funky dimmer switch

[corelokt]

I bypassed the blackout light switch. Now, and possibly before doing so, it sometimes fails to illuminate any headlights when I try to go from one beam, hi or low, to the other. Once in a while I'll only get one headlight to work instead of both. I'm thinking the dimmer switch might be going bad? Tomorrow I'll be installing two headlight relays and new wire from the switch to them, and from them to the headlight harness.
Anyone else had this issue?

 

[Crash_AF]

If it only happens when you use the dimmer switch, that's where I would start looking as the cause.

Later,
Joe

 

[mangus580]

Believe it or not.... unplug your headlights, hose down all contacts with electrical cleaner, put some dielectric grease on them and plug them back in.

Its quite common for the connections at the bulb to corrode a little (especially if it sat a lot) and for the lights to not work properly all the time. Sometimes you lose both, sometimes just one... usually quite random.

 

[corelokt]

I'll check that, thanks. It might save quite some wiring time, and hacking into the system. I hate having to splice and dice on a harness, always worried about the splice points corroding, even with dielectric grease.

 

[mangus580]

If it is the dimmer switch... I have pulled one out and apart before. I had one jamming in my old 84 Civvy truck... took it apart, cleaned it up, put it back toghether, and it was still working when I scrapped the truck prolly 10 years later!

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Might be time to consider rewiring the lights. These things are wired so that the power for the lights goes from the batteries to the switch and then back to the headlights. Lots more distance than is necessary and it's hard on the switches. There's some inexpensive ($30 or so from LMC last I saw) kits to do this and if you're handy and have the stuff you could do it yourself. It's popular over on www.coloradoK5.com . Makes your lights a bit brighter too.

 

[corelokt]

Turns out it is both, the headlight connections and the dimmer switch. I found the plugs very loose on the bulbs, so bent the tabs to might them tighter. Also found the switch sometimes dosn't work right, so found the plug to it, unhooked it and am wiring it to a floor switch. I have rtv drying around the connections on the switch, and tomorrow it goes in.
Also wired in headlight relays, using the original wires to switch the relays, and to carry the juice from them to the bulbs. I also wired in two rubber lights out front, spliced into the high beams. Lastly, I wired two red marker lights into the rear turn signals to make turning and braking more obvious.
Still have some running lights to put on, three in the cab center, and one on each side wired into the front turn signals.