Where did my headlights go?

I have a 1998 Taurus DOHC SE. Everything worked fine when I parked it a few months ago. It's an extra car so I havn't needed to drive it for a while. I would wash it and move it once in a while to keep everything running good.
Today I took the car out for a long drive for the first time in a while. On my way back I turned on my headlights and they didn't work. They worked fine when I parked the car and I've had no issues since parking it.
All of the other lights work, parking lights, etc... The passing lights even work when I pull back on the lever.
I've checked the fuses and they all are good. Any ideas what I might check next? I have a miltimeter but don't know anything other than the basic on how to use it.

TaurusGLenn

Have you made sure the low beam bulbs are good? Does the car have Daytime running lights? When the headlights are on low beam, do the other bulbs work (taillights, parking lights)? I know you mentioned the other lights work, but you didn't state if that's when the headlights are turned on or if that's when the parking lights are turned on. Also, do the high beams work when the headlights are turned on? It sure sounds like it could just be the bulbs.

-Rod

All of the other lights work when the headlights or just the parking lights are on. The headlights wont come on in high or low beam mode but the passing lights will come on if I pull back the windshield wiper lever.
I forgot to mention that the car has the autolamp feature.
I have some extra bulbs so I will replace the bulbs to make sure that isn't the problem.

OK I switched the bulbs and that was not the problem.
I put my multimeter on at the headlight slot where the bulb goes and got nothing when I turned the headlight switch on. When I pulled back on the passing lights lever I got a reading.
When I turn the headlight swith to the on position with the door open I get the door chime if that means anything.
I pulled the headlight switch out but didn't see anything abnormal. Don't know enough about the multimeter to do any other tests.
One last thing is my horn isn't working now either and it did before I parked it, possible connection?

OK I switched the bulbs and that was not the problem.
I put my multimeter on at the headlight slot where the bulb goes and got nothing when I turned the headlight switch on. When I pulled back on the passing lights lever I got a reading.
When I turn the headlight swith to the on position with the door open I get the door chime if that means anything.
I pulled the headlight switch out but didn't see anything abnormal. Don't know enough about the multimeter to do any other tests.
One last thing is my horn isn't working now either and it did before I parked it, possible connection?

I can look at the wiring diagrams and send you a copy. I need to know if you have daytime running lamps (DRL) and/or autolamps to help you further.

All of the headlight functions (normal headlight switch function, autolamps, and the flash to pass feature flow through the multifunction switch. The flash to pass feature is a separate switch contact within the multifunction switch. Since it works and the regular high and low beams do not, I would suspect the multifunction switch to be the culprit based on the data provided.

The horn does not flow through the multifunction switch, so it's probably not related, unless there is a common harness for the clockspring and the multifunction switch....

-Rod

I brought the headlight switch to work and had an electrician showed me how to test it and the headlight switch is good. I have a little bit better understanding of a multimeter now too. I'm going to take another look today. Any suggestions where to start?
There are two 30 amp fuses in the power distribution box that go the the headlights, fuse 18 and 22. Both fuses are good. When I remove the fuses and check for voltage I get a reading on fuse 22 but there is nothing on fuse 18. Does anyone know if that is normal?

The wiring diagram from the factory service manual indicates that the power from fuse 22 goes through the headlight switch to the multifunction switch, then from the multifunction switch through fuses 3 and 4 (10 amps) in the Instrument Panel (IP) fuse panel to the headlights. Fuse 3 is for the left headlamp low beam and fuse 4 for the right. For the low beam headlamps, fuse 18 is not in the diagram. In the power distribution diagram, 30-amp fuse 18 appears to just be for the anti-lock brakes.

Your next step should probably be to see if there is power to pin 2 (red/yellow wire) of the multifunction switch with the headlights turned on at the headlight switch. If there is power to pin 2, then see if there is power to pin 3 (red/black wire). It may be easier to check first for power to fuses 3 and 4 of the IP fuse panel, then work backwards. It sounds like the multifunction switch is the likely culprit, assuming fuses 3 and 4 are not open.

The flash to pass feature uses fuse 30 (15-amp) in the IP fuse panel and both the low and high beam filaments, so it is a slightly different circuit from the low beam headlamps.

-Rod