The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Head light issues.

i have an after market dimmer switch from Ron Francis wire works on the turn signal stalk. while in KC last months the low beam lights went out but when i hit the dimmer for high beams the hi came on but the low would not work. when i got back to the hotel i tried again then they went off again and has been intermittent since. i replaced the dimmer relay but made no difference. if i continue to use the switch the switch ceases too work at all, will not dim the high or low, high stays on..

might have a bad switch

I talked too the company said that and they said it rarely happens that the switch goes bad.

If they admit it's a bad part they're out the money so they'll be loath to admit it's a bad switch.

Maybe just maybe it could be that the low beams have burned out. it seems like we look for the worst and overlook the obvious. will buy new bulbs at work tomorrow and see if that does it. i have wanted to put in higher out put bulbs any way.

I thought you had checked that already...
you would normally replace a light before a switch

but the floor type switch on my International was always an issue

Instead of buying new parts willy-nilly, buy an multi-meter and find the problem.

speaking of that, I was going to use mine tonight at the country place and I had forgot to turn the thing off from using it 2 weeks ago and it was dead, dead..and yup, I did not have another nine volt battery handy

have you ever done anything so stupid in your life

It was the fact that both low beams went off at the same time as far as i could tell and they worked on way back from KC. then started acting up a couple of weeks later. as far as testing i would have too take it too a shop and i am trying to eliminated somethings before i take it in. the high beams freeze and the switch will not work so i tapped the box under the dash and it will work, curiouser and curiouser. and i can no longer squeeze under the dash.

take it to your shop guy,,, let him figure it out
sounds like it is the switch or lose wire or both

Ron,
you might be rewarded with a real JOULE

Using probability logic, bulbs are probably fine; they probably did not both burn out at the same time. Dimmer switches rarely fail. Most probable and 1st place I would, look is low beam connection from dimmer to where the wire splits to go to left and right headlights. Good chance a wiggle of the connection of the wire at the dimmer may make lights illuminate.

For something like this you can get by with a simple circuit tester if you have one rather than a multimeter.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...ster/_/N-26lp?itemIdentifier=222515_0_0_

Good Luck
Mikey

your statement about dimmer switches rarely fail.. ever drive
a 70 International half ton

I think Ron has one of those custom switches, probably not on the floor like the stock one..

Hey Denny, you have your quota for agreeing with me and Charlie
for the month....lol

I had a headlight issues and changed everything and eventually made my way back to the contacts on the firewall, this was on a different car though. You can bypass the switch with a jumper wire to see if your low beams work. This will tell you if it is the switch or not.

Denny, does your meters get hi def? i am going to test at the bulb plug in Saturday. i wanted to take them apart to remove a button mount in the bulb that distorts the light. yes it an after market from Ron Francis wire works. no floor switch it is a button the end of the turn signal switch. my wires a mostly concealed in looms and hard to track down. trying not to spend any more money on it than i have too. will take it to him if need be. These are the lights. Theses are the ones i want.

trying not to spend any more money then you have to and the ones you want are $79 a piece.............put the stock ones back in..

and leave them along , for that price your ace mechanic should fix your problem

I tested them last night with a volt meter and it seems like the low side is not getting any power. i got a Ron Francis catalog in the mail yesterday and it has a trouble shooting section and they say that rarely does the dimmer switch go bad and i should check the headlight switch, it is one of theirs. their is a bracket inside of the light that i think is distorting the light path so i removed it and will check the results out today.

You said it got to the point that it wont switch at all, stays on high all the time.
It sure sounds like a bad switch.

Yes, j, if you click the dimmer switch to often it freezes and if you smack the box under the dash it works again.

then carry you a big stick while driving at night and
not spend any money on it...lol

post a pix of the switch...

That's a ton of cash for a "cool" housing. You would do better with a Hella kit for a few bucks more.

It will not switch back, when it is high and you click the switch it will go to low but the lights don't come on. if you use it to much three or four click it will freeze. will work on it this weekend and test the bulbs then the switch. Doesn't show much.

Bought new bulbs and still no low beams. Maybe i will have to do as joker suggested and take it to the shop and since he has volunteered to help me out financially that is what to do.

Well joker get ready to pony up. my mechanic called yesterday asked if i wanted to bring the truck by and have it looked at. so i dropped it off on the way home from work. i had decided to wait a while but maybe this is an omen.

Is the check in the mail joker? it was a broken wire under the dash. he will deliver it today, don't know the price.

I'll bet he found it using a multi-meter.

I did use a multi-meter and found out that i was getting power from the switch and dimmer but not too the low beam side of the socket. beyond that i had not a clue. so i took it to the man who wired it.