headlight switch gets hot
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,435
Likes: 9
From: Kalamazoo Mi
headlight switch gets hot
and when i mean hot i mean "burn the hell out of your fingers if you touch the rod hot". Is this normal? i remember cars back in the day having hot light swiches, but not this hot. Is it a fire hazzard? or should i just forget about it?
would you reccomend installing a pair of relays so the full voltage is not going through the swich?
Steve
would you reccomend installing a pair of relays so the full voltage is not going through the swich?
Steve
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
Likes: 201
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
You probably have you interior / dash lights dimmed and this results in the rheostat getting hot in the switch. Turn the lights up and the heat should decrease 
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Dallas Texas
That is absolutely not normal... You either have excessive current running through your switch or too much resistance in the circuit. First thing I would do is check the ohm reading on the circuit, anything more than 0.1 ohms could be a problem. The more accurate test is a voltage drop test, but it's a little more involved. If you want a quick fix, my money would be on replacing the switch, but if you want to troubleshoot it, break out the volt meter and start checking. PM me if you don't find anything obvious and i'll be more than happy to walk you through the tests. -Jeff
-Jeff
Racer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 286
Likes: 11
From: LA CA
There is someting wrong. I had something simillar happened to me and I had to change the light dimmer.. The spring that goes inside the resistance was broken and that was causing the dimmer switch to heat up... Hope this helps...
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
My 70 must have been one of those like yours. When I got the car, there was a white powder in the speedo and tach I could see once in a while. I finally got to the point where I took the dash out and I found where the switch had caught fire at one point. The connector that plugs into light swtich was gone and in its place was spliced lamp cord and tons of the white powder. The dash pad was toast in this area too.
I replaced the whole dash harness and the switch and the dash pad. I also got the kit to install the relays I just never have done that. I have had the kit for probably 2 years and it is still in the box.
I need to get after that.
I replaced the whole dash harness and the switch and the dash pad. I also got the kit to install the relays I just never have done that. I have had the kit for probably 2 years and it is still in the box.
I need to get after that.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
Likes: 201
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Mine used to get hot. A rheostat dims the lights by dissipating current which in turn heats it up.
I have mine set as high as it will go and never had the heat problem again. It might get warm but not hot and I never had to replace it. Very easy to test if what I saying is correct. It will take a couple of minutes. Turn the **** so the lights ( interior ) are full on and note the temp. Then dim the lights as far as they go and see if it gets hotter.
Now your switch might already be toast so this test might not work so
a real good idea is to look at the switch and if it looks burnt or white pieces ( ceramic ) coming off then replace the switch and since you are in there you might want to go to a relay setup.
I have mine set as high as it will go and never had the heat problem again. It might get warm but not hot and I never had to replace it. Very easy to test if what I saying is correct. It will take a couple of minutes. Turn the **** so the lights ( interior ) are full on and note the temp. Then dim the lights as far as they go and see if it gets hotter.
Now your switch might already be toast so this test might not work so
a real good idea is to look at the switch and if it looks burnt or white pieces ( ceramic ) coming off then replace the switch and since you are in there you might want to go to a relay setup.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,435
Likes: 9
From: Kalamazoo Mi
Mine used to get hot. A rheostat dims the lights by dissipating current which in turn heats it up.
I have mine set as high as it will go and never had the heat problem again. It might get warm but not hot and I never had to replace it. Very easy to test if what I saying is correct. It will take a couple of minutes. Turn the **** so the lights ( interior ) are full on and note the temp. Then dim the lights as far as they go and see if it gets hotter.
Now your switch might already be toast so this test might not work so
a real good idea is to look at the switch and if it looks burnt or white pieces ( ceramic ) coming off then replace the switch and since you are in there you might want to go to a relay setup.
I have mine set as high as it will go and never had the heat problem again. It might get warm but not hot and I never had to replace it. Very easy to test if what I saying is correct. It will take a couple of minutes. Turn the **** so the lights ( interior ) are full on and note the temp. Then dim the lights as far as they go and see if it gets hotter.
Now your switch might already be toast so this test might not work so
a real good idea is to look at the switch and if it looks burnt or white pieces ( ceramic ) coming off then replace the switch and since you are in there you might want to go to a relay setup.
regardless if anything is wrong or not, i do think there should be relays to the headlights.
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