headlight flickering problem, on/off?????
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
headlight flickering problem, on/off?????
okay, im drivin down the road then all a sudden my lights go on and off and people think im flashing them,lol, but then when that starts happening i will hit my high beams on and my dashlights and everythign go out but my high beams stay on, is it a fuse, it just happened today so i havent checked fuses yet. thanx.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 0
From: Niceville, FL.
Probably an intermittent short in the headlight circuit. No fuse, but an automatic reset thermal circuit breaker is built into the headlight switch Too much current-circuit breaker gets hot and opens. Cools down and resets-lights come back on. Cycle repeats until problem is fixed or circuit breaker itself fails.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
From: In the swamps of Florida
My truck used to do the same thing for a long time. I replaced my switch with one from a cheap auto parts store and it fixed the problem for about three weeks. I bought a switch from Napa and haven't had a problem since. I would try the switch first, as it is inexpensive.
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 626
Likes: 0
Back when I was a kid in high school I drove an 80 f-150 2 yrs old. Did the same thing. It turned out to be the whole headlight switch. Took care of the whole problem and never happened again. Replace the switch, you won't be in the dark anymore.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 0
From: Niceville, FL.
After reviewing the stated symptoms I think there may be more than one problem. 12 Volts comes from battery to headlight switch then to dimmer and then two circuits one for high beams, one for low. Low beams go "on" and "off", high beams stay "on" which would indicate the problem is in the dimmer switch or low beam circuit, not the headlight switch which would affect both circuits. The instrument panel lights are fed from a different 12 V. source so they shouldn't be affected by the headlight dimmer switch circuit. Tail lights, parking lights and instrument panel lights all work off the same headlight switch contacts (separate from headlight contacts) so if all these go "out" at same time then that could be the headlight switch or power to it. If only the instrument panel lights go "out" then suspect the instrument panel dimmer (part of headlight switch) or wiring from it to instrument panel. If the gauges quit at the same time as the instrument panel lamps then suspect the instrument panel ground circuit.
