light switch area hot

[MJaynes]

hi all, after towing my small cargo trailer at night for the first time(for about an hour) when i got home... started to turnheadlights off and noticed the headlight switch area was very warm is this normal? trailer has only 2 small running lights on each side,1 tag light and the rear lights. any advise/help appreciated. mike

 

[B.G. Smith]

If your truck came with the towing package, the trailer light power is carried by relays. The headlight switch only activates the relays. There is a resistor in the switch for the inst. lights which causes some heat. bg

 

[rweis]

There are other threads about this same subject.



Summitt 890030 is a headlight harness that takes the headlight load off the headlight switch by using relays. The Summitt harness installs up by the headlights and connects to the batteries for power. The headlight switch then actually controlls relays that feed battery power to the headlights and therefore unloads about 100 watts going through the headlight switch. Several TDR's have done this and I have one enroute from Summitt.



I think it was worse in earlier trucks and you don't have a sig so I do not know if yours is an earlier truck or not.



I am going to do the Summitt harness and also change the marker lights out to led's as budget allows (led's are about $8 / bulb swap).



Then the only thing on the headlight switch will be instrument panel lights (which do generate heat based on how dim (more resistance and therefore heat) or bright (less resistance and therefore less heat) you set your panel lights) and the led's for marker lights.



Yes it is a problem, but you can set your panel lights on fairly bright and deal with it and it will not get as hot.



In a thread about a year ago someone had put a computer case fan blowing on the switch. Some have drilled a hole in the A/C duct right under the switch so A/C air get to the switch which helps some. I did the drill hole ane run with the driver side A/C duct vent over left of the steering column closed and the blower on 3 to pressurize as much air as possible to the switch.



With the harness it SHOULD help a lot to get 100 watts off the switch.



Bob Weis

 

[Turbo Thom]

As a matter of fact I had my swich come off in my hand one night when I went to turn the light's on. The switch burned up. Melted. I had the recall done and it still got warm. Now I keep me dash lights on bright to lessen the resistance and the heat, as has been said. A lot less heat generated and I feel better. That was five years ago.



. . Preston. .