[urq] headlight difficulties take 2....

[Tony Lum]

At 02:00 PM 4/27/2005, MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM wrote:
>well  i spent a little time today trying to figure out my headlight 
>problem. To get everyone up to speed, I sort of lost my low beams. They're 
>on but almost like they are in city mode (which I have never had) with 
>high beams fine. everything seems to be working fine until today. The 
>virus had climbed into the switch that engages the lights from low to high 
>beam. I didn't get the "click" that would suggest the beam has been 
>changed. By pressing on the lever hard enough I could get high beams to 
>engage but not to stay engages. This suggest that the high beam switch 
>part # 855 953 819 B which is the wiper switch or 855 953 513 which is the 
>actual turn signal lever are not doing their job. Has I pulled the high 
>beam switch toward me a small "crack" let lose and a small piece of 
>plastic popped out. Not sure if its a stop of some sort for the high beam 
>lever or what but I'm guessing I'm gonna have to pull the steering wheel 
>and check it out. Any BTDT's? both myself and other agree
>  that a
>  faulty ground couldn't take both low beams out at the same time seeing 
> as they are ground individually. My second guess was a relay until the 
> whole engaging the high beams problem happened now I'm focusing on the 
> switches in the steering wheel. If Eric Harten or Jim are reading this 
> chances are I will not make it for the Urq BBQ GTG this Saturday seeing 
> as I need to get the lights working so I can get a emission sticker : (
>
>Mike C

Hi Mike,

I just rebuilt mine.  Its the switch mounted on the upper left of the 
steering column.  The turn signal switch is another assembly and is not 
involved.  A little boss on the turn signal lever engages a pull tab on the 
headlight switch.  To fix it you have to pull the steering wheel and the 
turn signal assembly.  Inspect the switch housing, if its melted from high 
wattage lights, you'll need another.  If the casing looks good, then you 
probably can go in there and clean up the copper strips that make up the 
switch assembly.  Proceed slowly, there's a couple of spring loaded 
contacts that'll go BOING if you're not careful.  I also recall that the 
latching function was a little tricky to put back together.  Luckily, I had 
a spare TS assembly to look at.  I'd lost my low beams completely and after 
I was done, the lows were brighter than before, but they really need 
relays, especially if you're going to run higher than stock wattages.

HTH,


-Tony
'83 ur-quattro # 302