New to the forum and needing some help

[Frankhenrylee]

Are these things really that bad? Should I run now while I've still got the chance? I've got the bottom of the steering column off. One thing that seems kind of odd is that even though the headlights are turned off, they come on when the truck is on, but will turn off when I turn the truck off. I'm going to take the multifunction switch harness out and inspect the connections this weekend.

 

[MASS-HOE'Z71]

hah, no i really havent had any major problems with mine, just little things get annoying sometimes but i havent had anything major on my 04, did have the trans rebuilt a few months back but thats about it. any other problems that i had with it were user error

im not sure if im understanding you concern correctly though. by brights do you mean your high-beams? without modification you can not have your highs and lows on that the same time, just the way GM did it. the low beams are not part of the accessories that stay on when you shut the truck off but havent opened the door yet so they should turn off when you turn the truck off.
the tilting of the steering wheel causing the lights to shut off still sounds like a failing connection. maybe see if you can follow any wires that come from the steering column to the light switch and if nothing looks bad, then it could be the light switch

 

[Frankhenrylee]

The low and high beams don't come on at the same time. Sometimes I can make the low beams start working by turning the brights on and off. Basically my headlight switch stays in the off position but the lights are still on. They do turn off when I turn the truck off. The multifunction switch or the ignition switch seem to be most likely since tilting the wheel or playing with the high beams makes the low beams flicker. Everything else on the multifunction switch works fine though. I don't really know how to test either of these so looks like I'll be taking more stuff apart this weekend. I don't mind working on her though, I just wish I knew what to replace so I could get it done.

 

[tybardy]

hahahaha, I have a tahoe... and I bought my wife a tahoe... I really love these trucks because they are actually quite reliable. But they are vehicles, which means they have their quirks. Luckily, most of the problems these trucks have are cheap and easy for the average-joe to fix.

I will probably always own a GM full size SUV... they make me smile! Happy Tahoe-ing buddy, we are here to help.

 

[Frankhenrylee]

OK, after asking around I decided to go with replacing the dimmer switch first. The dimmer switch is the turn signal/cruise control/windshield wiper switch. After taking out the old one and inspecting it I discovered a burnt and disconnected wire on the harness that plugs into the switch. I thought about repairing it but it was impossible to know how much damage was inside the connector. This fixed part of the problem as tilting the wheel up and down no longer has any effect on the headlights working. I ordered a new headlight switch and will be posting that update this weekend.

 

[blueflamed03]

sweet, thanks for coming back and adding to this post, for any later reference.

 

[Frankhenrylee]

Alright, bad news. Headlight switch replaced and it had no effect. It only cost me $50 so I'm not bummed about that but now I'm out ideas. I think I can hear something coming on when I hook the battery up. It's coming from the area around the windshield washer fluid tank, not the filler, but the tank. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[Frankhenrylee]

OK, maybe not such bad news after all. I didn't know that I had automatic headlights. I held a flashlight over the sensor and they eventually turned off. I put these parts on in the afternoon but it was overcast. How sunny does it have to be to make the auto's shutoff?

 

[DenaliAK]

HAHAHA....

Sorry man, I just read this and that was the first thing I thought of. Auto-headlights make them seem to randomly come on and off. Sounds like you fixed the other issue, so problem solved.

 

[Frankhenrylee]

Wanted to add one more thing. I also replaced the Ambient Light Sensor and now they are working correctly.