low beam headlights will not work on 1996 RAM
 

High beams are fine. I don't see a fuse or other resettable item. Any ideas?

Bad bulb? Did you check to see if you are getting power on the low beam wire?

I did check one bulb and it was fine. Wires to the high/low lever look okay. Also the wires to the switch look okay, but for the life of me I can't get the switch out to look closely. Can't figure out how to remove the knob.

Thanks for your interest, Fanatic.

Anytime, you mean the headlight switch?

Yes, the pullout switch for the lights. The knob is fastened to the rod that pulls and turns the switch, but to get out the switch I need to remove the knob because the hole through which the rod passes is too small to allow the knob to pass through. I've tried to pull the knob off and also to remove what could be a cover in its center in case there is a screw or fastener behind it, but the "cover" does not want to come off. Maybe just a design feature and not a cover at all.

Look at the back of the switch you should see a little plunger push it in and pull out on the knob, it'll come out

If by the back, you mean the part closest to the front of the car, I can't feel any plunger. I can't get my head or even a mirror back there to see - no room. If you mean the part closest to the rear of the car (where the switch attaches to the dashboard), I don't see a plunger. There are parts that rotate with the knob to change what lights are on (interior, etc), but pushing on them doesn't seem to release the knob. Does just the knob come off or does the whole stem come out?

I really appreciate your sticking with me on this, Fanatic.

Whole stem, you should be able to pull the whole switch out of the dash as there is a good bit of wire on that harness. No problem! The wire sometimes goes to the side and can get stuck but it should pull out so you can see the connector

THANK YOU. I had to unclip a wiring harness to pull it out far enough, but I found the plunger and got the switch out. Unfortunately, no noticeable problems so I have booked a date with my mechanic to check the continuity of the wires. I THINK the expensive work is done with all the disassembly/reassembly work out of the way, but we'll see.. Might be some parts, I guess.

I am thankful for your help, Fanatic. While I may not have located the precise problem, I certainly learned a few things. I hope one of those things is how to get everything all together again!

Regards, Ted.

With a $5 test light we could have found the problem. But im glad I could be of service :)