Headlight Problems (more) Help

[dkuehn]

I need some help on the headlight switch I think. Well back about a month and 1/2 ago I had the headlight connector smell in the truck. I lost my low beams then so with the cold weather I just got a switch from Advance Auto, $15. 00, to get me thru the winter in hopes of fixing it with a kit when it warms up. The plastic was melted a little and when reinstalling it I put on some die elertric grease on the connections to try to keep the corroson away. Well got in the truck this morning and no head lights at all hi or low. When I would pull back on the hi/low beam switch and hold it back I would get hi beams as thats the way I went to work!!!! I had an intermediate problems about a year ago with my low beams when I would put the tilt wheel all the way down the low beams would go out so I would just move the wheel up a notch and they would work. That seamed to go away when I replaced the headlight switch but remember it was intermittent before. Do you think its the switch or a problem with the wiring in the column? The technical manual for the 93 shows 4 wires in the column for the lights. They are 1 low beam headlamps, 2 headlamp feed, 3 high beam headlamps, 4 headlamps-opt horn feed. Which wire would cause a loss of both lights? The #2 headlamp feed?



Now for the next question. I picked up a new headlight switch kit on the way home from work. I read about the kit in other threads p/n 4886449-ab. The parts guy sold me a kit p/n cajm8190 which is used on the 2nd gen 3500 trucks as they had a recall on them ( Recall 819). This kit comes with a relay also. Can I use this relay on the 1st gen trucks? He only charged me $42. 00 (think he put it under a recall price) for this kit which has all that I think I need. The other kit p/n 4886449-ab would have been over $85. 00 and back ordered for some time. The relay p/n in the package is 5015799aa. I'm not much with electrical stuff as I'm a mechanical guy so if some of what I have said does not sound quite right thats why. Hope you guys can help.



Thanks to all



Dan

 

[dpuckett]

I'm no expert, but I'll try to remember the past 5 years of headlight woes. When you replaced the switch, you might ought to have replaced the pigtail at the same time, esp if some of the connectors were burnt. The dimmer switch-only-lights sounds like the switch and pigtail have eloped south for good this time round. I lucked out and found a truck end pigtail from a junkyard and got the switch for about $15 from AZ.



When you get the new switch and pigtail, look up the thread about hooking up a relay into the system. Thinnk it even founf its way into the magazine. I started the thread about a year ago; I'll see if I can remember to find it.



Daniel

 

[KPolman]

The relay is the way to go I think. I'll put one on soon. I instaled a new switch because the main terminal was burnt and the plastic melted. There must be a loose contact problem or too many amps. I punched out the burnt and sofened female terminal and crimped on a new one wirh a longer tail. That way you can plug it in first then plug on the terninal block around it. So far so good. I don't feel any heat on the switch stem any more. Just a quick fix for now I have a relay in hand.