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1998 Cadillac DeVille

Question: headlights are working when they want

Question

rodriguez98005, Chicago, IL, April 25, 2011, 21:40
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in the day time the head lights and tail lights work fine,with the head light switch all the way in. 3 times in 3 weeks i turn on the car at night and the headlights dont work, i pull the light nob back 1 click and the headlights come on but the tail lights were off brake lights work. then i pull the nob all the way out and the taillights work but not the headlights, twilight on off the whole time, and i try to put the high beams and it wont stick, please help me get an idea on whats going on , first time caddalac

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  • Answer #1

    DaveJHM April 25, 2011, 22:54
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     Master

    Often times when headlights work intermittently, there is an issue with the headlight switch overheating and causing damage to the hard shell wiring connector. Terminals can be melted, and the switch can have issues. This is where I would circuit test.

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    rodriguez98005, April 26, 2011, 20:02
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    i turned the twilight switch on and pulled the signal indicator towards me and the sign for high beams come on but no lights, lights only work in the day with headlight knob all the way in , with no taillights. this is really an inconvenience because i cant dive at night do you still think its the wiring connector or the day and night censor, and how do a circuit test and what do i look for, please help me find an answer.

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    DaveJHM, April 26, 2011, 21:26
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     Master

    I am not entirely sure about your Cadillac, but in many different cars, the headlight switch and connector are issues. The reason I think of this is that there is a high amount of power going through that switch, and because of that, it's very susceptible to overheating and causing problems.

    I would caution you that if you don't have a DVOM (voltmeter/ohmmeter) and don't know what you're looking for, it may be something you should defer to a technician. My recommendation is to remove the headlight switch and disconnect the wiring connector. But if you don't have enough experience with this kind of thing, you may not quite know what to look for, or could snap a wiring connector retaining tab, causing a bunch more problems. Good luck in any case.

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