anyone goin through headlight switches at the rate of one every3 months or so?

 

Do a search on relay's some of the guy's here have done it and it works. It takes the load off of your switch It might be in the sticky

 

I vote for relays. The PO had a headlight harness melt down right where the switch plugs in. If you convert to heavier wire and use a pair of 30 amp relays straight off the battery, it will reduce the load on the switch. I'm running those Silver Star lamps with both filaments lighted while on high beam with no problems. Of course you will need to add some type of overload protection to the secondary side of the relays. I took power off the hot side of the grid heater relay and ran it through a 30 amp auto-reset circuit breaker and used 10 gauge wire to each head lamp. My original wiring is now used just to energize the relays and carry the running lights.

 

My phylosophy is if it pulls more than 10 amps it should be relayed, it really help on such probs. Oh and make sure the switch is well grounded

 

You surely don't have trailer lights that turn on by the headlight switch, do you??

Number one = get the trailer lights off of the headlight circuit.

Number two = get any extra truck markers off of the headlight circuit.

Number three = do the headlight relay modification.

If you have relieved the headlight switch of the burden of trailer lights and extra truck markers, then the headlight relay modification is just icing on the cake.

I have some BIG amp loads, directly switched, with no relays; BUT, I use BIG wire and BIG toggle-switches, the ones that sound like the hammer on Matt Dillon's .45 being eared back, not some weenie little click.

When I flip a switch, they go KER-SNAP, not a quiet snick.

 

I jumpered the trailer socket to have the trailer's running lights always on, fed by the +12vdc lead from the battery. Simple is best for me.

Regards, DBF

 

Wish I would have thought of that!

 

I'm running LED's for the running lights, except the cab, and the trailer. That way I don't need an electrical degree to wire everything up right. (Thanks to the PO)

 

That's next. They're brighter & last forever.

Regards, DBF

 

Painless makes a nice headlamp harness for our trucks which is plug and play. Yes its $100 but feeds the headlights directly off the battery, has all the needed relays and uses OEM weatherpack connectors. You don't have to cut exsisting harness. This took a lit of the heat off of my switch and brightened the headlamps as well.

Also drill the cooling hole for the dash vent to blow air onto the switch if needed. I also converted to truck-lite LED's as well.

 

I replaced the heavy load part of my headlight switch with a couple of toggle switches rated at 30 amps each. 1 for the headlights and one for parking/marker/tail lights. I still have the HL switch in there but only for the instrumment lamp reostat. Works out fine and I can run my HL without my others in case I ever need to do that.

The relays are a good option too but I already had the toggle switches and the wiring was easier.

Edwin

 

That is the way most big trucks are wired, no nonsense, positive control of the lights.

If I ever have headlight switch troubles, again, that is what I am doing.