Hello. i have a 1997 A4 2.8 quattro. I went to go for a drive last week at night and i now have no headlights. I checked all the fuses, all good. It has daytime running lights and they work when the headlight switch is moved up one click. when i move the switch up to the second position i have no lights. only if i pull back on the hi/low beam/turn signal switch do i get high beams. any ideas? could a faulty daytime light module cause this problem?
Thanks for any help.

 

sounds likes a wire is grounding somewhere, or a bad relay, or a bad switch

 

did u check the bulbs themself? seems silly to ask but u never know haha

 

Common problem on the B5. Your combination switch is shot (that's the turn signal/cruise/headlight switch on the column). New ones are a hair over $150 and used ones are usually $40-60. Easy enough DIY but you have to pull the airbag and wheel so be sure you're comfortable with that or pay a shop if you're not sure what to do safety-wise. Search "combination switch" and you'll find a lot of related info.

 

I had a 93 90 that gave me some weird issues with lights, dash lights and center column lights and locks. turned out to be the wiring harness running along one of the trunk hinge brackets. Not that I'm even thinking yours could be close to that but just a heads up on how interesting some of these can be with an Audi.

 

Thanks guys. Where is the headlight relay. i have a service manual but it has not been very helpful. i think i will change out that before the combination switch. if that doesnt work then its a new switch. I know its not the bulbs them selves as the high beams do come on when i pull the switch lever back.

 

The headlights don't operate through a relay - it's battery power to the switch. IMO that's why we have problems with the switches. The current draw through the switch eventually melts it (that's the case with the half-dozen or so that I've opened up after failure). You'll see that the slide contact inside has deformed from heat due to the current draw, and the copper contact rails have pulled away from the pads that trigger the lights. I'll be doing a DIY mod writeup soon for adding relays to the system so that the excessive current draw is kept out of the switch which hopefully will avert future failures.

Doublecheck both low beam bulbs anyway - they're separate from the high beam bulbs. My bet is the bulbs are fine and the switch is shot. You can count on a few things failing on a B5, such as wheel bearings and control arms, and the combi switch is right up there too.