On my 57 buick when i pull the l headlight switch out to the first notch I have dash lights but when I pull it out for the headlights I lose dash lights. Does anybody have any idea why that it is?
May be on the wrong terminal. Are a bad switch. Betting a bad switch. The resistor in the switch help make those work. Do they work when you turn the switch right to left.
Actually I think 325w was referring to the resistor (rheostat) built into the switch that controls the brightness of the dash lights. You might try rotating the knob back and forth to see if that helps. If that doesn't work, it's time to get out the wiring diagrams and multi-meter to check out the switch. Maybe someone else here on the HAMB can provide a quick schematic?
CHECK ALL GROUNDS!!! Most electrical problems can be traced to a faulty ground. Electricity is lazy and seeks the path of least resistance and will use a bulb of a differing resistance to ground through. I would test the headlight switch first to see that it is functioning properly then go from there. Hope this helps Jim (55willys)
Perhaps your switch is miswired. You could have the dash lights wired to the front parking light terminal and the park lights wired to the dash light terminal. (Terminals are referred to on headlight switch)
Yes, it should have a dimmer on the dash lights. I believe that came about with the switch over to 12V in the GM cars.
I've got the opposite problem sort of. First notch, interior lights and running lights on. Second notch, headlights and interior on. However, I can never adjust the brightness of the interior lights. Not sure where you can get another switch but good luck
Sometimes the switch can get some rust. It may be worng but ive had good luck with some wd40 or gibbs. Does it feel gritty when you twist the knob? You could switch the wires around. Do you really need the park lights with dash lights?
My buddies switch stopped working due to the rheostat. We just wired the dash lights to another post so they came on full blast when the lights were on. Bypassed the rheostat all together, at least until or if he gets a new switch.
First position should be parking lights and dash. Second should kill front parking lights and add headlights. If you still have front parking lights ON with the headlights, the dash lights might be on wrong terminal. If all is correct, clean the reostat's coil, and make sure the tab is making contact with the coil. Cosmo
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