Archived Head light electrical gramlins

[kurtperry]

Head light electrical gremlins

Hey Guys,

Here is a head scratcher..... I have been having trouble with the hedlights, either they work fine, or not at all. I have replaced both lamps, checking and cleaning the contacts in the process yet on a cool southern AZ morning, I start my truck and pull out the switch and get nothing but running lights... no high beams either. I sit there for 2 to 3 minutes cussing and manipulating both the headlamp switch and the high/lowbeam with no noted effect... . so I sit there... ... . meanwhile the truck warms up and vibrates???????? and all of a sudden, the lights come on! and the high beams work fine and there is no problem during my 30+ minute commute and the lights work fine at lunch and later on that night but the next morning, the same thing happens!



Any Ideas

 

[runningbird]

replace the switch. this is how they quit, sometimes they work sometimes they don't. it's easy and cheap, or you can go to the dealer and get the updated harness to the switch.

 

[kurtperry]

OK, I swapped out the switch and will wait a bit and see if that fixes the problem

 

[justinp20012500]

OK, I swapped out the switch and will wait a bit and see if that fixes the problem

Alot of the times its the blinker lever and assy. The proper name just exscaped my brain...

 

[stg2500]

I have something similar happening on my truck. I replaced my headlight switch last winter because the knob broke off. So I don't think that is a problem. With my truck the foglights work but the headlights will not work occationally. After a few minutes they turn back on. It has happened a few times over the past few weeks.



Any ideas?

 

[wtrenholm]

stg2500,



I would check the multifunction switch (dimmer switch). Have seen a few that have been melted at the connector and/or interenally. The fog lamp relay takes power from the high beam circuit before the MF switch so that would explain why they work.



Does the flash function work on the MF switch when the headlamp don't work? It uses different contacts in the MF switch and current doesn't go through the HL to ground.



HTH,

Wayne

 

[Mundgyver]

The multi-function switch in the steering column is a very good place to start your search. But don't look at the switch. What you want to look at is the connectors to the switch and in particular the wiring as it goes into the connectors.



A little know problem crops up from time to time with the dash board wiring and it lies in the steering column and will cause all kinds of strange things to happen.



That problem is with the flexibility of the wires in their movement relationship to the tilt wheel. When these trucks are built, the wiring harness assemblys are made to fit. This means no extra wire for proper looping or strain relief and this comes into play with the steering column.



My bet is that you will find the wires broken at the back of the connector to the multifunction switch and if not broken at least cracked. When you move the steering wheel or the truck moves, the two broken ends of the wire will be together or vibrate and rub apart.



Pull your steering wheel covers and look very closely at these connectors. If you find one wire cracked or broken and you are under warranty, make DC replace it. They will have to replace the whole harness which runs across the entire dash. This is the voice of experience here and as a prior helicopter avionics tech, I had to show this to the service center because their boys could not find it.

 

[kurtperry]

Its Fixed

OK, Its been a week since I changed the Head light switch and no further problems. $18 bucks for the new switch and 20 minutes to do the swap out..... I guess I got off pretty cheap.



Thanks for pointing out the obvious... ... . I probably would of messed around a couple more weeks checking everything else as time allowed.

 

[runningbird]

no problem... . it's always nice to learn from someone else's misshapes.

 

[2-ND TIME]

head light electrical problems

I would suspect bad grounds. Cut them back, solder the splices and ring connectors and add a heavier wire and and make a new or better ground point. I did and had headlights again.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

Nice to know, I would have thought relay was bad and reacting to temperature change. This web site has me totally baffeled (doesn't take much) so I am no doubt asking in the wrong place on here, so maybe someone will answer anyway. Is there something I can use to wash my headlight lenses. They are getting dingey and dull. Maybe I could let my wife wash them in her dishwasher. My other thought was vinegar water but was afraid to try. Buying new lenses would be an option but afraid they would be dealer only and cost tripple. They are 7 years old. THANKS -- email address removed --

 

[poor]

Headlights-high beam!

What is overheating or what might it be if on high beam for a long period of time the lights just go out-kinda scary-go to low beam and seems okay-and help would be appreciated-thanks!

 

[stg2500]

My headlights started acting up again the other night. Sometimes the low beams came on after switching from high beams and sometimes they did not and had to flick the lever a few times to get them to come back on.

Mundgyver, I'll start to look at the wiring to the switch first. I did have the clockspring changed under warranty. Is that the same wiring as what you are mentioning? If the wiring looks good should I replace the seitch next? If the switch is bad, is it a dealer only item?

 

[Mundgyver]

The clock spring is different. What you are looking for is the wiring harness that comes up the steering column. In particular you want to look at the back of the connectors where the wiring goes into the connector itself. The tilt steering column when tilted up and down flexes the wires a little and this flexing action is absorbed right at the point where the wire enters the connector and is attached to the pin or spade. The wires will crack at that point over time.



The root cause is that when Dodge built the truck they used a certian length of harness for the dash. The part that comes up into the steering column was short, but still worked. It was not recognized as a problem and would not be caught on a new truck of the time.



Over time with the flexing of the wiring due to movement of the steering column with repeated tilting, the wiring start to break/crack.



When I found mine and went to the dealer, I had to show him what was wrong. I got a whole new dash harness under warranty and come to find out there had been two completely new improved upgraded harness come out since my truck had been built for the reasons explained above.



I had the truck just completly die on me and then restart on its own when crossing a set of railroad tracks, 1st time.



2nd time was when I pulled into the drive way with the truck idling and tilted the wheel up and it just died. That is when I found out I had a problem and when I ran it down to what it was. I use to work on helicopter avionics in the Marine Corp, so for me it was an easy fine based on past experience.



My problem was with the ignition, but I did find I had a cracked wire to the multi-function switch also.



Look close, move the tilt and observe and pull the connectors and inspect for soundness.



My bet is you will find the problem with the harness

 

[stg2500]

I'll take a look at that next. I'll let you know what I find.