Headlight hi/lo switch weirdness -- HELP!!
 

Our '84 300D has developed a problem, and we know where it is but not quite how to get at it or tackle it.

The high/lo beam switch on the turn signal stalk has taken to turning the lights off completely. Whenever. At random. Pull the stalk back (towards the driver) and they come back on, so the stalk is somehow working it's way forward (with no help except road vibration) to a neutral position "between" low and high. It's really unnerving on winding, hilly, DARK country roads to have the lights suddenly go out at 60 mph! :eek:

What do we tear apart, and how, so we can make it stop it's wandering? :confused:

I have been searching the forum for hours and can't find an answer. If you refer me somewhere, please give me a link or a thread number -- for some reason, since the forum's format change, I can only do single word "searches", which is pretty frustrating. :( I hope that's a bug that'll be worked out shortly, but in the meantime, I need more specific direction to get to an answer.

Thanks for any ideas or direction you can give.

Still looking for answers!
 

Bump. Hasn't anyone run into this at some point? Please tell me it's not a "new" problem!

I think I would just get a new combination switch. It's not as expensive as you might think and not too hard to change. The Haynes book will show you step by step disassembly. You can probably find a used switch, in fact if you look in the parts forum you will probably find some cars being parted out.

All (almost) fixed!
 

Thanks. I love my salvage yard -- got the switch, plus all the window switches, the hazard switch, and the sunroof switch for $30! Plugged in the salvaged combo switch, and everything works except the left turn indicator. We can hear it even though we can't see it, so we'll figure it out later.

That combo is one complicated switch! I've had some success taking others apart (I learn on the "cadavers", which often resurrect!), cleaning contacts, running connections, carefully gluing broken plastic back together, but that one just had too many bits, pieces, and parts going too many different directions.

If anyone has any ideas about the left turn indicator, let me know.

Thanks again --

Sunny