I just bought a 2003 monte carlo 3.4L 56K miles and the highbeam out message is on the dash but both high beams work. A few websites i checked said the pcm could be the problem but the carfax shows that it was replaced less than 1k miles ago. also the car has a long crank first thing in the morning. What could be the cause?

 

Anyone?

 

Mine does this mostly in cold weather. Its in the plug that goes into the back of the headlight assembly. Caused by normal degradation of contacts within the plug. In my case I just ran a jumper wire outside of the harness and eliminated the contact that was causing it.

My drl's would automatically move to headlights from the highbeams when it happened. I think cold weather made it happen more often because metal shrinks slightly the colder it gets. Once it warmed up and it expanded, my contacts came in contact again and the problem would disappear.
hope this helps.

 

I had this exact same problem. Change the multifunction switch and problem solved

 

Another problem I had was the long crank. Could mean ya fuel pressure regulator is failing. Changed mines and no more long cranks

 

Thank you guys for the answers I'll be checking it out this weekend I'll post back on what I find.

 

Using a small emery board (or a piece of a nail file) clean all the contacts in the connectors and receptacles, then spray clean with electronic cleaner. Make sure to check your ground wires also. Physically remove them, clean the contact points and reinstall. I use a product called Oxi-Guard on all my metal to metal contact points to deter oxidation and aid in continuity.

 

our monte only seems to do this when the lights are turned on or they come on by the night sensor, or when I shift from park to gear and lights are on. I checked the grounds and they seem to be solid, the wires inside the lights are ok.. anyway to test to see if this is the DRL or the multifunction switch?

 

I have a similar but different issue. When I start the car, the multi switch works. All the way in, no lighhts, half out, parking lights, and all out, headlights. Issue is, when I put the car in gear, the brights and headlights come and stay on. At this point the switch does not do anything... all 3 positions I have both head and high beams on at all times. I ordered and replaced the multi switch and there was no difference. AutoZone guy had no clue, said it could be a short. I know it is not the bulbs and relay cause they light up... Let me know if I need to post my own thread, sorry to hijack this one.

PS, I have a working multi switch for sale cheap if anyone wants it.

 

Steven and Jon, I believe your problem is the ignition switch. The switch acts like a hub for information exchange between the "Class 2 Serial Data Link" and the BCM. When the switch fails it can can cause a multitude of various problems from dash lights, gauges or exterior lights. Symptoms often vary, but headlights are a fairly common one. See the attached schematic, circuit description and switch replacement tutorial.

Tutorial: