2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission '98.4 2500 - fuse #1 (parking lights) keeps blowing

[HoleshotHolset]

The headlight switch doesn't smell burnt and all the wires leading up to it are in mint condition.



When the switch/wiring melted on my '94 it never blew a fuse... which makes me wonder what in the heck is going on with my '98.



I'm not an interior guru... but I thought that the '98+ trucks had the twist-to-turn on switch... my '98 still has the old school pull knob...



Thoughts, suggestions, advice - all appreciated.



Matt

 

[DarrellB]

I have seen a few 98. 5 with the knob you are talking about. I'd say it's one of those parts that DC used until the parts bin was empty.



On my 99 I had to replace the newer style headlight switch under waranty and it never blew a fuse either. Just wouldn't not turn on the driving lights. So it sounds like there is something more to it then a bad switch, maybe a short between a hot a ground wire.



DB

 

[jmeehan]

Matt,

I'd start by checking all the parking light bulbs. You may have a broken filament causing some mayhem. If nothing there look at the dash light bulbs.

Check the easy stuff in the circuit. It may be a chaffed hot wire at a lamp.



Not to be a smart *** but, have you done any electrical work on your truck that may have shaken loose?

 

[Jrowe]

Do you have wiring for a trailer hooked into the parking lamp circuitry. This could be a simple cause of blowing fuses.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Good advice, gents.



What kills me is that this happened after I ran the beast through the 'lazy carwash'... then again... I didn't need my headlights before that and the truck had been sitting for almost a week before I drove it yesterday. So - I could have some water issues. I checked out the trailer wiring plug... since I've had some weirdness with those before... and that was dry.



The fuse doesn't blow immediately... it takes a couple of minutes, usually. All the parking/interior lights seem okay - they're all lit until the fuse blows. One time the fuse blew last night was when I had the parking/fog lights on and then started the engine... it blew immediately. I'm under the impression that the shutdown and starter solenoids are on a different circuit... so I was perplexed as to why it blew when it did. When voltage drops... so does current - provided you have equal resistance...



Maybe it'll dry out today and I'll be okay. I stuffed 3 15A fuses in there last night at about 9PM. I'm not a fan of stuffing fuses in there and guessing - but it was all I could do in the dark. I'm gonna get the test light out after work and see what I can find.



Is the connector on the old/new style headlight switches the same? I wouldn't mind upgrading my 'yanker' for a 'cranker'...



Thanks again,



Matt

'98 QC that can only be driven during the day - for now. :-laf

 

[y-knot]

I checked and the only thing on the #1 fuse circuit is the headlight switch, and it is suppose to be a 15A fuse. I would take the headlight switch out of the circuit and start from there. Just get to the back of the headlight switch and UN plug the connector, see if the fuse holds. If it does good, now identify the power wire and the parking lights wire, temporary jumper the two and see if the lights come on and if they hold. If they stay on OK, then I would think the switch is bad. You could also check the switch to see if any of the power contacts have continuity to ground, but since the short is not immediate and is more intermittent, the test might not reveal that much.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

y-knot: That's good advice. I'll be getting out the DMM after work and I'll let ya'all know what I came up with - if anything.



Matt

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I took the turn/tail lights apart on all 4 corners of the truck tonight...

The bulbs looked fine... no obvious corrosion/damage...



I went through another 5-pack of 15A fuses... It seemed to blow more readily when the engine was running... Sometimes it happened right away... other times it took 3-5 minutes to blow.



I'm currently looking for a replacement headlight switch... I'm thinking it's arcing out inside or something like that...



Matt

 

[I-6DZL]

Clearance Lamps ??.

Matt does this truck have clearance lamps ??

Take your test light and hook 1 end in 1 slot for the fuse, and the other end in the other slot for the fuse. That will act like the fuse. If there is a ground somewhere in the circuit, the test light will light up. If the test light is lit up, go into the PDC (power distribution center) and unhook your trailer tow relay, if light goes out there is your problem. If that doesn't solve the prob, keep test light hooked up and pull your bulbs 1 at a time while looking at test light, if test light goes out, there's the prob. If none of this helps, it has to be the headlamp switch, and more than likely it's the dimmer part.



Hope this helps

Curtis

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Hey Curtis: That's some really good troubleshooting advice... thank you!



Yes, it does have clearance lights... If I had a short in the wiring... wouldn't one/all of the lights fail to operate?



I'll try what you suggested... but, I'm still gonna hunt down a new switch.



Matt

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I stole this picture from TMTT's reader's rigs gallery:

#ad




The headlight switch bezel on his truck looks just like my '98... except my '98 has a push/pull knob. Any idea if the newer switch will interchange with the older one?



I'm trying to get the Safety Recall #819 kit (Dodge part #: CAJM8190) with the 'overlay relay harness' in conjunction with this deal so that it can take the load off the switch.



Matt

 

[TORQUE THIS]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...tem=7923566279&category=50459&sspagename=WDVW



Check out the current bidders name... :-laf



TooMan's dash is so GHEY!

 

[Eskimo1]

I don't think the 2 are interchangable... I searched for this a few weeks ago, and the harness was different, IIRC. Maybe it changed with the 24v intoduction?



BUT, if you find that it IS interchangable, I'm gonna switch mine out too!!! I, too, would prefer to twist, rather than pull. Just reminds me too much of my POS '84 Charger I had in high school.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Mark - I think there's a website with a similar URL to that guy's eBay userID. Check it out... I think you'll enjoy it. :-laf



I found a replacement for the push/pull switch...



KEM makes a replacement (part # LS275) that will cross reference to a Echlin (NAPA part # ECHHL6559)... $21. 49



#ad




I called the dealer too...

$59. 85 for the turn-style switch with fog lights and dome/cargo light settings.

$47. 10 for the pull style with dome/cargo light settings.



The local dealer won't sell me the Safety Recall #819 kit (part # CAJM8190) - I bought one for my '94 back in MA without a problem. I guess it helps to be good friends with the guy behind the Dodge parts counter... crap.



For now... I'm going to see if I can get the old-school switch to try it out... then I'm going to workup some sort of relay system... AND convert to LED bulbs wherever possible in the near future.



Thanks for all the info, etc - yous guys rock!



What a PITA... oh well - it could be a lot worse.



Matt

 

[TORQUE THIS]

Mark - I think there's a website with a similar URL to that guy's eBay userID. Check it out... I think you'll enjoy it.

I'll be sure to check it out as soon as I get home!

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I picked up a brandy-new old-school style switch from the local parts place. $17. 99 and a few minutes later... and the #$&! thing still blows fuses.



I spent some quality time with my test light tonight. When I plug both ends of the light into the #1 fuse socket (and make it so that it's the 'fuse'... ) it doesn't light up until I turn the headlight switch from off - to the parking light setting.



It was too dark to try to take apart all 4 corners of the lights and so forth... but I still tried to make the test light shutoff without success. Putting the test light across the fuse like that is a good indication that there is something on the truck grounding out a hot wire... grrr.



I pulled the trailer tow relay - didn't do a thing.

I did find one relay assembly mounted right by the distribution box under the hood... it was all corroded, etc. I took that out of the circuit and the test light was still lit... it looked like it was for the marker lights... but I couldn't tell for sure.



Buss fuses is making some profit off me these days on their 5-pack of 15A ATC's...



Should my next course of action be to take each and every marker/tail/clearence light out of the truck and see if I can make the test light go out? What kills me is that all of the bulbs are lit... until the fuse blows.



Matt

 

[jmeehan]

I don't mean to bash Curtis but I don't see how that method will show if you have a ground. When you turn the lights on, the current will go through the test light to the lights.

His method would work if the fuse were blowing with the switch in the off position. That may be what he meant?



Have you checked the connecters in the circuit? You said you washed the truck at a cheapy car wash, did that include an engine wash?

 

[I-6DZL]

No Bash taken...

The #1 fuse only blows when the switch is in the running lamp position ?? If so i was totally wrong. My method was only for a short to ground situation, wich reading closer (should have before, sorry) is clearly not your problem. The only problem you have matt is you either have a wrong bulb in somewhere or you have a bulb, or bulb socket that is corroded, and drawing too much amperage for the circuit to handle. Sounds like it is one of your clearance lights. Look for a bulb that has a black tint to it, or replace them all (cheap insurance) I would also take some brake cleaner (or preferable, is electic contact cleaner) and shoot a little mist into the socket (with the switch off) and blow it out, then put a little dialectric grease in each socket with a new bulb.

Very sorry for the previous misleading post, but now you know a good way to check a circuit for a short to ground



Hope this helps

Curtis

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I made some diagrams and spoke with a very knowledgeable guy here at work (fellow ham radio licensee).



He said (and it makes a lot of sense... ) that since the test light sees the load of all the lamps put together - it may as well be a ground since cold filaments have very little resistance. (Hot filaments are a different story... ) In this case... I'd have to use a light with a greater load than the whole circuit to determine if there's a direct short. I was thinking of looking for a landing light off a DC-9 or something like that.



He suggested hooking up a DC ammeter to see what the actual current of the system... and to disconnect it if/when I see smoke. :-laf



In the meantime - I'm going to pull some lamps. What kills me is that all of the lights are operational until the fuse blows and there's no definite rhyme or reason as to how quickly or slowly they will blow. Lately - it seems like they're blowing a LOT more quickly than they used to.



Thanks for the advice... if anything - it got me thinking some more.



Send in the wiring experts! haha



Matt - down, but not out.



On edit: No - the car wash did not include anything under the hood. I went through one of those 'touchless' car washes... it actually does a pretty good job on the truck (despite the size of the whole package) - WITH the cap/topper on!

 

[AKAMAC]

Matt,

When you turn on the e-flashers do all 4 lights work?