ive found out that alot of people have this problem with there highbeams either not clicking on or not clicking off because the switch wont actually switch or w/e soo yeah ii know my problem pretty much but i have a 91 camaro and im a little leary about the airbag thing im only 17 i dont want to be working on it and have an airbag explode in my face.......and oncepast that could i put an aftermarket wheel on or would taht arise any problems because my horn doesnt work either soo i thoughti would be easier to replace it with just a new steering wheel.

 

The high-beam switch is under the dash on the column.

JamesC

 

Do you know if the wheel has been removed in the past, or how far someone might've dug into the column if it has? It sounds like it has, because there is somewhat of a relationship between your two problems. Column re-assembly and wheel re-installation can cause both problems, and neither is likely to have occurred any other way.

Brights are switched via a metal rod that goes from the turn signal lever, along the steering column, to the white plastic actuator down low on the column. If the rod isn't seated in that actuator(or can be removed by hand), then it isn't installed correctly inside the column at the lever.

The lever pushes on a little plastic piece that slides on a 'guide'(but isn't actually attached to anything), and that piece will fall out when disassembling the column. For re-assembly, it's best to use some sticky lube to hold that piece in place, otherwise it's liable to fall out again by the time you get the column put back together.

Regarding the horn not working, if the wires to the horns themselves(front of the car inside the fender) aren't broken or disconnected, and the horn relay is good, then it's possible that when re-installing the wheel, the little 'plunger' on the end of the horn wire from the horn button isn't seating correctly. There's a spring that can sometimes get hung-up at the front of the hole it slides into. So if it doesn't fit all the way down into the hole, it won't make proper contact, and the horn won't work when the button is pushed(grounded).

 

The highbeam plunger doesn't necessarily fall apart. It's just that when putting the column back up, it can get dislodged if you dont make sure all the wiring is out of the way.

 

when you have the column apart, or even the underdash cover off and working under there, the rod that fits in the hole easily comes off, so you have to make sure its in that hole, once in it should remain since you arent disturbing it.

 

My 90 Bird had the headlight switch problem too. I could turn the brights ON, but not off. i found that if I tilted the wheel all the way up then they would switch off, so I believe the rods bent.

You should try and tilt your wheel into different positions, and if the brights will switch off then your problem is more than likely the rod being bent.

As far as the AIR bag. before you remove the wheel, disconnect negative battery terminal, WAIT 10 MINUTES, then look under dash panel by column and when you find the BIG YELLOW wire, disconnect it where you see a connector. then you can safely remove the wheel. when you pull the wheel you will find a clockspring with a wire and connector that connects it to the wheel. disconnect this connector and hold the clockspring and count the number of turns as you allow it to unwind. When you re-install the wheel, simply wind it back up the same number of turns and re-install the wheel.

NOTE: Its also a good idea to wear a ground strap when handling an air bag unit. an easy way to do this without buying one is to strip a wire end about 8 inch's and then tie it around your wrist and ground the other end to a good chassis ground. I've never heard of anyone actually igniting an air bag by static charge but they claim it can happen, and better to be safe than injured, burnt to hell, and stupid. And once air bag unit is removed its wise to use a paper clip or something to ground the air bag terminals together which prevents any electrical charge from getting to the ignitors.

 

Evidently someone has had mine apart and lst the part you are talking about????

The rod is there and I can use a screw driver with the steering wheel off and turn the high beams on and off.

What is the piece between the lever and the rod called and where do you get one?

1991 Pontiac Firebird, auto, tilt, no cruise, converted to aftermarket steering wheel

Thanks,
R

 

Make sure you know what you are doing if your air bag is still operational. hgffrank has some good safety info for you, he is right on so follow his advice or you may be eating an air bag for lunch.

 

I also have a 91Z that I bought back in 97. A few months after I got it mine started doing the same thing, but I could dim them by tilting the wheel all the way down and then working the lever. After a few years of this I was sick of going through this just to dim my lights and just run with the low beams and fogs all the time. I read this post and last week while I was installing my 4th gen manual pedals and figured out why they wouldn't dim. As already stated the little rod that is pushed by the lever works a switch attached to the column by two screws. I loosened the screws and moved the switch closer to the wheel and problem is fixed with no need to mess with air bag. Hope this helps

 

Nice, I have been having the same problem as you guys, and I tried moving my Steering wheel all the way up, and they turned off.

Thanks for the help even if it was indirect

 

This repair was so simple it was almost a nonissue.

My high beams wouldn't turn on or off. I removed 5 Torx bolts holding the knee bolster on, popped the bolster off as it is held on by 2 clips, removed 2 bolts holding a bracket under the column, then finally removed 2 bolts holding the column in place. My problem was the rod had popped out of the little undentation cup it sits in. So, I figured I would also slide the switch up towards the wheel more to prevent this from happening again. Loosen just a bit the 2 bolts holding the switch on, pop the rod back in place, slide the switch up a bit then tighten down, test and close it all up. Took me maybe 15 minutes total and I had NEVER done this before, ever.

A similar vehicle should need a 5/16 wrench for the tiny bolts holding the switch on. Use the wrench for easier access. 1 size socket for all the bolts holding the bracket and column up. Mine was 13mm I think and 1 size Torx bit for the others. I didn't check that size, but it was a medium sized one from my toolbox.

 

You all are my heros!! Good simple fix.