New electrical gremlin: hi-beams

Just noticed this the other night. If I pull the lever to flash the hi-beams everything works normal, the hi-beams turn on. But if push the lever forward to switch to hi-beams only the lights turn off completely(the running lights stay on).

I know it's not the lights (I think??) because the hi-beams still work when flashed. I'm stumped as to where to look. If it was a fuse or relay wouldn't the headlights as a whole not work, or at least the hi-beams? Could there be a problem with the headlight switch?

Sounds like the stalk switch to me.

+1, Try a little contact cleaner on the stalk switch

I was hoping it wouldn't be anything near the gauge cluster. I just hope I can pull that cover without busting the gauge hood. Last time I was fixing anything near it pretty much shattered.

Contact cleaner can be had at a walmart or auto parts store, or do I need to hit up an electronics store?

Radioshack, Fry's and possibly Home Depot and Lowes.

It comes with a straw like WD-40 so you might could sqweeze in the hole without taking off the cover or at the least take off the bottom half only.

Funny, the lever in my car does something similar: pushing forward yields high-beams, pulling for flash-to-pass yields...a very dark road.

You can pull the stalk assy without pulling the gauge cluster. You just have to pull the wheel.

+1 for contact cleaner - Fry's, Shack, etc...

i just changed mine out for this reason. i literally had the part in my glovebox for almost 2 years. it took at the most 30 minutes. as noted above, need to pull the steering wheel. iirc its a 21 mm nut. just mark the wheel position before you remove it, and the rest is pretty painless.