2001 9400i headlights suddenly inoperable

Hit a perfectly normal dip and the headlights flickered. 1 mile later they went off for a few seconds. Pulled off at the next exit and they continued to work intermittently with no correlation to any of my attempts to fix it. Now they're off for good.

Changed both fuses, the relay, jiggled wires, tapped on the switch -- nothing.

Markers/signals/brake lights all function, but the high beams do not.

What should I check next? Any known issues with this model?

 

So I wake up and the #### things are working again. Oh I can tell this is going to be a fun one...

No high or low, but everything else worked.

What ground would not be shared by the functioning marker light right beside the headlight? I would imagine they share the same chassis ground at/near the light, & the same ground at/near the fuse panel & switches?

 

Its kicking my ### so far. Worked for about 2 hours solid then just went off and didnt return. Nothing I've tried has worked... Do switches ever fail like that?

paging heavy d?

 

well I examined the dash switch and noticed it had been replaced. The high beam switch (on the floor) too. I also saw probe marks in the wiring harness as well. Clearly someone else had scratched their head over a headlight issue, so I figured what the heck & called the previous owner to ask if he might have any ideas.

He said yeah, he had a heck of a time with it until he pulled the kickpanel and discovered a melted connector. He made a temporary repair while out on the road and forgot all about it. That was in 2007

So I pulled the kick panel, found what he was talking about:




and jiggled the 1 wire and checked the lights -- they're on! But man does that connector get hot to the touch.

Debating whether to replace that entire connector with a generic automotive one or whether to do another temp fix & see if I can order the correct male connector (to make replacing the high beam switch a direct affair -- if it ever needs it).