[Murf247]

I cannot get my high beam lights to come on and stay on. It doesnt matter if I pull back on the switch and make the hi beams flash once (like if I'm letting someone know a speed trap is ahead) or if I flick the switch forward from the high beams to stay on they do the same thing everytime which is they will BARELY come on and then turn off. I tried searching the forums and couldn't find anything on this issue. Everything else works on that switch like the cruise control and turn signals.

Any thoughts on what this is and how to fix it?



thanks.

 

[John_E]

Do these cars use a thermal circuit breaker, as one of my old Chevies did? I thought the lighting circuit was a dead simple loop comprising the bulb, the switch, the fuse, and the battery. You might try swapping out the fuse, but if I recall correctly, there is a separate fuse for each headlight, and it would be pretty strange to have both getting intermittent. This is a weird one!

 

[soundguybob]

When you pull back on the stalk, do the high beams stay on until you release it, or do they flash in the same way as when you push it forward?

 

[Murf247]

When you pull back on the stalk, do the high beams stay on until you release it, or do they flash in the same way as when you push it forward?

They stay on for like half a second then they flicker and die out. Same thing happens with the high beam light on the dash.

 

[John_E]

They stay on for like half a second then they flicker and die out. Same thing happens with the high beam light on the dash.

Good point -- I missed that. Is the switch merely snapping back into its neutral position after you push it forward for high beams? A mechanical switch problem such as this sounds more likely than a bilateral electrical gremlin.

 

[Tomvw]

Probably the stalk switch.
If the high beams don't stay on with the stalk in the forward position, and don't stay on with the stalk held back in the flash position the stalk switch is faulty.
Otherwise it could be the ignition switch, light switch, or stalk switch; test with volt meter.

 

[snitram]

it happened the same to me but the flasher worked fine, I tried to fix it ( i thought it has dust in the connections) but i ended up breaking something inside and had to make a 2 day 900 km trip the next day without self canceling indicators and only fog lights because every time I turned on the low beams the high beams also did :lol:
I ended up buying the a used indicators leaver from a seat ibiza (same part)

 

[Murf247]

Probably the stalk switch.
If the high beams don't stay on with the stalk in the forward position, and don't stay on with the stalk held back in the flash position the stalk switch is faulty.
Otherwise it could be the ignition switch, light switch, or stalk switch; test with volt meter.

Any good links on how to replace stalk switch?

Thanks to all that replied btw

 

[Mtech]

it is your stalk switch, I had mine fail with the 'flash-to-pass' or ' flash-to-warn' mode first, then the highbeam switch failed completely. Pretty straightforward repair, but you need to respect the airbag details.

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/68-b5-garage/229154-removal-turn-signal-stalk.html

search around, but this is a good one for the actual switch after the steering wheel is off.

 

[John_E]

I just did the combo (headlights, hi/lo, turn signals) switch replacement on my 1996 A4. Not a difficult repair, although the Bentley manual's disassembly instructions are pretty worthless. Since I had already replaced the ignition switch, I knew how to remove the airbag and steering wheel safely (perhaps easier on a 1996 than on more recent VW or Audi cars). My headlight switch (stalk on the B5 Audis, rather than the Passat's dash-mounted rotary) died a few years ago, and I MacGyvered that problem by jumpering the 5A parking light and 10A headlight fuses. I gave up a parking lit position, but at least had low beams. More recently, the high beam setting of the hi/lo switch went out, which is what prompted the entire assembly replacement (less than $100 at PartsGeek). The problem is that my left turn signal does not work with the new switch, so I need to pull the switch again and ring it out with an ohm meter to prove to PartsGeek that they sent me a defective part (or prove to myself that I buggered up the wiring).

 

[ylwagon]

This was a problem that I encountered on my '96 A4 too. It turned out that the contact for the high beam overheated to the point that the plastic holder for that brass part partially melted, due to contamination (that contact is typically not used much compared to the low beams). With a little Xacto knife work and metal polish, it was working again. Also, the contacts should be coated with a general purpose grease.