeds the regular low beam headlights. The other wire feeds the high beams. Step on the dimmer switch and you get either high or low beam, but never both at the same time. So if you only have high beams someone bypassed the dimmer, and, as mentioned, got creative. So you should be able to find the high beam and low beam wires. on the left fender well, going into the firewall, and hook it up the way it is supposed to be. Good luck

 

[Jimboss77]

Many years ago with my first Bronco I had a dimmer switch problem. On a very narrow road I met a truck coming towards me in the middle of the night. I had my brights on and as we got closer I hit the dimmer to go to low beam but....the headlights turned off completely! Still not sure how we didn’t collide but the next day I had a new dimmer switch.

 

[DirtDonk]

And it's not impossible for both high-beam filaments to be burned out on the bulbs.
Maybe one went out and nobody noticed, then the next one went and now you really notice!

Are you saying though, that you don't have low-beams either? Does the high-beam indicator light on the dash stay lit in both positions, or does it go out when you click the switch again and again?

Sounds like you may be doing some testing with a volt-meter.

Good luck.

Paul

 

[Broncobowsher]

Many years ago with my first Bronco I had a dimmer switch problem. On a very narrow road I met a truck coming towards me in the middle of the night. I had my brights on and as we got closer I hit the dimmer to go to low beam but....the headlights turned off completely! Still not sure how we didn’t collide but the next day I had a new dimmer switch.

My '77 F250 sometimes does that. You get really good at stomping the dimmer switch in a double stomp to get the contacts to clean themselves. The more you cycle that switch, the better they work (after sitting for a decade without use).

If it gets worse and not better, time for a new switch.

 

[John_parkeriv]

And it's not impossible for both high-beam filaments to be burned out on the bulbs.
Maybe one went out and nobody noticed, then the next one went and now you really notice!

Are you saying though, that you don't have low-beams either? Does the high-beam indicator light on the dash stay lit in both positions, or does it go out when you click the switch again and again?

Sounds like you may be doing some testing with a volt-meter.

Good luck.

Paul

I managed to get them working again, I had to pull the dimmer switch back up and click it down again and the lights came right back on... not sure if that means a wires shot or the high/low beams are shot...

 

[DirtDonk]

It usually means that the switch itself is on it's way out.

You can take the connector off the switch, and with a small length of jumper wire connect the center terminal to one of the others temporarily. If every time you do this the lights come on as expected, the wiring is probably fine.
If you do this and there are still some inconsistencies, then you will have to trace the wires to the lights and see if there are any damaged spots.

It's possible too that right out at the headlight connector they are getting old and rusty. They do hang out in one of the worst environments on the vehicle (right up there with the floor mounted dimmer switch getting all that dirt and water and snow melt (aka water!) and mud and gunk and sand and dust and, oh yeah, just getting used and getting old, like switches do.

I've seen quite a few compromised connectors at the lights over the years, but way more switches gone bad.
You'll have to be the detective here though, since you're right there and can see all the little bits and pieces.
But don't hesitate to get a new switch if that's what your search leads to.

Paul