'95 Bonneville headlight switch replacement

[human]

Okay, so I went to the junk yard this afternoon and found a replacement headlight switch for my '95 Bonneville. It came off a '96 model and appears to be in good shape. All contacts are clean and nothing appears burned or melted. I lucked out in that someone else had removed the dash panel to get at something else, but in the process they had broken off the plastic knob on end of the switch. I found the knob on the floor and tried to slip it back onto the shaft, but it was too busted up to stay on. Fortunately, my knobs are in good shape so I can re-use them if I don't break them.

This leads me to the question: is there a way to remove that knob without breaking it? While it was convenient to have much of my work already done for me in getting the part out of the car--especially since it was drizzling--I feel in a way that I was denied the opportunity to learn by trying the operation on the donor car before doing it on my own.

[sonoma_zr2]

see the notch? with a small screwdriver or curved utensil, pull the metal tab towards you while pulling the knob.

[human]

Thanks. That's exactly what I needed to see.

[human]

I installed the new headlight switch and connector today. Everything went very smoothly and I once again have dash lights! As predicted, several contacts on the original switch were burned and the connector was melted.

Interestingly, the dash lights seem to be quite a bit brighter with the new switch than they were with the old one. Previously, I had felt like they were dimmer than they should be. The Twilight Sentinel still doesn't work, but I guess I can live with that.

[threshold]

I had a problem w/my '95 headlight switch & went through 3 of them. After the original? burned out the replacements only lasted about a year. I read somewhere on this forum that the solution was to use the switch from a '96 that has the twilight feature, as it is heavy duty compared to the standard switch.

The NAPA part # is Echlin HL6871. It lists now for about $50. I also had to splice in new wires & the end to plug the switch into, as they had become crispy. Got that from the junk yard for $1.00 + a spare set of wires & connector in case it happens again.

So far I haven't had any problems w/this switch & it's been 2 full yrs. since I installed it.

NAPA was good to me as they warranted the first switch but I had to buy the third one. Before I replaced the third one I did some research & found out about the twilight switch, so it seems to have worked out.

[human]

I harvested mine from a junked '96 model for $6.00, including the connector, with a 30-day replacement warranty. It has the twilight feature, as did the one that came out of the car. In fact, the two switches looked pretty much identical except for the burn marks.

Although my car has the twilight feature, it doesn't work properly, even with the new switch. The headlights (but none of the other exterior lights) come on as soon as I crank up the car and then go back out a minute or two later unless I turn them on manually. I know the twilight cell on the dash is working properly. I swapped it with one from my Cadillac that I knew was good.

[rr1105]

I need to replace the switch on my bonne and i was wondering how to get it out of there

[willwren]

Remove the knobs as shown above. It's pretty easy to figure out from there.

[human]

As Willwren said, the knob is the trickiest part. Once that's out of the way, you'll need a Torx screwdriver to take loose the fascia panel. In all, there are about five screws holding it on. You'll need to pull the lower fascia panel off to get to one or two of them, but that's no big deal. It's just held in place with tension clips. The upper panel is very bendy; you may even be able to get away with leaving a screw or two on the far right in place. Once you get the panels out of the way, there's a couple of screws holding the switch in place. The switch itself is surprisingly big and it takes a little maneuvering to get it in and out of its hole.

I need to replace the switch on my bonne and i was wondering how to get it out of there

[Bleearg]

The headlight switch can be found at any parts store. (ie napa autozone advance) But none of them can seem to find the connector that melts. I finally found it at the GM dealer, after they guy that knew how the system worked helped the guy waiting on me. There wasn't a pigtail listed just the plug alone Part # 12129431. $18.47 The lifetime warranty switch was 24.99.

http://www.gmpartsgiant.com/parts/gm-co ... 29431.html

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results.cfm

[Bob Dillon]

If your dash lights are dim, try this before taking the whole dash apart to replace the switch.

Just take the knob in hand and rotate it back and forth between maximum and minimum brightness about 50-100 times.

I don't know why this works, but it does. Perhaps because crud has built up on the rheostat of something?

And the price is right.