I'm more a 60's guy and those ones have tail lights on the same fuse as dash. Do you have tail lights?

Hmm, time to drop down the switch and get out the test light maybe?

I have seen the resistor (instrument panel light resistor) on the back of the switch burn up on newer cars but I'm not sure if your setup is the same as that.

Someone here recently had a similar problem and I think it was a 50's Pontiac as well. I just can't recall the details.

Rheostat!!! That's the word I was supposed to use, not resistor! Thanks Pete!!!

JEEZ these big words that appearing here, & I thought Marmalade was a BIG one when i have my toast in the morning

pariscruiser64 wrote:

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Not trying to hijack this thread or anything, but I am also having issues with my headlight switch and am unclear as how to remove it from the dash. it's a '64, I currently just jumped a wire so my dash lights come on whe I turn the headlights on I bypassed the potentiometer.

any help would be cool.

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 Here's how a typical GM light switch of the era is removed.  

1.  disconnect the negative cable from the battery.

2.  reach under the dash and find the light switch.   The wiring connections will be on top, and a small button and spring on the bottom.  

3.  pull the light knob out as if you're turning on the lights.  It needs to come out to the headlight position, not just to the park light position. 

4.  on the light switch, push the button/spring that's on the bottom of the switch.   While pushing, pull out the light knob and shaft.

5.  once the shaft is out, you can usually use a large screwdriver to start to turn the retaining screw counter clockwise.   It's hollow, and has 2 grooves in it facing you.  5 or 6 turns and the hollow screw should come out allowing the light switch to be pulled behind the dash, and possibly disconnected. 

Once the switch is out, you can reinsert the knob/shaft by just pushing it in.  Looking at the light switch, you'll see the rheostat towards the front (will look like a spring), and you can see how it works (it adjusts resistance to brighten/dim the dash lights), and how you turn the dome light on by turning the know all the way counter-clockwise.   

Hopefully, you just need to use some contact cleaner on the rheostat.   If no contact cleaner handy, you can use WD40, it'll do the job.    You can turnthe knob clockwise / counter-clockwise to work in the contact cleaner.     To remove the knob/shaft, follow the same process described above.

-- Edited by 427carl on Friday 4th of November 2011 06:33:53 PM