Automatic headlight trouble

hey guys,

a while ago i was messing around with the headlight switch, the time it takes for the lights to turn on automatically, and now i have to turn them on manually. i dont mind doing it but when i tried to det them back up to automatic, they wont turn on. ive tried what the manual says moving and holding the tab all the way to the left for a few seconds, but it doesnt work for me......any ideas?

97SC_CALI_RIV wrote:

hey guys,

a while ago i was messing around with the headlight switch, the time it takes for the lights to turn on automatically, and now i have to turn them on manually. i dont mind doing it but when i tried to det them back up to automatic, they wont turn on. ive tried what the manual says moving and holding the tab all the way to the left for a few seconds, but it doesnt work for me......any ideas?

I had a problem with the headlights coming on all the time, even during daylight. It turned out to be my ambient light sensor, dead center of the dash, very close to the windshield. Do your Daytime running lamps work?

yes, everything works, the headlights just wont turn on automatically at night anymore. i have to do it

was the sensor expensive and hard to replace?

97SC_CALI_RIV wrote:

was the sensor expensive and hard to replace?

The sensor was not expensive. I think 50.00 or so. It looks like the old car dash light bulbs, like a 168 or 194 bulb. You just pry the old sensor out, and push in the new one. The only thing that makes it difficult is it's proximity to the windshield. I used 2 small screw drivers to pop it out. Install is easy. Just push the new one in.

thanks Larry

97SC_CALI_RIV wrote:

i was messing around with the headlight switch

Please try to explain exactly what "messing around" is.

My headlight switch was always a little bit out of place and I felt like it could get that tab stuck in the far left if I wanted to. All the bottom slider does is adjust the time the lights stay on after you shut the key off. The turn-on is determined by the center ambient light sensor, which I also had to replace (my lights turned on too much, and eventually all the time).

oh i see thanks alot for that clarification,

but yes i was just moving around that tab to the right and left, seeing if that helped, but it didnt and now i know why haha. im pretty sure its the sensor too now. but i looked on ebay and i didnt find anything do i have to buy it thru the dealer?

Guys...I generated a procedure a while back for this topic and it's now in the "write-ups" section of this site. Here's the link:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t4581p45-write-up-replacing-twilight-sentinel-photo-cell#110387

Hope this helps!