Headlight switch replacement

[Coach]

Can someone tell me if you have to remove the entire gauge cluster from a 67' C10 to get the headlight switch out. My gauge lights don't work, I have changed the fuse and all the bulbs. My headlights work, turn signals, hi-beam indicator, dome light, dimmer, they all work, just no dash lights. I have a feeling the terminal on the headlight switch that controls the dash lights went bad.

[leddzepp]

No need to remove cluster. Disconnect battery. Pull headlight switch knob out. Reach up behind the dash, on top of the switch and you will feel a small spring loaded button. Push it down and pull the light switch knob all the way out of the housing. You may have to wiggle it back and forth a bit while depressing the button, but with a little time and some cussing it will come out. Then just unscrew the bezels and the switch comes out the back

[TBONE1964]

^what he said

[TBONE1964]

Originally Posted by Coach

Can someone tell me if you have to remove the entire gauge cluster from a 67' C10 to get the headlight switch out. My gauge lights don't work, I have changed the fuse and all the bulbs. My headlights work, turn signals, hi-beam indicator, dome light, dimmer, they all work, just no dash lights. I have a feeling the terminal on the headlight switch that controls the dash lights went bad.

Have you checked the bulbs? There are 4 of them for illumination and it is possible that they are ALL bad. I have seen it many times. Also the power for the dash lights comes into the connector at the #8 position on the cluster connector. It is grey wire. The are actually two grey wires in that location. One is for dash light illumination and one is for the heater panel light. I would check and make sure you have battery voltage at the connector before I would pull my hair or head light switch out. If there is power, then you either have bad bulbs or a burn spot on the printed circuit board. If there is no power, then check you headlight switch for power.

Hope this helps.
Tom

[FirstOwner69]

Before you remove the switch, try rotating the knob back and forth several times. There is a U-shaped spring on the front of the switch with a contact that turns with the knob. It's a variable resistance setup that varies the voltage to control the brightness of the dash bulbs. Sometimes corrosion develops on the spring. Turning back and forth periodically helps remove the corrosion. A little contact cleaner helps if you can get to the spring by removing the knob and bezel. It's also possible this spring is damaged.

Here are 2 pictures that may help. The top one shows the release button on top mentioned by leddzepp. The second shows the variable resistance setup on the front of the switch I described above (switch is in the inverted position).

[Coach]

Thanks for all the info guys. I replaced all 8 bulbs first (4 were burned out) so I thought I was going to get lucky, but it never works out that way. Time to get the voltage tester out and start trouble shooting.

[Coach]

Hey TBone, since electrical is not my strong point, let me run this past you. The heater panel light works fine. Looking at the fuse block, there is a green wire connected to the LPS fuse, which I assume goes to the headlight switch. On the gauge cluster connector, I assume one gray wire goes to the heater panel and the other to the fuse block for the instrument panel?? So I should check the gray & green wire?

[LockDoc]

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As far as removing the knob and shaft I have found that pulling the knob out to the Park position, then push the button down and pull it the rest of the way out works much better.

LockDoc