I'm running non pop up headlights (one piece front end) the entire headlight pop up assembly with vacuum system is gone
Ever since we got rid of the front headlight assembly and hooked up the new ones they would not turn on, the parking lights would turn on, everything would turn on except the lights.
Well today I made a breakthrough, there's apparently a switch, that you can push and it'll click, in the center, behind the dash pad, under the steering wheel
When I clicked it, and pulled the headlight switch all the way out, all four headlights turned on
I'm guessing that with the vacuum system an air operated switch pushes it or something like that.
So my question is, how can I get just the regular lights to go on? If i pull the headlight switch to the regular light position, they still don't go on, only at the far light position
Is there a second switch I have to find somewhere?
Sorry for the long post

 

There is no regular light/far light position. Halfway out is dash and parking lights. All the way out is headlights.

Never heard of a switch under the dash. The vacuum and electrical systems are not tied together in any way (the headlight switch controls both but if one fails, it does not affect the other).

 

Thanks for the info
I thought so too, that there is only one switch, but it turns out there is a second one, and I'm almost 100% sure it's stock and not something bubba wired in.

 

Sure it's no the high beam switch, and your lights just don't work on low beam?

 

Yea, Right. Bubba didnt do it. Heard that one before.

There is one HL switch and a dimmer switch. Thats it unless bubba has been there.

 

I was just thinking of this thread and realized that you probably have a bad high/low switch. Later high/low switches are part of the steering column (I think they might be operated by a rod connected to the turn signal lever).

I did not think of it at first since my high/low switch is on the floor by the clutch. What year is your C3 and maybe a later owner can chime in?

I just checked my copies of Jim Shea's papers. The high/low switch is probably your issue. Check the wiring connection there first. Look for a 3 prong connector at the bottom of the steering column with a light green (high beam), tan (low beam), and light blue (feed wire from lamp switch). Check operation of that switch first and go from there. Try jumpering it if your low beams don't. Light blue to tan for low, light blue to light green for high beams.

PS: Jim Shea refers to the high/low switch as the dimmer switch.

 

Mine's a 1979
Maybe the one I found is the high light switch, certainly seems that that is it's function.
Are the low lights supposed to turn on when the dimmer switch is half way out and the high lights when it is all the way out?

 

The high/low switch is on your steering column. It switches between high and low beams for your headlights.

The light switch is on your dash. Pull it out halfway and you will have dash and parking lights. Pull it out all the way and you have dash, parking and headlights.

Whether or not you have high or low beams when the light switch is pulled all the way out depends on the position of the high/low switch which is controlled by a rod connected to your turn signal lever.

You will have headlights when you pull the light switch all the way out unless your high/low switch is bad which is what it seems like. The light switch on the dash does not control what type of headlights you have on, just the fact they are on.

Find the connector under the dash and unplug it. Then jump the light blue to the tan wire and see if just the low beams come on when you pull the light switch all the way out. Then jump the light blue to the light green and you should get high beams. If this works, it means that the dimmer switch (on the steering column) is bad. You can also try cleaning the contacts on the switch to see if that works.

On edit: I refer to the high/low switch as the dimmer switch since it dims the headlights. I think I confused you with the light switch on the dash that dims the dash lights. I have edited my posts.

 

Here is a link to the Jim Shea paper on rebuilding the steering column with info on the headlamp dimmer (high/low) switch.
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...dr2-30jn07.doc

Link to all the info on the steering column:
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/?page_id=4

To fix/replace your high/low switch, you are going to have to drop the steering column down.