Need electrical help - auxiliary backup lights

rmart · June 9, 2015

I have a set of Rigid backup lights under my rear bumper (http://www.rigidindustries.com/led-lighting/98000). They're working just fine (or were until I started messing with them) but I hate the switch that came with the package. I found some switches I can live with and am trying to get them working with this new switch.

The switch I'm trying to replace is a six post dpdt switch that illuminates (if set up to do so) when the lights are on. The switch operates as an on|off|on switch with the following options:

On 1: lights are on demand

Off: Off

On 2: lights are on when in reverse

So, me in my infinite wisdom decided that a single pole double throw switch would work just fine as the only thing connected to bank two on the switch is the illuminated rocker which I don't want anyway. My thought was that On 1 would light up the lights (it does), Off would be off, (still good), and On 2 would activate the lights when the truck is put in reverse. All the magic is supposed to happen in the relay anyway, no?

The problem is that when I incorporate the new switch into the system the reverse lights come on on demand but not when the truck is in reverse. I may or may not have fried the relay in my fiddlin' around because now after putting the supplied switch back into the system the lights don't turn on when the truck is in reverse as well. The fuse is good so that's not the problem. I'm hoping that letting the relay cool down will reset it.

Before I go back out there to tackle this again is anyone familiar with this package or with what I'm trying to do and can throw me some pointers?

Questions already answered:

Fuses are good, the one inline switch for the lights is good and the factory lights illuminate when the truck is put in reverse so that one's good also.

The switch is an On|Off|On with positive action, not momentary contact.

The lights themselves are good as they illuminate on demand.

The only change made was the switch and the lights were working before so there's no other variables in the system. (wiring wasn't compromised, etc.)

Please help.