94 E420 Steering column Comboswitch

[billb95]

Hello!

Following advice posted to someone having a similar problem (headlight/turnsignal issues) I ordered a comboswitch (high beams on/flash, turn signal, and wipers) and connected it under the dash to see if my highbeams would stay on when pushed forward. With the new comboswitch that did not work. However while checking around under the dash I found a wire connected to the comboswitch connector that was dangeling - unconnected, and wondering if it was the source of the problem. Below is a pic of the new comboswitch wiring harness; the wire with the round connector on the left is hanging loose in my dash:



For reference, there is no voltage at the fuses for the low-beams; recommendations were to test the comboswitch and replace if necessary; if that wasn't it then replace the headlight switch in the dash.

Thanks.

Bill

[billb95]

*bump*

[david s poole]

you also have a bulb monitor relay that will light up on dash when bulb goes out.i am not sure whether the power goes to fuse first or through bulb monitor anyway,take piece of wire and jump from live fuse to headlight fuse and see if comes on.i doubt that h/light switch is bad ,not common at all.most likely culprit is bulb monitor relay.don't believe that spare wire socket is a problem.

[billb95]

Originally Posted by david s poole

you also have a bulb monitor relay that will light up on dash when bulb goes out.i....take piece of wire and jump from live fuse to headlight fuse and see if comes on...

The car came with the low-beam headlight fuses wired to a live fuse, so that works. With the wire on the fuses the high beam (forward and locked on the comboswitch) does not work, but pulling all the way back on the comboswitch (flash-to-pass) works.

Pulling the wire off kills the low-beams. Since turn signals were intermittent it made sense to replace the comboswitch, but followed advice on this forum to first just plug new comboswitch in and test before removal of steering wheel. Had the same problems with the new comboswitch.

I'm going to re-test the new comboswitch though; just in case I missed something.

There's part of me that says it is a relay; too often in working with different forms of electronics there is usually a relay, or capacitor or transformer that has died or is dying causing the problems.