96 Mercury Sable headlights won't turn on. Bulbs replaced. Fuses check. Relay replaced. Headlight switch replaced. Pulling the multifunction stick on steering column offers high beams only.

I'm going to be a bad man here but... you might want to change the headlight switch itself. Had that happen before and that was the fix.

Mercury Sable - YouTube

? 6:06
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlb1V5vNgFM
Jan 3, 2012 - Uploaded by 1A Auto Parts http://www.1aauto.com/1A/HeadLights/Mercury/Sable/1ALHP00223 ... Find out why. Close. How to Install Replace Headlight and Bulb Mercury Sable 00-05 ... How To Install Replace Fog Lightand Bulb 00-03 Mercury Sable

take it to your auto parts store have them look at this free

I'm showing a brown wire coming out of the headlight switch on 96-99 models going to the park lights.
Do you have power on that circuit leaving the headlight switch ?

There are two fuses, one for each headlight. The dimmer switch provides the ground circuit.
Do you have power in and out of the dimmer switch on each circuit ?

If it is not getting power then it's either the switch or the relay. Check or replace the relay before you go to the switch.

At first 1994 C280 high beams began to not connect regularly when stick pushed forward, then not at all. Drove high beams by pulling and holding stick back towards steering wheel until that stopped working, too. Shop said the turn signal switch was at fault-- had seen it many times before with W202; about $160 to replace. Haven't done it yet, but should be an easy fix?

Have you checked the fuses and the headlight relays? 

The low beam headlamps have a seperate fuse for each lamp in the central or underdash fuse panel.
The right headlamp is fuse fuse 26 (10amp) and the left is fuse 28 (10 amp). These fuse are hot only when headlamps are on so you need to test them with a test light with headlamps on. If they do not have power to them then concern is either headlamp switch or daytime running lamp relay if your vehicle is equipped with this feature, or a bad multifunction switch.
Power leaves the headlamp switch on the RD/YE wire and goes to multifunction switch. It leaves multifunction switch on the other RD/YE wire The wire will then go thru either a connector c2003 located behind the passenger side air bag behind the dash or to the DRL relay if your vehicle has this feature and leaves there on RD/BK wire to the headlights .

This problem is now resolved, thanks to a prior post by sableowner.

http://www.fixya.com/cars/t1479995-2001_merc_sable_headlight_replacement

The 2003 Sable has the same headlight assembly and removal/replacement instructions as the 2001 Sable. Once I had this information in hand, bulb replacement was easy.