No Headlights!

[Cranmaro99]

Hello,

I have a 2001 5.0 AWD Limited Explorer. Fully loaded with every option.

Long story short, on the drive home from work tonight, I have no headlights. I find it very unlikely that both headlight bulbs just happened to go out at the same time (but I'm going to the auto store tomorrow to change them out before work just incase.)

Every other electronic piece of this car functions properly. The parking/driving lights work, and the fog lights work. All other lights work as well. Just both headlights won't turn on (whether I manually turn them on or when the auto-light sensor turns the lights on).

I'm totally a novice here so if there are basic things to check myself first, I would be greatly happy if anyone here could spell it out for me what I need to check first.

This is very dangerous and I am looking to fix this as soon as possible.

 

[Cranmaro99]

So I kept playing around with everything and I'm almost sure it's the multi-function switch on the steering console.

I was playing around with it and the brights worked, and wiggled it around to get the low beams to work too. (for now.)

Looks like a new multifunction switch is in order.

 

[1996BLKBauer]

You may just need to take the switch out and clean it, if possible. or just go to a junk yard and grab a new one. could of just had some crud built up in there.

 

[Cranmaro99]

You may just need to take the switch out and clean it, if possible. or just go to a junk yard and grab a new one. could of just had some crud built up in there.

Is it easy to do? I'm sure there is a write up on here or something I can search for.

 

[tgrfly]

You might want to check your Lamp Outage Module too. That could cause your headlights not to work. Yes in most cases it is just one headlight or the other, but in my case on my 97, the board fried and took out both headlights.

 

[SoNic67]

Did you check the fuse first?
User manual, page 189, 190 - fuse 4, 8. I know that sounds unlikelly, but start from there.
Then, the ground for the lights might be loose. I would turn the light ON and measure the voltage at the bulbs - each terminal relative to the ground.

 

[Cranmaro99]

To all of the above, thank you for the posts and I will be checking fuses and the LOM if this ever happens again. But check post number 2 (by me) and I found out it was the multi-switch lever on the steering column.

I started wiggling things around and they came back on. For now.