where the headlight/parking light and rotary dimmer dial are?
I took my 1st night drive in my '86 since buying the car 3 years ago.
While there are 3 switches on the right pod (washer/wiper/defrost) that at least have tiny backlit lettering and let you orient yourself, the left side seems to have nothing!
(Quoting a past member)-"Never underestimate a First Gen"
I assume you mean the hdlight switch itself.Remove the pod pry out as u should know.Now take the 2 screws holding the switch out.Now pop loose the small metal bracket wrapping around the switch.It has a harness as u will see and a rubber boot that goes over a LIGHT bulb.Your bulb is blown(omg).Bulb number umm NOW that I do not know.It is stupid small and yeah advance,auto zone,napa etc do carry that size all day long.Removing the switch piece makes taking out the metal band OFF easier and sliding that rubber boot off the bulb itself. Hope this helps being I have a extra switch obviously!!!
Hmm, I don't think my Pontiac one is. I will have to check it out tonight when I put the battery back in. Of course, my switch is a pull out one, not like the fancy push one you show.
Ron Love wrote: I assume you mean the hdlight switch itself.Remove the pod pry out as u should know.Now take the 2 screws holding the switch out.Now pop loose the small metal bracket wrapping around the switch.It has a harness as u will see and a rubber boot that goes over a LIGHT bulb.Your bulb is blown(omg).Bulb number umm NOW that I do not know.It is stupid small and yeah advance,auto zone,napa etc do carry that size all day long.Removing the switch piece makes taking out the metal band OFF easier and sliding that rubber boot off the bulb itself. Hope this helps being I have a extra switch obviously!!!
Awesome Ron! Yes- the headlight swtich itself.
Big help as always, w/ a perfect description, photo, and where to buy the bulb! Dang! Glad it is a bulb and there
is a bulb and not some weird design oversight by Chevy. I know it might sound weird but if the car is not your daily driver and it's pitch black out you miss not seeing the controls!
It was strange seeing that part of the dash as a 'black hole'.
(Quoting a past member)-"Never underestimate a First Gen"
When I read ur post I was pretty certain of issue.And having the spare to do a quick pic and pop up was easy! Paul on the pull outs I am not certain if it illuminates on the base or not,but DO know what u mean on pull out style being I have seen those in the junk yard specials.If the pull out knobs for lights has a light up area showing the light pic the bulb would be mounted behind it no ? forsure.I never bothered to check being I and others have the fancy version.
WOW nothing there? Now that is something I am scratching my head on.To be honest I have never checked my 85 to see if it has like the pic I popd up for u.I think I need to pull my cluster switch and see if it has this or not.I noticed on ur switch it did not have the 2 small guides for the metal bracket on it,but gm changing sh@#! all the time.I would pull your cluster out and look for a loose two prong plug like which would match my pic.Let me know,and I will try and check mine by sunday or sooner(work day sat,sun) and see if mine has plug in bulb.I would imagine it would be there as far as the harness leading up to the hdlight switch but,maybe was removed by a idiot and laying down behind something.OR maybe pulled out and tossed bc bulb was blown(even dumber).Let me check my car 1st,I really wanna know bc I got this out of that 86 z at the upull.Ok
Kewl- will await your findings.
I did look w/ a flashlight pointing towards the front of the dash/firewall, hoping to see some unused wires, leads, plugs, etc. Nothing that I could see. That's the kicker- even if I had your extra unit I would not know where it plugs into. We''ll see what your '85 has.
I'm wondfering if it was a running change when someone got complaints about bad control lighting at night when U need it most. Hard to believe (if that is the case) that no one thought of it in the design stage. Since the digidash came out in '85 &1/2 you would think by '86 that would be fixed. But.......it's GM.
(Quoting a past member)-"Never underestimate a First Gen"
Yeah I will check mine sunday nite after work.Had a decent day and all,BUT had to get my wifes NEW 32 inch lcd flat screen hooked up and showing the channels when I got home after 1130pm tonight.We got it earlier today before work,had all the cables in,but,for some reason no signal for,got that fixed with some constructive thinking and extra cables I had to correct it.Oh phillips is the brand and from target(O) as I call it.My humour.I will check said switch bc I am wondering if mine has that light and know exactly what I need to poke around for.R
I got no light on the pull out version
Ok checked my headlight switch like yours JM and it is identical.NO light or harness I could readily SEE.My take it was some GM changed on later production models bc like I said this unit I have with the light is out of a 86 Z did not check the build date on this car.Unless the wiring for the harness is behind the lower dash kick panels like at your knee I doubt it is there.I am guessing it is built into the harness explaining why I did not see notta just from removing my switch.On the switch I have there is a small spot for the rubber boot over the light to shine up to a small hole to light up the switch based on what I can tell.I guess have a mag lite to shine on your switch(or maybe not).That is my finding
Hi Ron,
Thanks so much for looking at your own car's setup. Running change I guess we are to early for. Maybe if you can figure out which are the hot and ground wires leading into your parking lights rocker switch you can use those to tap in that parts yard light bulb socket/ bracket and wires to your car!
I'll have to learn to ignore it on my car for the few times I drive it at night.
Thanks as always for your input and help!
(Quoting a past member)-"Never underestimate a First Gen"
Well I really would like to go back to the salvage yard and really scope that 86 to find the other end of the harness and SEE if it was made into a generic harness and ours may have it,but tucked away.Our harnesses should be very similar for the dash and it would not suprise me to see this plug in mine,and gm just opted not to put the upgraded hdlght switch in my 85,or your 86 due to cost.It might be they soley changed the harness to accommodate this feature and is NOT on ours period.Gm was so wishy washy on changes back then like WE ALL KNOW today!
Ok a touch of info! I went in my garage to check the two doors I got off that so called 1986.I was WRONG. It actually had the factory labels on the doors manufacture date of 3/87!!! I was just pondering it today and thought wait a minute the doors have the build date(DUH).So in reality a mid 87 bc the yr model coming out in the fall of 86 would make sense.Either way this could be something intergrated into the 87 models late maybe?Idk bc no body here has popped up saying there 87 has a lite hdlight switch.Btw wayne schiff seems to have dissappeared since my last posting with him on the upull post?I sent him a mail via yahoo yet to hear back.Wayne wanted those said doors figure he is busy or his computer died(this is soley nothing to do with the subject).
UPDATE that headlight switch I have with the light to literally light UP the headlight switch was actually out of a 1989 cavalier!!!! I searched over that 87 Z NO connector,so I scratched my head uh?So I come upon that 89 that I really got it out of.Guess I had my thoughts wrong on what car I got it from.Sure enough the sedan cav 89 had that pigtail to the hdlight switch and is wired into the main harness!I have zero idea where the !@#$ it ties into but,may go back and scope it harder and tear into the dash bc my diagrams in books and even my online chiltons account DO NOT show it?So it appears maybe 89 was the change over for this option or standard feature bc the 88 they had is umm crushed and gone.Checked my alternatie yard monday and zero Js in another town.Thought I would update my learning faze Gm is putting me thru.
Hey Ron,
Thanks for the updates. '88 or 89 eh? One of those damn simple things that will drive you nuts.
Maybe that 89 sedan will give the clues needed since the wireing diagram won't!. Happy hunting!
(Quoting a past member)-"Never underestimate a First Gen"
Yeah gm and there wishy wash stuff of change.I may try to go back monday and seriously dig into that harness to determine where the crap that plug that goes to light UP the hdlight switch.My diagrams show no such,and even my chiltonsonline which gives me schematics from 85-94 on engine harness,lights pwr windows,ac, but shows zero on that infernal hdlight bulb assembly.It can't be too complicated it is a gm.
