I have not been able to use my high beams for quite some time now because of a flaw in the combo switch in the steering column that causes the lights to cut off and on as the switch heats up. It is actually a bad setup on fords part because rather than routing the current through a relay that can handle it they route it all through that switch and over time the switch will fail.


Anyway, I know that problem exists, I just don't use the high beams. However, now it is doing it on the low beams, I also observed that the dash lights got dimmer when the low beams cut out. they come back on but still this is not safe. We do a lot of driving in the dark and the lights have got to work.


You guys think it's the head light switch??? how hard is it to replace it? estimated cost?


Also how hard is it to pull the guage cluster out to replace burned out bulbs?


Thanks,
-Mike-

 

Seems like you might have a short in the headlight wire. It has a heavy duty circuit breaker for the lights. Check at the headlight socket.

 

i replaced dash guage light bulbs on my 91. not hard took 2 hrs of fooling around. what year is yours? on the 91 dash is relativley easy to get into. the driver has a pod in front of him and two control pods on the side. they are connected.. all three come off with small screws. the hood over the center also has small screws on the back of it, close to the windshield. these can be removed with a very short philips head screw driver. with the center hood off, , then you can get to the plastic screen infront of the guages. on mine the guages themselves just pull straight out. they have a bayonet type fittong. this reveals the bulbs behind them. also a bayonet type bulb. i had a hard time finding all the replacement bulbs. the guage cluster ones were common enough, but i also had to replace one on the heat controll pod. it was harder to find. good luck rick

 

Mine is a 92, it has the newer dashboard in it. I looked up the procedure for that in the haynes manual. Looks like it'll take a while. I wonder how many bulbs are in there, might as well replace all of them when I take it apart so I wont have to go in there again. I did that job on my 1994 Escort and had to un bolt the steering column to get the dash trim panel out! What a pain that was! Also lost the speedo cable retaining clip! Glad the Aero wont be that in volved.

I am going to check the head light wiring in the Aero later on after I drop my scort off at the alignment shop. I will let you guys know if I find anything that would indicate the cause of the problem. Could it be a failing curcuit breaker as well? Maybe the breaker is getting old and is more sensitive to temp. now than when it was new, and is in turn shutting down power when it shouldn't???? just a thought.


-Mike-

 

I visually inspected the wiring and didn't see any cuts in the insulation. Wiggled connector with the lights on and could not duplicate the problem, However, the switch does seem a little vibration sensative, when I hit the dash the lights flickered but didn't completely go out like the other day.

I also cleaned the lenses again, it was time. I used 3M's rubbing compund. Does anyone know anything that would do a better job of restoring yellowed head lights????

 

on another vehicle i used some plastic lens cleaner i found at auto zone. did a fair job on my wifes dodge van head lights. did a great job on my speedometer / guages lens in the dash board. i cleaned it while i had it apart. if i remember right there were about 6 light bulbs in mine, about three per side, behind the guages and speedometer. rick

 

I remember changing all my instrument cluster bulbs when I first got my van. It was a pretty easy job if you have the service manual and patience. I'm going to hear it for this comment, but toss your Hayne's manual away since it contains so little information. Get the service manuals and you'll save lots of aggravation.

 

hey! can you still get service manuals for aerostars? how would i check? rick

 

Turned out to be a bad headlight switch afterall. The switch was aged and something internal was causing it to get HOT. It actualy melted part of the conector that hooks to it, Which I will have to replace when I can get the part.

Swapping the switch was easy. on 92 up, remove ash tray and two screws uncovered by removing it. pull the center trim panel off and let it hang down. Gently pry off the drtivers A/C vent with a screwdriver. once you're this far simply remove the five screws that hold the guage cluster trim panel in. You will have to put the steering column down and put the vehicle in low gear to get the trim panel out. Before you can remove the panel you must rotate the headlight **** until you can see a notch in it insert a small flat head screwdriver in that notch and pull toward you; the **** should release, and you can now remove the trim panel.

The switch is held in place by two screws, remove them and pull it out. disconect the wiring from the switch. if you look at the switch there is a button on top of it pull out the shaft then push the button down and pull the shaft out, put the shaft in the new switch while pushing the button down. You guys don't realize how long it took me to figure out how to get that shaft out of the switch, the haynes manual doesn't mention the button. Remove the mounting plate from the old switch via the nut, and transfer it to the new switch also. Now put everything back together.... not hard at all.


I think it took about 30 minutes.

We'll see if the lights work correctly now, I will post an update after driving it in the morning.


-Mike-

 

Hi Mike,

I've posted about my experiences with headlights in my 1990 Aero, and my 1987 Mustang. Both had the same problem; the headlight switches overheating, and tripping their internal thermal breakers. The problem is that the headlight switches and their wiring simply can not handle the current that the lights draw. I've installed relays in both my cars. And yes, the more it happens, the worse it gets; the switch contacts will develop more resistance with age and overheating, causing more overheating, and the thermal breaker gets weaker with each trip. There is a good chance that your new switch will start to overheat again, and causing the same problems. I would advise strongly to install a pair of relays; one for the low beams, and one for the high beams. It will prevent the problem from ever happening again, and may make the lights shine brighter because you will be bypassing most of Ford's inadequate wiring and poor switch contacts.

As to cleaning the lenses, polishing them is a temporary fix. The plastic comes from the factory with a UV protectant that wears off gradually. Then the lenses not only get hazy on the surface, they also turn yellow throughout, and no amount of polishing will clean that up. You might start looking for replacements from a Ford parts place.

 

DITTO xlt4wd90's COMMENT ON HEADLIGHT LENSES. I POLISH THEM AS BEST I CAN BUT SOMEDAY HOPE TO REPLACE THEM ($80.00+ EACH FROM FORD!) FORDS HAVE HAD THIS HEADLIGHT SWITCH PROB SINCE AT LEAST THE 1970s I BELIEVE. MY SWITCH OVERHEATED & MELTED THE CONNECTOR SO I REPLACED THE CONNECTOR WITH A SERVICE PART FROM FORD (ABOUT $10) ADDING IN HEADLIGHT RELAYS IS WHAT FORD SHOULD'VE DONE TO START WITH! YEARS AGO FORDS USED TO BE KNOWN FOR HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. SEEMS THEY'D FIX A FEW OF THESE CHEAPER PROBS AFTER A WHILE, LIKE THE TURN SIGNALS THAT TURN OFF BEFORE YOU'VE MADE THE TURN, THEN DON'T WANT TO STAY ON AGAIN... MY '84 RANGER 4X4 DID THIS; WAS SURPRISED MY WIFE'S '89 'STANG STILL HAD SAME PROB; MY '94 AERO DOES IT...SO DOES MY '99 POWERSTROKE!!! BUT MY '70S ERA EUROPEAN BUILT FORD CAPRI CARS WERE FINE! WHY WONT THEY JUST USE THAT OLD SWITCH & CAM DESIGN??? FORD IS CHEAP ON SOME THINGS TO A FAULT!