The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 1970 C10 light problem

When I pull my headlight switch out the lights won’t come on. They only come on after I turn the key to the ON position. I tried the old headlight switch in place of the new one just for giggles and it does the same. Have I crossed wires somehow at the ignition switch?

I using an American auto wire universal wiring harness on this truck.

Thanks!

Sounds like you have the power feed going through the ignition switch instead of being full time battery.

Do you have the AAW wiring diagram?

You need to double check instructions. (AAW Highway 22 circuit universal, Headlight instruction 510490) ? You do seem to have a miswire or two or three......

Your headlight wiring is on pages 1, 3 and 4.

Wire light swich connector, dimmer switch connector and headlight connectors per those instructions.
If you any question, post them here.

Also double check ignition switch instruction 510494

Same type of pages for AAW 15 circuit.

I have a feeling it’s in the ignition switch wiring.
I checked the headlight connector and everything is in the proper place on the headlight switch. Everything works as it should, it’s just running through the ignition switch wrong somehow….
Hopefully.

What does "everything works as it should" mean?

Lights are all operational, take lights, hi/lo beams, signals, park lights. They all work properly, but will come on with the key on. I know the lights should be able to be turned on without the key being on.

Keep checking the instructions. Believe me, finding your own mistakes, if there are any, is mentally challenging. the double check procedure has to be: I know there is a mistake, I have to find it. One instruction sentence at a time. One wire at a time. Follow the diagram from beginning of each wire to end and ubserstand where it goes. Don't gloss over it like "I've seeen this befiore and looks good". If you doulble check and issue is still there, you missed it.
'

Holy Moly FOX, is this other post related to the same vehicle? "C10 LS ignition wiring with harness"
Are you kind of double posting? Is this info we need on this post?

Maybe a different truck because you said on first post here: "I using an American auto wire universal wiring harness on this truck." To me that means the whole truck.
If you are trying to mesh TWO harnesses from TWO different sources, we need to know parts numbers of the kits.

No, the LS harness is engine only and this question is body only. They only connect in 4 points.

It is entirely reasonable to have two posts about two different issues.

Check the headlight fuse for power in both ignition off and ignition on positions.

Then pull the fuse and make sure that the headlight fuse is actually what is powering the headlight feed.

Based on the wiring shown in the documentation, there shouldn't be a way for you to hook it up such that the ignition switch controls the headlights.

OK your call,
1. I see both are dealing with the ignition switch...so related. I now don't know what harness to look at or what instruction to read for the issue here in this post.
2. I see here that he says "I using an American auto wire universal wiring harness on this truck". The universal AAW is a complete harness. Not for the body.
3. Didn't know anything about another harness called an "LS" harness..AKA painless harness.
4. Hard to help with two so called differnt things that I see as related and get surprise info. and meshing two or more harnesses while trying to troubeshoot.
5. I did ask for harness part numbers to understand what he is using/doing. Don't see that. ESP. AAW. Body kit, chassis kit, dash kit? Complete kit? Motor kit?
6. "Who's on first" "what's on second"


You have a better grasp and can help better than I. Just giving my perspective. FYI
I'll just observe both posts.
thanks for the reply