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Why is my headlight fuse melting?

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Charlotte, MI
Yep, the headlamp circuit problems are right in the stickies up above. The fuse doesn't blow because there is no short but the circuit feeds a lot of loads so that fuse gets hot if there is ANY kind of poor contact or dirt. Don't worry though. The only time it's going to bother you is after dark.
 

prairie

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Doing that relay conversion does not repair or pinpoint the original problem. If it is a bad contact in the fuse socket or in the firewall/harness assemby, your still using that bad curcuitry, and simply releiving most of it's load.
Figured cpf240 already covered that in the following "It usually comes down to dirty contacts in various places and 25+ year old wiring that may have corrosion inside the insulation. The system wasn't that great to begin with, as most of the time "good enough" is the penny-pinchers phrase of the day. You could take the time to clean every connection, terminal, ground, headlight switch, etc and still have the problem. If all the harnesses, switches, fuse box, etc were replaced, it might work fine for another 25+ years.

Even when these trucks were new(er) it was not unheard of for the headlight switch to get warm or even hot. A relay system should have been used in the first place."

And, as cpf240 stated, doing all that does not address the original design weakness that the headlight relay modification does.
 
481
10
18
Location
Charlotte, MI
Agreed. The modification does not do anything for the original problem, but it DOES cure the original design flaw. The circuits are not the same as the civilian versions. There are far too many sub circuits that are all feeding off that 30a headlamp fuse. I learned that from the sticky here while I was trying to figure out the problem on my own truck the day I bought it. No lights, turn signals or brake lights all the way home from the point of purchase. Do the modification to take a majority of the load off of that circuit and repair that 30a fuse portion of the box and you'll be well off.
 

porkysplace

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The relay just treats a symptom it doesn't fix the problem . And there is still no horn . I've got a pretty good idea where Doghead is going with this.
 

jw4x4

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I always had a hunch that the headlights and the horn were tied together. This explains why my horn gets louder when the high beam switch is activated. :lol: Doghead is amazing!!!
 

doghead

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Yes it does.

I'm suspecting your diode and suppressor and maybe even your horn, are all bad. There is also a relay in this circuit that may be suspect.

We can work on that next.

Let's get some run time on it with the horn fuse out, and be sure we've pinned it down to that circuit(as the issue).
 
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doghead

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Agreed. The modification does not do anything for the original problem, but it DOES cure the original design flaw. The circuits are not the same as the civilian versions. There are far too many sub circuits that are all feeding off that 30a headlamp fuse. I learned that from the sticky here while I was trying to figure out the problem on my own truck the day I bought it. No lights, turn signals or brake lights all the way home from the point of purchase. Do the modification to take a majority of the load off of that circuit and repair that 30a fuse portion of the box and you'll be well off.
Let me explain a bit of logic on this topic.

I agree that doing the headlight relay modification will eliminate a large portion of the load on this circuit, thereby resolving the "effect", but not the problem.

Think about this, the headlight circuit/load has not changed since the truck was manufactured. Therefore modifying it will not resolve the real problem.


The problem is "increased load" on the 30 amp fuse since the truck was manufactured.

In many cases the increased load may be caused by deteriorated wires or connections or any other circuit components.

In this guys case,(if removing the horn fuse does indeed relieve the "increased load" causing the heat at the weak link(blade connection and fuse element), then fixing the extra load should resolve the real problem.

There should be absolutely no load created by the horn circuit unless the horn is activated by pressing the horn button. The horn button completes ground to a relay. The relay is supplied with 12v+ that comes from the same source as the 30 amp fuse,through the horn fuse. When the horn button is held down, and the relay activates, it sends the 12v+ to the horn, through the suppressor. There is a diode connected at the relay socket between the 12v+ and the output of the relay(if it goes bad/shorts, the horn will get power constantly). This together could create a draw that may be enough(combined with the headlights on) to cause the hot 30 amp fuse.

If there is, then we have to diagnose and eliminate all faulty items in that circuit.

I'll jump ahead and suggest that both the suppressor(known to go bad over time and can short to ground by design) is likely bad.

And, the diode(known to go bad over time and cause a constant horn) is likely to be bad.

And the fact that those two combined, could create an additional draw on the headlight system(they are both supplied from the 30 amp headlight fuse circuit) that exceeds the 30 amp fuse and connections capacity.

We know the diode was used only on military trucks for electrical noise elimination.

We also know the suppressor was only used on military vehicles for the same reason.

So, we can simply eliminate those, or diagnose them to see if they are the cause of the increased load and possibly solve the real problem.

Of course, at the moment, this is all speculation. That's why I am trying to diagnose this one step at a time and find the root cause and repair or eliminate it appropriately.
 
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Warthog

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Good catch DH. When I wrote the Headlight Circuit sticky, I had posted the connection about the headlight and horn fuses, but I didn't take it a step further.

Yes, the headlight fuse supplies many different circuits. One of the circuits is the Courtesy lamp fuse. There is a metal jumper from the Courtesy lamp fuse to the Horn fuse.

If the horn is stuck on and not making any noise, it will supply an additional load on the headlight fuse. While not enough amps to blow the fuse it can get hot enough to melt the plastic.
 
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doghead

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Good catch DH

Thanks but, my theory is based on what you and others have posted. I just studied what was available to me(on this site). So, Thank you .

I could be all wrong... But it is possible and does look like the issue in this case!
 
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bp m1009

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Yes it does.

I'm suspecting your diode and suppressor and maybe even your horn, are all bad. There is also a relay in this circuit that may be suspect.

We can work on that next.

Let's get some run time on it with the horn fuse out, and be sure we've pinned it down to that circuit(as the issue).
ok well ill be taking her on a 400 round trip this weekend down to Baltimore and back so i will see how it goes and report back.
 

doghead

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Let's keep this thread on track and discuss that topic in the other threads dedicated to that topic.

Adding a headlight relay kit changes the location of the source of voltage for the headlights, thereby improving their performance, it does not identify and eliminate short circuited components that create unwanted loads on the headlight, horn and interior light circuits.

Below is a quote of the LMC ad for their relay kit.

Upgrade your headlight's wiring harness for maximum light output with this Heavy-Duty Headlight Harness. If you are adding brighter bulbs or upgrading to high power halogen lights, then you need to improve your wiring to take full advantage of the extra light output.

This Headlight Harness draws power directly from your battery whereas your original wiring draws its power from your headlight switch. Heavy-Duty Harness is complete with separate relays for low and high beams and features OE style headlight sockets for easy installation with no splicing or cutting required.
Now, back to the problem at hand, please.
 
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