Strange Parking Light Issue
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,346
Likes: 755
From: Greensboro Nc
Strange Parking Light Issue
Lately I've been having a somewhat weird parking light (first click on the headlight switch, before turning the headlights on) issue. When I turn the switch sometimes nothing happens for a couple seconds (the longest time has been almost a minute) before the lights actually come on.
Even when the parking lights are acting up the headlights work perfectly fine, meaning without the parking lights coming on I can make the headlights go up and down without issue or abnormal noise. The dash lights and tail lights don't light up instantly either, they come on as soon as the parking lights start working.
The rest of the functions are normal, turn signals, brights, everything. I replaced my headlight switch about a year and a half to two years ago and haven't had any issues until now.
Haven't ever seen any other posts on this specific issue, any advice is appreciated.
Even when the parking lights are acting up the headlights work perfectly fine, meaning without the parking lights coming on I can make the headlights go up and down without issue or abnormal noise. The dash lights and tail lights don't light up instantly either, they come on as soon as the parking lights start working.
The rest of the functions are normal, turn signals, brights, everything. I replaced my headlight switch about a year and a half to two years ago and haven't had any issues until now.
Haven't ever seen any other posts on this specific issue, any advice is appreciated.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
The headlight MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH inside the column is a well known trouble spot for headlight / turn signal and lighting issues.
There are numerous small plastic cams and electrical contacts inside that switch and any one can cause a specific lighting problem. The plastic cams have been known to over heat due to a poor connection and MELT causing weird problems.
There is a post that details DYI repairs on that switch and the small cams.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...f-replace.html
If it were ME, I would start there by repairing or replacing that switch.
Bill
There are numerous small plastic cams and electrical contacts inside that switch and any one can cause a specific lighting problem. The plastic cams have been known to over heat due to a poor connection and MELT causing weird problems.
There is a post that details DYI repairs on that switch and the small cams.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...f-replace.html
If it were ME, I would start there by repairing or replacing that switch.
Bill
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,346
Likes: 755
From: Greensboro Nc
I figured it was that switch. I hadn't seen any other posts about these exact issues, but it looks like they're out there.
2 years ago I took the old switch out and ended up breaking the little metal rod that went from the headlight switch down towards the column (go figure, in a 99% plastic piece I broke the only metal part) so I ended up just replacing it with a used oem one from Marc at vettenuts. Guess I know what to do now
2 years ago I took the old switch out and ended up breaking the little metal rod that went from the headlight switch down towards the column (go figure, in a 99% plastic piece I broke the only metal part) so I ended up just replacing it with a used oem one from Marc at vettenuts. Guess I know what to do now
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,258
Likes: 544
From: Appleton WI
Just spit balling here. Any chance it could be a buggered up relay? (gummed up / burnt contacts) Would be easy to do a component swap to rule it out without digging deep into the multifunction switch.
Last edited by 3sACROWD; Sep 8, 2016 at 02:01 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,346
Likes: 755
From: Greensboro Nc
Just wanted to post another quick report on the outcome of this.
Tuesday night I pulled the headlight switch out and everything looked perfectly fine inside. A few years ago when I was having a strange turn signal issue (12 volts when no bulbs were installed on the rear, but 0 volts once I installed a bulb) I had pulled apart my headlight switch and attempted to fix that problem. Unfortunately, I wound up breaking the only metal piece in the entire switch (the rod that goes from the headlight **** down into the switch) so I had to replace the whole switch with a new OEM unit.
This time I was determined to fix the issue without replacing the switch, and was successful! Took 2 times tinkering and re-installing, but its good as new now! The best writeup I found was not actually on this site, but actually on this blog here: http://c5vette.blogspot.com/2015/04/...air-miker.html
Instructions for removing the headlight switch can be found here: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-a-how-to.html
Hope this helps someone else down the road sometime, feel free to PM me if you have any further questions or just post back here!
Tuesday night I pulled the headlight switch out and everything looked perfectly fine inside. A few years ago when I was having a strange turn signal issue (12 volts when no bulbs were installed on the rear, but 0 volts once I installed a bulb) I had pulled apart my headlight switch and attempted to fix that problem. Unfortunately, I wound up breaking the only metal piece in the entire switch (the rod that goes from the headlight **** down into the switch) so I had to replace the whole switch with a new OEM unit.
This time I was determined to fix the issue without replacing the switch, and was successful! Took 2 times tinkering and re-installing, but its good as new now! The best writeup I found was not actually on this site, but actually on this blog here: http://c5vette.blogspot.com/2015/04/...air-miker.html
Instructions for removing the headlight switch can be found here: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-a-how-to.html
Hope this helps someone else down the road sometime, feel free to PM me if you have any further questions or just post back here!
