Fitzgerald

Ok so here it is:

1. Went to turn on high beams and couldn't get them to go off so I unplugged the high beam lights at the bulb till i could figure it out.

2. Light's quit working completley now. Running lights are good just no headlights.

3. The high low switch inside the steering column stopped making the clicking sound it used to make.

Question: How do I get into the steering column to work on it. There is a small plastic cover but I cant seem to get it loose without it almost breaking in two.

The fuses are good. That is why I am blaming it on the high low switch.

Thanks for any help.

Yellowstatue

There is a switch mounted partway down the steering column with a three wire plug on it...this is the dimmer switch...there is a rod going from the stalk to the switch...if it came off or broke, problem; if it is the switch then replace...check for power at the switch first and go from there

J-(Chicago)

It's easy to get the switch out, but putting it back in is a different story.

joe_padavano

You should be able to access the switch by dropping the column. I don't think you need to actually pull the steering wheel. I had this happen on another GM and it turned out that the actuating rod had jumped out of the socket on the switch. Popped it back in for a zero dollar fix. If you do need to replace the switch, they run $10-$20.

Fitzgerald

any advice on getting the plastic cover off the back side of the steering column to access the switch?

Fitzgerald

OMG! I got the cover off and it seems you need to pull the entire wheel off just to get to the switch. For now I just hard wired the lights into the running lights. Cant get the wheel off without a puller and cant figure out how to remove the cover when the key slot is holding it in place. Help plz.

70 cutlass s

No the switch is on the outside of the column. It has a rod that runs to the lever just like Joe said. No need to remove the wheel. The cover that you need to take off is on the lower part of the dash. After removing the cover you see what I'm talking about. You have to remove the bracket to get to it. Then you can than you can remove the switch.

This is what it looks like.

Fitzgerald

Thank you for the picture. I found it and it doesn't click anymore. Going to replace it. Do you have a picture of how it attaches to the rod in the steering wheel. Just hoping. A part fell out when I took the cover off the back of the column. I cant figure out how it actuates the rod.

The problem I am having now is no running lights. I am searching the internet for a wiring diagram. I believe this is due to the fact I drew power from the running lights to power the headlights. I probably melted the casing some where. I can follow a brown and blue wire to the fire wall but that's as far as I can trace it. Thanks again and if you have any info I appreciate it. No money for the shop unemployment is a joke. You guys are great.

Fitzgerald

I got the new headlight hi low switch. Lights work now. The yellow wire had melted at the back of the switch. I fixed it by putting some shrink tubing over the wire. But now my running lights don't work. I am guessing the yellow wire is melted some where else. I found wiring diagrams on the internet but they aren't correct for my car even though it says it is. Its a general GM diagram covering 98 and 88. It swrong. Anyone have a real one? For a 1984 old 98 brougham

Yellowstatue

My '81 electrical book (because I don't have an '84 book) shows brown wires feeding all the running lights coming from the number four terminal on the headlight switch on the dash...and there is a 20 amp fuse marked TAIL feeding the switch...try that Sunshine...

Fitzgerald

Thanks. Atleast I know where it terminates. I Guess I am just going to need to follow the wire and look for more melted areas. Like I said before when I jump the red wire on the switch with the brown wire they work. Replaced the light on off switch thinking it might be the problem but it wasn't.

Do you know if it is on the back of the fuse panel or if it is the brown wire that plugs in just below the tail fuse with a single brown wire and plug?

Fitzgerald

Ok now i cant figure out how this goes. Here is a pic. I get the plastic piece in but when i pull on the high low beam switch it pops back out every time. I think it has something to do with the spring that is there but cant figure out how it retains the plastic piece from poping out. The rod you see runs to the hi low switch. The piece it is pressed up against is the plastic piece that keeps poping out. Thanks for any help.
P1010009-1.jpg

Fitzgerald

No one? I really have no idea how they are held in there. If anyone can help plz do.

Lady72nRob71

The picture is a bit blurry... Please email me (not PM) and I can send you a picture from the service manual on how the switch is installed. (I am at work now; book is at home.)
Currently I cannot access this site from home.
ry_ry75081*yahoo.com

Fitzgerald

Thanks Rob I will get another pic up asap. sorry for the delay.

rocketraider

What exactly do you mean by "running lights"? Are they fog/driving lamps or what? Running lamps to me means the car's normal head, park and tail lights.

Now, if you've wired a set of high-powered driving lamps into the headlight circuit, you need to undo that or you will continue to have problems with the lights. Those need to be powered directly off the battery or alternator using a relay triggered by the low-beam side of the dimmer switch- the tan wire. Connect the relay's BAT or B terminal to the car's junction block or (+) battery terminal, the LOAD or L terminal to the driving lights, and the REMOTE or R terminal to the tan wire on the dimmer switch.

Right now the best advice I can give you is to purchase a 1984 Oldsmobile Electrical Troubleshooting Manual before you burn the car up. It has all the wiring diagrams and shows all the components' physical location; however, it does not detail dimmer switch replacement. That's in the Chassis Service Manual.

But there is no way you should have to remove the steering wheel to replace the dimmer switch. You'll have to remove the lower dash panel and lower the steering column for access, and then adjust the switch, but it's not a complicated process.