Headlight switch

I understand this is a 22 year old vehicle but today as we went shopping the switch went click when turning the headlights on and now i can turn the switch to the left to where it would have Autolamps mine doesn't and will not turn the headlights on anymore....


turning the switch to the left (AutoLamps) they seem to work fine and when i turn the van off they stay lit for 20secs then shut off


off they shut off that's fine


running lights work fine


but headlights only work intermittently or when i hold the switch in the on position


i am trying to figure out where they wired the sensor for autolamps if the van didn't come with them


and how hard it will be to swap out the switch but i kind of like having the lights on for security purposes

My model year is '96 and I don't have daytime running lamps (autolamps), but the headlight switch (which is located on the lower dash to the left of the steering wheel) is not difficult to replace. You have to remove the knob so that the cover can be removed, and maybe a couple of other parts of the dash to get behind it. There is a nut that holds it on the dashboard and the usual electrical connector on the back.


Regarding the location of the light sensor, I don't know where it is on the Windstar, but on my Chevy it is located on the top of the dashboard in front of the driver, about 2/3's of the way to the very front. I changed it once, and it was difficult to get my hand inside to change it. I believe the main thing that it controls on the Chevy is the dash board lights and brightness of the readouts.

Hi, thanks for the reply. i did find one at my local wrecking yard and aparently yht headlight switch along with the dimmer and TPMS reset are on one snap in panel...the hardest part was removing the clips that holdthe switch as they were really tight maybe putting a hose clamp aroun them and squeezing them might have helped but i got the switch replaced...THANK YOU ALL for the help and the switch was the same if you have autolamps or not (Dealership discovery)i just found the switch has a secondary step after you turn them off but no idea what that is for again all in 15 minutes to swap the switched and no extra tools everything snaps together all i needed was a small flat head screw driver