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Dimmer Switch Trouble

2K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  cadillacmike68 
#1 ·
Hi,I'm a newby from Alberta,Canada.

I just bought my 1st Caddy,a 1983 Fleetwood,and have been fixing a few small problems and I need some advice.

I can't get the high beams to stay on,they'll flash but that's it.The lever and actuating rod are in good working order and a new GM dimmer switch has been installed.I tried moving the switch aroung on it's mounting points but that didn't work either,I can hear the switch clicking when the lever is pulled.

What am I doing wrong?

Hoonbash
 
#2 ·
hey i had the SAME problem when i got my fleetwood. turns out, theres a feature built in the car that automatically dims the high beams when it senses oncoming traffic.
take a look at this picture:

see where it says "auto" on the headlight switch, then "off" right beneath it? (there are two "off's", im not talking about the one that you can plainly read in the picture at the bottom of the switch. I'm talking about the one above it) rotate the silver tab (it won't be on off) to off and it should work. this will disengage the auto dimming hi-beams. hope this helps, let me know if this works
 
#8 ·
I had a similar problem with my '91 Pontiac Firebird T/A a few years ago. I couldn't get the high-beams to kick in when I pulled the lever. The only way I could get the high-beams to work was to tilt the steering wheel to its highest position. Therefore, it appeared to be a problem with the linkage rod that went from the lever to the switch on the column. I did some slight bending/adjusting with the rod, and that fixed the problem.

Your situation may be entirely different, but who knows. Try tilting your steering wheel to different positions and see if it makes a difference.
 
#9 ·
Good idea Highway Star

I found when the wheel is tilted all the way down the brights stay on and can't be dimmed,I can put pressure on the wheel going away from the rod side of the column and they'll go out.


It must be the rod? or where I've got the adjustment of the switch on the column.

Things are looking brighter:)

Thanks-Hoonbash
 
#13 ·
Good idea Highway Star

I found when the wheel is tilted all the way down the brights stay on and can't be dimmed,I can put pressure on the wheel going away from the rod side of the column and they'll go out.

It must be the rod? or where I've got the adjustment of the switch on the column.
Things are looking brighter:)
Thanks-Hoonbash

It's the wiring inside the column then. All that "multifunction switch" does is move / rotate some pins levers inside the column.
 
#11 ·
Hi, I'm sorry for reviving this old thread but my 87 Brougham with Guidematic and Sentinel recently developed the same problem and I was wondering if someone ever found a solution? I'm thinking it should be the dimmer switch but ordering parts from Rockauto takes time and I'm wondering if there is a way to test the switch? One thing I noticed is that the ash tray light turns out when I try to switch on the high beams and that the radio and the AC display switch to full brightnes. Thanks for any help!
 
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