Have you checked the headlight ground?  On my 85 GL it is located up
behind the dash inside the front fender on the driver's side.   There
are a couple of plug connectors that look like a stars with any number
of grounds connected to them.  The one closest to you holds the
headlight ground.  Be careful removing the plugs as they may be brittle.

If I removed the headlight ground they would not work, though the
parking lights would.  Not sure about the brights.  Of course, the
ground fastener broke off a bit when I removed it, and it would only go
back on loosely.  That caused the lights to flicker before I fixed it.
If I remember correctly, you had to remove the fuse box to get at these
ground connectors.

Good luck

Marc
85 Vanagon GL

John McLean wrote:

> I have a similar problem:  my headlights (high and low) stopped coming
> on. The dash lights comeon and the park lights come on.  The passing
> high beam flasher works so I have high beams if I want to hold the
> dimmer switch up while I drive. The fuses are still good.  I replaced
> the dash hadlight switch with another and still have the same
> situation.
> Jaymac, 87 vanagon GL
>
> A & C Grobey wrote:
>
>> My headlights have been giving me problems lately where they turn
>> off while driving on a bumpy road.  They also sometimes do not turn
>> on without jiggling the switch a little.  Now they won't come on at
>> all.  I think it is the switch itself that has gone bad.Has anyone
>> ever had their headlight switch go bad to the point where the
>> headlights won't go on but the parking lights will?  I'm 99% sure
>> this is what it is although I haven't verified it with a volt meter
>> yet.  It just seemed like a strange thing to fail so I wanted to
>> poll the list to see if I am not alone.Alan Grobey
>> '91 Carat
>> Sherwood, OR
>