Need some help here guys

MadFish · January 21, 2002

Ok, Heres whats going on. After the little KC metting last night at the bowling alley. Mike and I were leaving and my headlights werent working right. With the lights off, I get the daytime running lights and my fog lights. With the parking lights on, I get everything(headlights, fog, brake, turnsignals) I also get the dash lights. When I turn the switch all the way to the headights, all I get are the dash lights, parking lights and tail lights. But, I dont get the brake light that on the back of the cab at all. It wont turn on when the truck is on, when I hit the brakes, of when I turn on the lights or parking lights. Anyone had this problem with the '98 trucks? Anyone have any ideas on what might be causing this? I am going to check the fuses and the switch today, If I get up in time.

Just so you know, I used a wire splice to connect the fog lights to the headlights under the hood. I dont think thats part of the problem. But, it might help find the problem

ScottS · January 21, 2002

From what you describe, here is what I think may have occured...

If you have taken 12v power for the fogs directly from the headlight wires, instead of through a relay, you may have cooked the lighting system, probably the switch. Very few headlight switches are robust enough to handle the extra current needed to drive aux. lights. What may have happened is the switch internals have overheated and now the contacts (or wires) are shorting out.

The generally accepted method is to use a relay, 12v in comming in from the battery, with a fuse as close to the battery as possible, and the trigger line being a tap into the park light circuit or low beam line.

Hope this helps

Scott

MadFish · January 21, 2002

The generally accepted method is to use a relay, 12v in comming in from the battery, with a fuse as close to the battery as possible, and the trigger line being a tap into the park light circuit or low beam line.

This is how I hooked the fog lights up. I have the relay mounted behind the headlights and the fuse nexted to the battery.

MadFish · January 21, 2002

OK, now this is amost as strange as my lights not working. I went out to show my dad what was going on with the lights and they worked fine. Nothing wrong with them. Everything worked the way it was supposed to and I didnt even try and fix them. I didnt do anything. I dont know whats going on. But, I know it happened. I know the lights werent working right and I got Mike as a witness to it. Maybe I should stop smoking crack and then my brain my function right