Left in the dark

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

**profanities, profanities, profanities** my headlight switch died **profanities, profanities, profanities**

 

[JGrefenstette]

mine has been shorting out too. if i bump it, everything dies till i wiggle it a bit. really strange. could it have anything to do with the tach and the other gauges being wired to the dimmer switch????

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

No... the factory switch is a very primative setup, thats probably whats messed up on yours... Have fun taking it out, thats where all those profanities came from. If you feel your way up behind the dash to the backside of the switch, theres a small little button on the bottom. To get the knob out, pull it all the way out till your headlights are on, then press that little button and pull it again. Knowing this will save you a lot of time... and keep the vicegrip marks off the knob.



For the record, if you get angry enough and pull real hard on that knob with pliers, it will come off regaurdless of that button.



Also, throwing things doesn't help untangle the switch out of the rats nest under your dash... it just means you have to go find whatever you threw.

 

[JGrefenstette]

hahah, yea ive been deep in there. thats where i mounted my cab light switch right in the middle... what a b. . ch!!

did you replace your switch??

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

No, by the time I got the friggen thing out I was so irrate I came in, ate dinner, and sat down in front of the computer.



I didn't mention... its around 20 degrees out here, after about 10 minutes, your fingers become numb and worthless. This weather will make even tying your shoes frustrating.



Nice clean job on the switch there. I mounted one of those chrome toggle switches for my compressor under the dash, it doesn't look half as clean.

 

[JGrefenstette]

ah i see, do they make after marke dimmer switchs for our trucks? that can handle some current draw?



i understand these temps. its about the same here and the windchill is near zero...



thanks, i took a dremel and cut it out, then took that switch out of the mount they sent with it and then snugged it in there. i was suprissed at how factory it looked when it was all done. i plan on putting more crome toggles on the left and right of it for additional lighting in the neer future.

 

[Philip]

its around 20 degrees out here

But inside the truck should be warmer. I have changed my light switch in colder temps than that.



Its just a headlight switch. It doesn't stop the truck from running and keeping the inside warm. :-laf



If you have to replace the harness plug that is another issue. You need the door open.

 

[jimnance]

Mine's getting tired too. If I stay on low beams it is pretty reliable, I think it's only given up once after driving a long time. However, if I use the high beams very much the chances that the switch will overload increase a lot. I try not to use high beams.

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

I don't like laying on my head... I did it with the door open

 

[JGrefenstette]

i agree with you tippin. when i did that switch for the aux lights, i layed on my head for about 10 minutes then bout passes out. so i put on the coveralls and opened the door and leaned in, freezing rain made it even more fun, using needle nose pliers and tiny little electrical fittings.

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

I was already hungover and short on sleep, so laying on my head probably would've brought lunch back up.



That may also explain my lack of patience last night. Between the hangover, the lack of sleep, and the 2 hour drive home that normally takes 40 minutes (yet another snow storm), the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was screw around with wiring in the cold.

 

[JGrefenstette]

hmmm... . sounds like you needed to sit back infront of a nice fire and turn up some bluegrass. itll calm you right down.

 

[PToombs]

When you get it fixed, wire in 1 or 2 relays for the head lites. This takes the load off the switch. Use the switch to trigger the relays. If you tow, you should have one on the taillites too.

 

[JGrefenstette]

great idea pete, i might do that to keep mine from going to crap on me.

should i do it just for the head lights? If im not wrong, dosent the tach wiring harness have the wire for the lighting of the tach go to the dimmer switch directly? Because i spliced my boost/egt gauges in to the wire for the light on the tach harness. So should i be more concerned about gettin a relay for the headlights or the gauges? (the gauges dont take that much current do they?

 

[MMiller]

Philip and I just went through this. If you put a relay under the dash, cut the wire that goes to the dimmer switch and use it to trigger the relay, and hook the 12 v from the relay(switched) to the wire you cut going to the dimmer switch. This will deliver 12v to the headlights, dim or bright, and take the amp load off the headlight switch. You will get brighter head lights.



Then also cut the wire that goes to the dash lights, parking, and tail lights. Use the wire from the headlight switch to switch the relay, and then hook the 12v switched wire from the relay to the wire going out to the lights. Then the tail lights, dash lights, gauge lights, trailer lights, and clearance lights will not be pulling off the headlight switch.



I went ahead and wired an extra relay in the same vacinty just in case I have a failure, I can just switch some wires around. They are all neatly tied into the cage around the steering shaft.



Philip was a little jealous, as the harness on my truck allowed the headlight switch to hang down by the clutch pedal, made my life easier!



Michael

 

[JGrefenstette]

wow, i cant thank you enough. this is perfect! great idea! im going to do this ASAP... . i may ask you a few questions once i get into it.



brilliant!

 

[PToombs]

Michael, I wouldn't do guage lights, no way to dim them. I know it's not often, but sometimes it's nice to turn them down.

I'd do headlights, wire the relay after the dimmer, 1 relay for hi, 1 for low. This takes the load off the dimmer too.

And taillights/ parking lights with it's own relay. Leave the dash lights alone, they don't draw much, even with extra guages.

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it! :-laf



I put LED lights on for tail/ signals, and no rear side marker lights. I am going to put in a relay for the trailer parking lights, as there's a bunch of 'em.

 

[JGrefenstette]

pete, having never used a relay, is it clear as to wich end to wire into which side of the relay? like, is it clear, "current in - current out"?? and another stupid question, are their two seprate wires for the hi and low beams? and last, does it matter where you wire in the relay or can it be anywhere on the wire?



thanks for putting up with my ignorance

 

[PToombs]

Jimmy, relays have a schematic on the side of them. Most of them. Terminal 30 is the power from the battery in. #87 is the from the relay to the lights. 85 and 86 are the activater terminals. Power from the dimmer switch on one of them, ground on the other.

The dimmer has 3 wires. Don't you have a service manual? #@$%! 1 from the headlite switch going in, and 2 out, 1 for low beams, 1 for hi beams. Put 1 relay on each "out" wire. Under the dash is the easiest spot.

pete

 

[Moab4x4]

Alternate Headlight Relay Position

One way to do this without standing on your head is to put the relays between the battery and the PCM under the lip of the fender. I came off the battery with a 20A circuit breaker to the relays (2). You can then unplug the headlight and plug in two male spade connectors, one for low and the other for high and run wires to the relays. Wrap it all up good with electrical tape. You then need to unplug the headlight socket on the passenger side as well and tape it up. Run new wires from the relays to new sockets for the two headlights. I stole the front headlight harness from a 70's dodge car, but new headlight sockets are available at your favorite parts house. This may sound like a bunch of work, but I did it standing up and it wasn't that bad. It also means that if something flakes in the relays, I can unplug my relay system and plug in the old factory system and be off (not really likely I admit)



I did install relays under the dash for my trailer lights. I used the abandoned ABS wiring harness for the trailer hookup.

Ken