electrical question

[Tx_Atty]

A couple of years ago I put in a floor mounted headlight dimmer switch and it worked fine. That is, until recently. I pressed it and instead of brights, the lights went out. No dash indicator either. No big deal, the multifunction switch on the column still worked. I figured the switch went out so replaced it. Nothing changed. I played around with it and if I disconnect a wire from the floor switch the lights go out (while on dim) and come back on when I plug the wire back. To me, that says the connections are all good and the power is going through the switch. So, since there is no dash indicator of brights, does that mean i bought a defective switch to replace my defective switch or is the problem elsewhere?


Thanks!

 

[bushpilot]

sure sounds like a bad switch....

what the vohm meter indicate....

 

[Tx_Atty]

hhmmm, dont have onna them. Bill is gonna come over later today. Maybe he would have one. If not, I guess I'll go back to o'reillys and ask them if they can test it. I can't imagine what else could do it so it must be the switch.

 

[strokin'_tatsch]

sounds like the switch is grounding out the wires, which to me would mean bad switch... just my

 

[Teggleston]

Everytime this has happened to me (and it has been a couple) I had a bad switch

 

[Tx_Atty]

Im stumped. Im on the 3rd switch and it still happens. How can I possibly be getting one bad switch after another? I do not know squat about circuits but I want to figure out a way to test it. I have a spare cab light that I figure I can use somehow. The switch has to be more than a simple open/close circuit isnt it? When in one position the dims work, press it, the dims go out and the brights do NOT come on. I know the brights turn off the low beam so if it was simply an open/close and defective wouldnt it simply do nothing? It is doing something or the lows wouldn't turn off right?

One of you electric guys tell me how I can rig up a test using my spare cab light. The switch itself has 3 prongs if that tells you anything. For reference, I just went out and swapped the two hot wires to see what would happen and the same result.

 

[stroker21]

Sounds like the hot going to the brights has a bad connection or something. I would say check your connection and continuity, ohm meter. Make sure it is making it to the brights. Just my two cents.

 

[Tx_Atty]

to make sure I correctly understand this set up - tell me if the following is correct -

To install the switch I cut a wire and ran the two ends to two poles on the switch then ran a 3rd wire from the last pole to another wire in the same bundle with one of those saddle type splices where you do not severe the target wire. So, if Im thinking right, when the lights are on dim, the cut wire to the 2 poles just continues the same circuit as if not cut. Then, you step on the switch and inside it redirects the current from the cut wire to the 3rd wire which then turns on the brights and breaking the current to the dims?

If that is correct, I could simply take one end of the cut wire and skip the switch and touch it to the 3rd wire going to the saddle splice and, in theory, the brights should come on. If they do, bad switch, if not, bad something else.

Does all that sound correct? I will look for the write up on the mod and put it here if I can find it. That might help.

 

[Tx_Atty]

ok, im now convinced my switch is fine. I have a spare cab light so I rigged up a test with the switch and I got the light to come on now matter how I configured the wires and no matter which position I set the switch. At this point I can only guess that maybe the wire redirecting the current to the brights is somehow bad. So, to test that, is my suggestion above about bypassing the switch a good way to see? I can't figure out how else to test it without removing it and replacing it and that is a huge PITA so I would rather not if I can avoid it.

Thanks.

 

[stroker21]

I am not sure how you ran the wires to do the switch but if you get a wire that can access the switch and you bright wire then connect and see if that works.