Hi --- I have a 1984 two wheel drive toyota pickup with 250,000 miles. I have done minimal maintenance on it over the years. For some time my right headlight has been working on the high but not low beam ---- probably for several years, I am ashamed to say. I finally got around to replacing the headlight, and I still have the problem. Since I had the problem with two different headlights, I suspect the problem is not the headlight. Any educated guesses as to where to start? I am not much of a mechanic and am clueless as to where to start. Thanks for your help Wayne
my 83 was the same when I got it, turned out the power wire at the switch came loose. Soldered it back on and haven't had a problem since. Pull the steering column cover and look.
Mine was just the opposite with high beam not working. Found out it was the shaft that goes through the low beam contacts was gummed up. Cleaned it and slightly bent one of the contacts down for better connection. Yours could be gummed up on the low side. The switch is located behind the steering wheel (easy to pull off) and can be easily removed. The good news is the switch itself has a clear cap that is just snaps in place, so it comes off easy for getting to the contacts to clean.
You should get a test light or multi meter and check for voltage and head lights connectors, cant remember if it has a fuse for hi and low beams but you can check under hood for that.
On this generation of toyota the most likely culprit is the contacts in the combo switch. Pull the steering wheel and the open up the combo switch and clean the contacts inside it. They are just like points in an old distributor so they get crusty and burned over time.