That's likely the one.

The install isn't that bad. There *might* be a DIY in the.... DIY section.

You are still drawing the same amount of power, you are just routing it differently. Won't make any difference to any of the rest of your electrical on the truck.

 

Had the same problem. The switch is definitely your problem. What happens is that all the current for the lights runs THROUGH the switch wich wasn't properly designed to handle that much current for long periods of time. They weren't offering the pigtail or harness when I did mine. What happened was it melted the connector into the back of the headlight switch. I am betting they now offer the pigtail because so many were burnt up. I had to go to the junk yard and cut one off an old truck and put it in mine. What I did find was an aftermarket harness that changes the current flow. It connects into the headlight connectors on the drivers side, then it runs over to the headlights (drivers and passenger) as well as connecting to the battery. It has relays in it so that what happens now when I turn on my headlight switch is that the relays energize and power goes from the battery right to the headlights. No more going from the battery, to the switch then back out to the lights. At first I checked the switch a lot but it ran very cool. Have never had another issue with it. The only problem I have with my older style harness is that it does not have the feed-back diode in it like the newer ones do. I have to remember that if I have my factory driving lights on and I go from low to high beams (which are basically useless anyway) I have to turn off my driving lights before I go back to low beam or it will feed-back. It throws great light but what is happening is that both my high and low beams are on together which creates too much heat for the plastic headlight housings and they will melt which will allow condensation inside. If you get the correct harness for your truck, it should have a feed-back diode in it so you won't do like I do. I really wish Dodge had come with a better lighting idea for these trucks.

 

My issue was with he running lights not the headlights. 2500 with the clearance lights with the strip on the tailgate adds more amp draw.

 

well I've done some research on the LMC harness and it sounds like the wires are a bit short/tight for going over to the passenger headlight. I read on another forum that people said the LMC one is cheap. I found some other options, one of them being this http://www.danielsternlighting.com/p.../products.html apparently he does a great job of making a harness for dodges and is a lot better quality and thicker gauge wire from what the people on this other forum said. I've emailed him asking for more info so I'll chase this option for now and keep you guys in the loop!

 

I heard back from this guy and this is what he had to say. Below is part of my email to him to which he divided up in sections and replied to, then explained in very good detail of options I can do. What do you all think?

Hi, Marshall.

> Hi there, I've been referred to you via a dodgeforum
> about the famous 2nd gen dodge ram headlight switch issue
> I'm having. I'm sure you know all about how the factory
> switch can't handle the current

Yup...the entire headlamp system on those trucks is badly
underspecified. What to do about it depends on whether you
want to actually see at night, or just stop cooking
headlight switches to death.

>I'm looking to cure that with
> a new harness. I was about to press order on one from LMC
> Truck

Careful-careful -- almost everything they (and their fellow
Your One Stop Source for Truck Parts type vendors) sell is
cheap Chinese junk.

> but then somebody said you do much better work and
> the wires are actually long enough to reach the passenger
> side headlight.

That, too.

>I have a 1995 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with the 5.9 V8
> regular cab auto trans.

If all you want to do is stop cooking headlight switches,
harness $161.49 or parts kit RIK-HB1 $59. If you want to
stop cooking switches _and_ actually see at night, put in a
set of the '99-'01 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport headlamps, which are
*much* better than the lamps all non-Sport '94-'02 style
Rams got. The
Sport lamps use two bulbs per side (a 9007 high/low and a
9004 high-only)
and produce much more effective, longer and wider, better
focused beam
patterns. They physically fit right in, but require some wiring
adaptation, which is just as well since the factory wiring
tends to starve
the bulbs.

You need:

-a set (left and right) of the '99-'01 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport
headlamps. Get
the real ones from the dealer or www.chryslerpartsdirect.com
, not the
Taiwanese knockoffs from eBay or elsewhere on the internet;
the low price of the aftermarket units is attractive, of
course, but despite "OEM quality" and "DOT/SAE approved"
claims, they are junk (more info below). Factory part
numbers are as follows:

Headlamp, left: 55077 025AC
Headlamp, right: 55077 024AC
Park/turn lamp, left: 55077 033AC
Park/turn lamp, right: 55077 032AC


The original park/turn lamps can be used with the new
headlamps; I've
listed the Sport type park/turn units because their
clear-lens design
matches that of the Sport headlamps. Also note that the
above numbers may
from time to time be updated or superseded as noted when you
do a part number search on chryslerpartsdirect.com or
realmopar.com - go ahead and buy whatever the latest part
number is.

NOTE:
If you are looking at used lamps, take careful note: when
"plastic" (polycarbonate) headlamp lenses are yellowed or
clouded or fogged, it's time to replace the lamps with new
original-equipment ones. There are various
polishing/restoration kits on the market, none of which will
do anything but postpone your need to install new headlamps
because what you are doing in "polishing" the headlamps is
scrubbing off the anti-UV/anti-scratch hardcoat that was
applied and crosslink-cured under cleanroom conditions when
the lamps were manufactured. With this coating gone, the
degradation will come back faster and worse than before.
Many of the kits contain what they claim to be a coating,
lotion, wax, protectant, sunscreen or other such goop; none
of these does anything to slow or stop the degradation.
There is no field-applicable coating that can come even a
little bit close to duplicating the factory coating's
performance (which itself is inadequate to the task, as a
walk through any parking lot shows -- the regulations are
too lax).

*Wire-up supplies*

You have two options. Pick one:

-a Dodge Ram conversion wiring and relay installation
package RIK-RAM, $79 here.

The RIK-RAM is not a built-up harness, it is a parts package
including all necessary plugs, sockets, terminals, fused
fuseholders, relays, relay brackets, terminal blocks, etc.
-- everything except actual wire -- to install the new
headlamps _and_ eliminate the voltage drop present in the
factory-type wiring. You supply your own wire and use the
parts from the kit to build up your own wiring harness. The
concept is explained at
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...ys/relays.html
.Parts are specially made premium-grade items (e.g. ceramic
headlamp sockets) that accept large-gauge wire; this is not
the "consumer grade" junk you can find at the parts store.

Or, option "b":

-A ready-to-install relay harness custom-built and tested by
my harness builder using the same components. Cost for this
option is $161.49 (including parts and labor).

You pick _either_ the relay kit _or_ the custom-built
harness. It costs more than the chintzy and unreliable $30
to $50 Chinese prefab harnesses because it is not a Chinese
prefab harness). Either way, the in-cab switches continue
working normally, and you will not need to cut or otherwise
disturb any of the vehicle's original wires. And either
method will work fine on a dual-battery Ram.

_Headlamp hookup and operation_

There is only *one* proper operational setup for the Sport
lamps, and that is as follows:

Low beam mode: Low beam filament of outboard 9007 bulb on,
all other filaments off.

High beam mode: High beam filament of outboard 9007 and high
beam filament of inboard 9004 on, all other filaments off.

The low beam filament of the inboard 9004 is not used --
these lamps do not have optics to focus the light from it.

In NO case are the low beam and high beam filaments on
together! Two-filament headlight bulbs are pressurized to
about 10 atmospheres COLD. They are not designed to handle
the heat (or the current on the common filament support
lead) of running both filaments at the same time for more
than very brief periods during beam changeover or headlight
flashing. Doing so carries the very real risk of the bulb
grenading inside the headlamp, destroying it (and holding
the beam selector switch to run both at the same time will
cook your wiring and switches). Some people who think
they're clever wire it up this way anyhow, and the "Brite
Box" people have made a business out of
this "clever" (not) modification.

*A set (two 9007 and two 9004) of ultra high efficacy bulbs.*

The best 9007 bulbs presently on the market are the GE Night
Hawk Xenon 9007NHX or the Philips Xtreme Vision 9007XVS2:
or

The best 9004 bulbs presently on the market are the GE Night
Hawk Platnium 9004NHP or Philips Xtreme Vision 9004XVS2:
or

Do not buy blue or "extra white" bulbs (Silver Star, Crystal
Vision, TruView, Hoen, PIAA, etc.); despite the heavy
advertising push and claims of "brighter and whiter" light,
they actually produce _less_ light due to the blue glass
they use.

_Daytime running lights:_

If yours is a Canadian-spec truck (either by original
manufacture or by private importation), or you're not in
Canada but have had the Daytime Running Light function
enabled, you will need to rework the daytime running lamps.
The stock DRL configuration runs the high beam circuit at
reduced duty cycle. This is not compatible with any kind of
relay installation.
http://www.lightsout.org/disable.html#Dodge has info. Once
you have installed the new headlamps, you need to re-enable
the DRLs.

Daytime running lights do significantly reduce your risk of
being in a crash during the daytime, and are required
equipment in Canada, throughout Europe, and in a large and
growing number of other countries throughout the world
because they are a very cost-effective safety device (i.e.,
they work). You can easily enable this functionality in your
vehicle using a DRL-1 module ($49); see
http://dastern.torque.net/Mods/DRL/DRL1.html for
instructions and
http://www.allpar.com/fix/electrical/DRLs.html for an
example installation. This is the best way to put a daytime
running light function on a vehicle not originally equipped
(or which has had its headlamp-based DRLs disabled for
installation of headlight relays). The module enables the
steady-burning operation of both front directional signals
as daytime running lights (except, of course, when you're
signalling for a turn). They produce a light distribution
with a wide view angle, are generally well located for DRL
service at the outboard edges of the front of the vehicle,
consume considerably less power than any headlamp-based DRL
implementation, use light sources of generally much longer
life than a headlight bulb, do not encourage improper
nighttime use of lights, and do not require additional
lighting devices to be added. Most recent Cadillacs,
Chevrolet/GMC large vans and minivans, Corvettes since 1997
in the US and since 1990 in Canada, some Toyota and Lexus
models, certain Saabs and new Lincolns, various Fords and
Chryslers and assorted
other vehicles use this implementation. It is steady-lit
operation of the bright amber turn signals (except when they
are flashing to signal a turn) -- it is not steady operation
of the dim parking lamps; parking lights are not bright
enough and don't have the right view angles to serve the
daytime running light function. Turn signal DRLs comply with
US and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards #108 and are
approved in all states, provinces, and territories. If you
add the DRL module, also grab a set of ultralong-life bulbs
($7.40/ea) for the park/turn/DRLs.

_Fog lamps_

Fog lamps should spend most of their time turned off; Please
see
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...fog_lamps.html
for thorough information about what fog lamps will/won't and
can/can't do. Nevertheless, many drivers do in fact have
sloppy weather to drive in, and good fog lamps can make that
easier and safer to cope with. The factory items are useless
toys no matter what bulb is installed (though you can make
them dangerous by installing anything other than the
specified bulb). There is now an excellent, very efficient
commercial-grade fog lamp from Hella that is the right size
and (round) shape to fit the stock location -- it is not a
direct drop-in (no such exists) but with minor creativity it
can be installed neatly and securely in the stock location.
It has a tempered hard glass lens very resistant to cracks
and pits, takes a real bulb (H7) and produces a broad,
bright, well-focused fog beam with a sharp top cutoff. The
lamps are $132/pair including bulbs. The wiring harness to
power them effectively and safely while retaining the
vehicle's stock fog lamp switch function is $86.

_More info on original vs. aftermarket lamps:_

All of the aftermarket lamps, whether they're
original-looking or restyled, are trash. The low price is
attractive, but the quality, performance, and durability are
all substantially and dangerously inferior to the genuine
items. This goes for all the many brands of aftermarket
lamp—TYC, Genera, Depo, DJAuto, ScanTech, and many other
brands (and unbrands) of original-looking and restyled
lamps, not to mention the newest wave of trash coming in
from China under names like Helix and Sonar (projector
headlamp conversions, clear-lens conversions, angel eyes,
LED lines, etc...every bit of it dangerously badly made).

There is no optical engineering behind any of these; they
are headlamp-shaped toys made from physical copies of the
originals, which is not even close to adequate. One might as
well make a mould of your eyeglasses lenses and expect to be
able to cast new working eyeglass lenses from the mould. The
level of shape precision required to accurately focus the
beam can only be achieved with optical engineering _from
scratch_. Copies don't even begin to get in the ballpark.
Light distribution is way, way out of line with what it
should be. Usually the DOT and/or ECE safety approval or
certification marks are fraudulent or counterfeit.

"Perfect OE fit and performance" is often promised in the
ads for the copycat lamps. This is an out-and-out lie. Take
a look at http://bit.ly/1tZqTF2 , which is the report on a
large test of original vs. TYC and Depo versions of simple,
cheap American-vehicle headlamps. Even though TYC and Depo
are regarded as the least-awful of a pathetic bunch, still
a complete failure by the TYC & Depo lamps (see page 21 and
30 if you don't have time to read the whole report). The
situation has not improved in the time since the report was
published; the aftermarket lamps are junk.


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Wow, pretty thorough, and informative. Thank You.