hzlq57

Hello I have a 2000 chevy Impala with a 3.4L engine. When the head lights turn all my dash lights go out except for a very dim odometer and radio light. I have turn the head light switch **** until the dome lights come on but the dash lights do not get bighter. I have tail lights, reverse lights and the fuse have been replaced. Not sure if it is the head light switch causing this or something else. Could you please give me some ideas where and what to look for. Thank you

EinST

Welcome to the forum. I can't say I understand your problem. Is this happening during the day or night? Are the illumination lamps on the various switches and dials affected as well?

hzlq57

it happens at night when the lights turn on automaticly or manually. All lights go out, all illumination lamps on various switches, *****, and dials. The only lights that stay on are the radio and the odometer. But the lights are very very dim..

EinST

It's probably the I/P lamp dimmer (part of the head light switch) gone bad or wiring to/from, then. With the headlamps on at night, the I/P lamp dimmer supplies variable voltage current to the illumination lamps. The fuse immediately upstream is the 15A Rear Park Lamps fuse in the right I/P fuse block which should be good if the rear parking lamps and license plate lamps came on.

00palanightmare

Having same issue only I replaced the headlight switch and lost my blinkers and brake and taillights

Frank3

My first choice would have been the headlight switch, but I suppose a bad ground to the IP would do that as well.

oldblu65

I had the same problem on my 2000 LS and it turned out to be a bad headlight switch ! Replaced that - no problem since .

rootboy

Pretty topical subject for me since I am having the same problem.

In my case, the headlight/dashboard dimmer switch had failed. The switch had a burned post (the post located all by itself away from the others). I disassembled the switch and found that the copper pad where the spring connector was badly burned, damaging the switch and the female connector (body harness) as well.

So far I've scraped the copper post and the pad that is embedded in the plastic housing to clean them up. Tomorrow I'll clean up the spring conductor and solder the spring down to the pad (I have a new switch coming in, so this is just a temporary fix).

The picture that I've added shows just the damaged half of the male connector, so a fully assembled switch would have an additional 7 pins. The switch itself can easily be disassembled down to its basic parts. Really nice in that regard!

With any luck, I'll be able to find a used female connector from a junkyard and replace the one in my car. Since the pins in the harness are removable, I could also clip the wire to one of the female pins and just splice that one on to my harness. The female connector was damaged as well, but it looks like it will be fine, The female pin in the connector has lost its spring tension, and if it isn't replaced, I will be replacing another switch pretty quickly.

If any of you decide to do this to your switch, be advised that there are a multitude of tiny pieces that are gonna want to find a new home in your carpet when you take the switch apart. But since you can get a replacement for under $40 (online), I wouldn't bother trying to repair it. I'm just doing it since I've kinda gotten used to having dashboard lights, and I plan on being out late tomorrow night.

Not to hijack this thread, but does anyone know where I could find a replacement harness connector or replacement female pins?


Thanks!

John