What's the deal with the headlight switches always melting down?
12-22-02, 12:34 AM
#1
Rotary Freak
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What's the deal with the headlight switches always melting down?
I've been through two of them. When I go to the junkyards (can I say junkyard or is that not PC?) half of the switches I run across have the same burns that have happened to mine. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
Thanks. I had to vent.
Thanks. I had to vent.
12-22-02, 04:04 AM
#3
Rotary Freak
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Thank you for saying that. You don't know how much that means to hear that. I though I was going crazy. I'm the only guy around here that has this problem. I'm also one of the only car guys that I know with a FC around here. It seems to be a yearly thing in the winter. Must be all the extra condensation in the car. Seattle winters.
Yes, I have stocked up. I also have extra wiring harnesses. The pre-'89 switches work on my '89 if I rearrange the wires on the harness. Ahhhh, the things you learn when you need to.
Yes, I have stocked up. I also have extra wiring harnesses. The pre-'89 switches work on my '89 if I rearrange the wires on the harness. Ahhhh, the things you learn when you need to.
12-22-02, 10:40 AM
#4
Engine, Not Motor
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You have 1347 posts and you don't know about the headlight switch problems? Or how to search? 
Long story short: the headlight switch is flawed in several ways. Cold solder joints cause high resistance at the connectors, which then cause the pins to become hot, then melt and burn. Common problem. If you have had this problem on your switch, you also need to replace the wiring harness that connects to it to cure the problem correctly.
Long story short: the headlight switch is flawed in several ways. Cold solder joints cause high resistance at the connectors, which then cause the pins to become hot, then melt and burn. Common problem. If you have had this problem on your switch, you also need to replace the wiring harness that connects to it to cure the problem correctly.
12-23-02, 12:44 AM
#5
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I've known about it, but I just needed to vent some frustration. Plus it always seem to be set off in the winter for me. When it's cold and wet as hell and when I don't want to be working on my car. No heated garage.
It's sort of like when a hack of a stand-up comic starts off with: "So, what's the deal with those peanuts they give you on the airplane?".
It's sort of like when a hack of a stand-up comic starts off with: "So, what's the deal with those peanuts they give you on the airplane?".
12-23-02, 09:04 AM
#6
Former Moderator. RIP Icemark.
As posted 100 times already:
It’s a more common problem in climates that have high humidity and/or inclement conditions, where the bulbs actually build up corrosion in the sockets. The corrosion increases the resistance, which in turn eventually over loads the switch.
As posted another 100 times, you must replace the harness if the switch fails, as the majority of the time there is a failure it is at the switch/harness connection. Just replacing the switch will lead to additional failures down the road. You should also remove and clean or replace all the bulbs on the parking lights, using some conductive grease when re-inserting the new or cleaned bulbs. Again just replacing the switch doesn't solve the problem, but simply band-aid's the situation.
It’s a more common problem in climates that have high humidity and/or inclement conditions, where the bulbs actually build up corrosion in the sockets. The corrosion increases the resistance, which in turn eventually over loads the switch.
As posted another 100 times, you must replace the harness if the switch fails, as the majority of the time there is a failure it is at the switch/harness connection. Just replacing the switch will lead to additional failures down the road. You should also remove and clean or replace all the bulbs on the parking lights, using some conductive grease when re-inserting the new or cleaned bulbs. Again just replacing the switch doesn't solve the problem, but simply band-aid's the situation.
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