Head light switch
#11
10-11-2006, 01:54 AM
Record Breaker
RE: Head light switch
Not being a ball buster but, if the parking lights are the problem, why would the headlamps go dark? I've replace my switch 3 times before I relayed it and every time, my parking/brake lights were the ONLY thing working. Cab clearance lights also were unaffected. Just curious.
Adios people.
Adios people.
ORIGINAL: heymccall
The revised switch assembly will come with everything already set up the same as what diesel demon did. If the instruction aren't in the kit box, have the dealer print you a copy. mine all came with.
As far as the problem, it is the parking lamps that cause the failure. Every 12v bulb in the parking lamp circuit draws 1.5 amps. Count your bulbs on the park brake circuit and multiply by 1.5. And then remember that the switch is built with contacts rated for no more than 20amp continuous. Thanks, Dodge.[:@]
The revised switch assembly will come with everything already set up the same as what diesel demon did. If the instruction aren't in the kit box, have the dealer print you a copy. mine all came with.
As far as the problem, it is the parking lamps that cause the failure. Every 12v bulb in the parking lamp circuit draws 1.5 amps. Count your bulbs on the park brake circuit and multiply by 1.5. And then remember that the switch is built with contacts rated for no more than 20amp continuous. Thanks, Dodge.[:@]
#12
10-11-2006, 09:29 PM
RE: Head light switch
The headlamps will go out because the park lamp contacts are adjacent to headlamp contacts in the switch assembly, and when the park lamp circuit overloads, the phenolic plastic board on the switch that holds all of the contacts distorts and the small spring that maintains pressure on the sliding contacts loose its strength.
#13
10-12-2006, 01:46 AM
Record Breaker
#14
10-12-2006, 02:05 PM
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RE: Head light switch
DieselDemon is right...holy cow lights are way brighter.
Here it is incase anyone else wants to do it: (remember this is from DieselDemon and he deserves the credit)
Ok Brad, according to my 95' sm, your headlight wires may be violet w/white stripe for lowbeams....and red w/orange stripe.
You can check the wire colors where the harness plugs into the bulb itself. Now you will have to find these wires in the large bundle as it exits thru the firewall. Try to stay somewhere between the center of the wheel well, and the firewall as the place to dig into the wires to find the two you need.
After you located these two wires, BEFORE you cut them, double check they are correct. Get a 12 test that has the sharp point on it. Clamp the other end to a good ground. Now, take the lowbeam wire, and stick the tester point thru the insulation. Trun the healights on low, and stick the wire again. You should have a lit tester with the headlights on low. Click to highbeam and that tester should go out.
Now find the highbeam wire. Turn the highbeams on, stick the wire, the tester should light up. Now click back to low beams and the tester should go dark.
Ok, you should now have the correct wires. You will have to cut each one. And here we go on the wiring....lol.
Take the LOW BEAM wire coming from the headlight switch in the cab, and hook it to #86 on your relay. Take the HIGH BEAM wire, and hook that to #86 on the second relay. Hook a ground wire to # 85 on BOTH relays, and then attach the other ends to a good ground. You can crimp both grounds together.
Take the LOW BEAM wire going to the headlights, and attach that to #87, on the relay that is being used for low beams.
Take the HIGH BEAM wire going to the headlights and attach that to #87 on the relay being used for high beams.
We're almost done.lol.
Now take 2 seperate lengths of wire. Use 14 gauge or larger. 14 is fine, 12 is better, etc. 10 would be the largest. Hook 2 seperate, FUSED wires from the battery POS, to the #30 on each relay. One wire to each relay.
Install a new headlight switch behind the dash and you're finished.
You're done my man.....lol.
Please let me know if anything confuses you. The trick is good crimps, shrink tubing, and many wraps of GOOD electrical tape. I use Scotch 33 Tartan. Great all wether tape. Use that convoluted wire loom where you can, and make sure the relays are mounted securely. You can even buy a relay "base" with long pigtails on it. Then all you ever have to do is pull out the relay if it goes bad.
And remember, nothing is forever so make sure you carry a spare relay or two. And a few fuses.
Good luck.
Here it is incase anyone else wants to do it: (remember this is from DieselDemon and he deserves the credit)
Ok Brad, according to my 95' sm, your headlight wires may be violet w/white stripe for lowbeams....and red w/orange stripe.
You can check the wire colors where the harness plugs into the bulb itself. Now you will have to find these wires in the large bundle as it exits thru the firewall. Try to stay somewhere between the center of the wheel well, and the firewall as the place to dig into the wires to find the two you need.
After you located these two wires, BEFORE you cut them, double check they are correct. Get a 12 test that has the sharp point on it. Clamp the other end to a good ground. Now, take the lowbeam wire, and stick the tester point thru the insulation. Trun the healights on low, and stick the wire again. You should have a lit tester with the headlights on low. Click to highbeam and that tester should go out.
Now find the highbeam wire. Turn the highbeams on, stick the wire, the tester should light up. Now click back to low beams and the tester should go dark.
Ok, you should now have the correct wires. You will have to cut each one. And here we go on the wiring....lol.
Take the LOW BEAM wire coming from the headlight switch in the cab, and hook it to #86 on your relay. Take the HIGH BEAM wire, and hook that to #86 on the second relay. Hook a ground wire to # 85 on BOTH relays, and then attach the other ends to a good ground. You can crimp both grounds together.
Take the LOW BEAM wire going to the headlights, and attach that to #87, on the relay that is being used for low beams.
Take the HIGH BEAM wire going to the headlights and attach that to #87 on the relay being used for high beams.
We're almost done.lol.
Now take 2 seperate lengths of wire. Use 14 gauge or larger. 14 is fine, 12 is better, etc. 10 would be the largest. Hook 2 seperate, FUSED wires from the battery POS, to the #30 on each relay. One wire to each relay.
Install a new headlight switch behind the dash and you're finished.
You're done my man.....lol.
Please let me know if anything confuses you. The trick is good crimps, shrink tubing, and many wraps of GOOD electrical tape. I use Scotch 33 Tartan. Great all wether tape. Use that convoluted wire loom where you can, and make sure the relays are mounted securely. You can even buy a relay "base" with long pigtails on it. Then all you ever have to do is pull out the relay if it goes bad.
And remember, nothing is forever so make sure you carry a spare relay or two. And a few fuses.
Good luck.
#15
10-12-2006, 03:20 PM
RE: Head light switch
Quoting BradBeyer referring to relays to improve lighting:
"DieselDemon is right...holy cow lights are way brighter.
"Here it is incase anyone else wants to do it: (remember this is from DieselDemon and he deserves the credit)"
I have installed relays for lights myself but I have never seen it explained how to do it so crystal clear. Those directions are really spot on - including the inline fuse for the lead from the battery.
The only things I can add are to put that inline fuse as close to the supply as possible and perhaps not connect to the battery itself, but to a terminal that connects directly to the battery. I haven't looked for such a place in my RAM 1500, but it should be easy to find. The reasons not to connect directly to the battery are to avoid the nuisance that causes whenever the battery needs to be removed and to avoid the corrosion that happens so often at battery terminals.
Allen
"DieselDemon is right...holy cow lights are way brighter.
"Here it is incase anyone else wants to do it: (remember this is from DieselDemon and he deserves the credit)"
I have installed relays for lights myself but I have never seen it explained how to do it so crystal clear. Those directions are really spot on - including the inline fuse for the lead from the battery.
The only things I can add are to put that inline fuse as close to the supply as possible and perhaps not connect to the battery itself, but to a terminal that connects directly to the battery. I haven't looked for such a place in my RAM 1500, but it should be easy to find. The reasons not to connect directly to the battery are to avoid the nuisance that causes whenever the battery needs to be removed and to avoid the corrosion that happens so often at battery terminals.
Allen
#16
10-12-2006, 04:04 PM
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#17
10-13-2006, 12:08 AM
RE: Head light switch
ORIGINAL: BradBeyer
DieselDemon is right...holy cow lights are way brighter.
Here it is incase anyone else wants to do it: (remember this is from DieselDemon and he deserves the credit)
Ok Brad, according to my 95' sm, your headlight wires may be violet w/white stripe for lowbeams....and red w/orange stripe.
You can check the wire colors where the harness plugs into the bulb itself. Now you will have to find these wires in the large bundle as it exits thru the firewall. Try to stay somewhere between the center of the wheel well, and the firewall as the place to dig into the wires to find the two you need.
After you located these two wires, BEFORE you cut them, double check they are correct. Get a 12 test that has the sharp point on it. Clamp the other end to a good ground. Now, take the lowbeam wire, and stick the tester point thru the insulation. Trun the healights on low, and stick the wire again. You should have a lit tester with the headlights on low. Click to highbeam and that tester should go out.
Now find the highbeam wire. Turn the highbeams on, stick the wire, the tester should light up. Now click back to low beams and the tester should go dark.
Ok, you should now have the correct wires. You will have to cut each one. And here we go on the wiring....lol.
Take the LOW BEAM wire coming from the headlight switch in the cab, and hook it to #86 on your relay. Take the HIGH BEAM wire, and hook that to #86 on the second relay. Hook a ground wire to # 85 on BOTH relays, and then attach the other ends to a good ground. You can crimp both grounds together.
Take the LOW BEAM wire going to the headlights, and attach that to #87, on the relay that is being used for low beams.
Take the HIGH BEAM wire going to the headlights and attach that to #87 on the relay being used for high beams.
We're almost done.lol.
Now take 2 seperate lengths of wire. Use 14 gauge or larger. 14 is fine, 12 is better, etc. 10 would be the largest. Hook 2 seperate, FUSED wires from the battery POS, to the #30 on each relay. One wire to each relay.
Install a new headlight switch behind the dash and you're finished.
You're done my man.....lol.
Please let me know if anything confuses you. The trick is good crimps, shrink tubing, and many wraps of GOOD electrical tape. I use Scotch 33 Tartan. Great all wether tape. Use that convoluted wire loom where you can, and make sure the relays are mounted securely. You can even buy a relay "base" with long pigtails on it. Then all you ever have to do is pull out the relay if it goes bad.
And remember, nothing is forever so make sure you carry a spare relay or two. And a few fuses.
Good luck.
DieselDemon is right...holy cow lights are way brighter.
Here it is incase anyone else wants to do it: (remember this is from DieselDemon and he deserves the credit)
Ok Brad, according to my 95' sm, your headlight wires may be violet w/white stripe for lowbeams....and red w/orange stripe.
You can check the wire colors where the harness plugs into the bulb itself. Now you will have to find these wires in the large bundle as it exits thru the firewall. Try to stay somewhere between the center of the wheel well, and the firewall as the place to dig into the wires to find the two you need.
After you located these two wires, BEFORE you cut them, double check they are correct. Get a 12 test that has the sharp point on it. Clamp the other end to a good ground. Now, take the lowbeam wire, and stick the tester point thru the insulation. Trun the healights on low, and stick the wire again. You should have a lit tester with the headlights on low. Click to highbeam and that tester should go out.
Now find the highbeam wire. Turn the highbeams on, stick the wire, the tester should light up. Now click back to low beams and the tester should go dark.
Ok, you should now have the correct wires. You will have to cut each one. And here we go on the wiring....lol.
Take the LOW BEAM wire coming from the headlight switch in the cab, and hook it to #86 on your relay. Take the HIGH BEAM wire, and hook that to #86 on the second relay. Hook a ground wire to # 85 on BOTH relays, and then attach the other ends to a good ground. You can crimp both grounds together.
Take the LOW BEAM wire going to the headlights, and attach that to #87, on the relay that is being used for low beams.
Take the HIGH BEAM wire going to the headlights and attach that to #87 on the relay being used for high beams.
We're almost done.lol.
Now take 2 seperate lengths of wire. Use 14 gauge or larger. 14 is fine, 12 is better, etc. 10 would be the largest. Hook 2 seperate, FUSED wires from the battery POS, to the #30 on each relay. One wire to each relay.
Install a new headlight switch behind the dash and you're finished.
You're done my man.....lol.
Please let me know if anything confuses you. The trick is good crimps, shrink tubing, and many wraps of GOOD electrical tape. I use Scotch 33 Tartan. Great all wether tape. Use that convoluted wire loom where you can, and make sure the relays are mounted securely. You can even buy a relay "base" with long pigtails on it. Then all you ever have to do is pull out the relay if it goes bad.
And remember, nothing is forever so make sure you carry a spare relay or two. And a few fuses.
Good luck.
#18
07-25-2008, 10:38 AM
RE: Head light switch
I turned off the head light switch but the chime kept ringing. I then looked and my lights were still on. It happened once before and I played with the switch till it started working right again. This time when I played with the switch the lights went off in the on position and on in the off position. It was late so I left it till the next day but couldnt get to it till a few days later. Now my battery is dead. Anyone else have this problem. Im gonna spend my day off charging my battery and trying to figure this out.
#19
07-26-2008, 11:39 AM
Professional
