[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

Driver side head light is completely out for months now. Headlights do not get used often only once in a blue moon, in summer evenings. Just after dinner, I decided to removed the steering wheel but can't get the big nut out without a large enough socket because the high /low beam switch stays on high beam all times. Luckily it was fixed by bending the tab inside. My question is if head light bulb is burned out, should the high beam work but not low beam? One fulfillment should only be burned not likely both? Thought? I hate getting the headlight out because I can never seem to get the trim ring back on correctly. It shouldn't be the switch because the other light works fine.

Originally Posted by Noah930

There are two filaments in the bulb.

High beams and low beams are separate filaments for sure. When the high beams are on, only that filament burns, I'm about 95%.

On the older cars like yours, the stock headlight setup does NOT have a relay for the lights, so all of the current goes through the switch and the highbeam switch in the steering column. Over time, that switch gets hot and will frequently do what you're describing, get to where it's all high beam all of the time. Or in my case with my old '88, I'd hit a bump or something, and it would switch to high beam. I did the same with mine, bent the tab in the switch and that fixed the problem temporarily. (I ended up selling the car before it became an issue again).

The real fix is to install a relay into the system so that the high beam switch only has the relay activation current going through it instead of the full current of the lights.