Old Car High Beam Switch

Switching between low and high beam was accomplished through a switch on the steering column.

Old car high beam switch.

Some had other interesting things like foot operated windshield washers too. That s 20 in the diagram. Dimmer switch built into the headlight switch. The original wires going to the low beams and to the high.

It doesn t take long to restore fogged headlights and night visibility. If the high beams function but don t seem to light your way especially if you drive an older vehicle with polycarbonate headlight lenses your car may be a victim of headlight fogging this isn t simply scuffing but an actual chemical change from polycarbonate s exposure to solar ultraviolet. I remember a 1978 mercedes 300d that my parents bought new being the first car i drove with the high beam control on the stalk. The dimmer switch is primarily used to switch between the high and low beam headlights however in many vehicles it also controls the vehicle s interior lights as well.

The larger blue red wire from the other relay goes to the low beams. My 1977 lincoln mark v had the high beam switch on the floor. The difference is that some vehicles have a separate relay just for the high beams and the high beam passing or dimmer switch may or may not be integrated into the headlight switch. We see this more on cars with their headlight switch on the steering column.

Introduced the 2 filament headlight bulb. My 1962 and 1949 cadillacs have the switch there as well and the 49 has a push button on the dash near the key for the starter. The larger blue white wire from one relay goes to the high beams. For some vehicles it is a button switch located on the driver s side floor 1960s to mid 70s gm vehicles while on other vehicles it is mounted on the steering column.

In 1927 the dimmer switch was moved to the floor where it stayed for about 50 years until it was moved again to the steering column. A temporary solution to this is to turn the high beams on and off quickly several times which could clean the contacts in the switch. Up through the 80s.