high beam problems

I'm sure this has been covered before but I could not find anything using search.
My high beams started becoming intermittent a couple nights ago meaning that when I was driving along with high beams on they would drop down to low beams on their own. At first they returned to high beam on their own a few times after a few seconds, but now I cannot get high beams to work. If I pull and hold the high/low beam switch then the high's come on, but as soon as I release the switch they go back to low.
I figured (probably incorrectly, I'm clueless on electrical) the light switch on the dash panel was going and switched it out for a working spare I had, but no change. Exactly the same condition.
Should I change the high/low beam switch on the steering column? Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
rockyrose

You don't by any chance have the auto dim option in the car do you?

If not, the column switch is about the only other thing that might affect low/hi beam.

Robert:
I do have the auto dim option in my car, but have already torn the low/high beam switch out of my parts car (which also has auto dim) and plan to install it in the next day or so - figured that was the most likely problem.
Thanks,
rocky

I'm not familiar with the auto dim option, but it does add another element, the light sensor and the auto dim circuitry to the equation. You really need the wiring diagram for that option.

okay, I replaced the column high/low beam switch and that seems to have cleared up the trouble.
Thanks!

Originally posted by rockyrose:
okay, I replaced the column high/low beam switch and that seems to have cleared up the trouble.
Thanks!

Sir this is only a temporary FIX. What you need to do is slave the switch with a relay. The stock switch cant handle the load of the lights. I have done many and is the only permanent fix. All the relays can be installed in the steering column. I slave the high beam switch and also the headlight switch. Thank you Sir and have a good evening.

If you use relays as Paulie suggests, put them close to the light switch / high beam switch like Paulie does if you want to keep the system sentry fully operational. Using the more common method of putting relays for headlights under the hood will bypass the resistance wire that senses currect flow to the lights and the system sentry will not work.

the sell headlamp relay harnesses for this.. the also sell them with the HID upgrade kits

Originally posted by BJL:
the sell headlamp relay harnesses for this.. the also sell them with the HID upgrade kits

Thats true, Brian, but those all go under the hood near the headlights, and will render the system sentry inoperative for the headlight out function. Some may not care if the system sentry works or not, but I just want to point that out.