MmmDieselFumes

Well, the other day my headlights went out on my 96 2500. It was weird because my parking lights were still working. Figured I blew the headlight fuse.

Checked the 40amp fuse under the hood for the headlamps, and it was ok. So then I checked all my relays and other fuses on the off chance that something else may have blown and lead me to the problem, but nothing was wrong with them either.

So I finally ripped off the black dash trim that holds in the headlight switch (the one where the first click is the parking lights, 2nd click headlights, turn to left for dome lamp) to fiddle around with it and see if I could find anything.

Well, the back of the switch was VERY hot to the touch, and when I unplugged the wiring harness from it, I saw that all of the plastic around the pigtails on the harness were melted (not the plastic on the switch itself).

So I let it cool down, scraped off the melted plastic off the connections, and replugged it back in, and vola, it works again.

But, my headlights now flicker occasionally, and I have to do the same process of taking it apart and cleaning the connections every couple of days when it gets hot enough to melt the plastic on the harness.

Has anyone else ran into this problem? Is it a bad switch? I wouldn't think that it's a bad switch, cause it still works haha...

Anyhoo, any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. And sorry if I aint makin much sense, my brain's overworked and under intoxicated at the moment...

1stGen545

Its part switch and part dodge running small wires and no relay. I have gone threw 4 in less than a year and I finaly did whats in the pick. No probs in over a year. I plan to make it look a little better but it works for now. My 92 did the same thing and many other trucks that I have worked on. They usualy go out at night a long way from home. The green=park and dash blue=headlights yellow= dome and red=cargo light. I can give you the color code for the wires if you want. Had to do this in the parts store parking lot to make it 200miles back home pulling a tractor down some dark farm to market roads.

MmmDieselFumes

That'd be awesome if I could get a color code for the wires. I've finally gotten tired of it, and plan to do up a switch thingamajigger like your's (and you don't happen to have that picture anymore do you? it's not in your post anymore). Now, I don't have cargo lights on my truck (theres not even a wire harness for the cargo lights in the top brake light thing), so do I even need to wire a switch for it, or...?

MmmDieselFumes

So... Anyone happen to know the color codes for the light wires for that switch?

GAmes

This post was for a 97, but the color codes could be the same. Also, there is no air circulation around that switch. While you have the front panel off drill some 1/4 inch holes in the top of the air vent under the headlight switch.
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...d.php?t=159982