The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Headlight switch dash lights

My gauge lights are not working. I noticed when I use the dimmer and the contact is made on that spring (see pic) the spring glows red hot until I back it off the spring. I do not see any problem with the spring itself.

Switch picture
I checked the wires and all is correct.

Thoughts? Bad switch?

What is that sticking out of the spring?
Harold

The spring is a resistor. There should be a center contact that slides on "spring". Typical would be one wire "+" connected to the center contact and the other connected to one end or other of the "spring" and to the center contact of the dash light. When turned probably counter clock wise the lights would dim and the spring would get hot but probably not red hot and turned all the way to the right would be like connecting the two wires to the dash lights directly. No ground should be connected to the switch/dimmer.

Wondering if just sitting around for 25 years it needs to burn some stuff off

Btw that is a reference of the switch not mine

Are all the bulbs installed in the gauge housings? That is how they ground.


A while back someone posted the lights were not working but they were hanging.

Could be they are not getting a good ground will take a look at that.

The wire shorted to the resistor looks out of place. I don't believe it should normally be there. Either it is there by mishandling or it is a "self rigged" connection. Regardless, it looks wrong.
don

If the spring glows red hot sounds like a dead short also is that a wire sticking out because it looks like solder could somebody have tried to repair the switch.Since the spring is a resistor I would check to see if the resistor/spring is intack from end to end check for continuity.

Good luck Dave

The picture he posted is not his switch.

so I am getting no power at the DASH terminal from the switch - must be a bad switch

reaching for wallet again

The switch does not go to the dash lights? What do you mean the dash terminal? This switch also powers the head lights and parking lights correct? Pull it out partway turns on the parking lights, maybe the dash lights, and all the way the head lights and dash lights. rotate it to dim the dash lights. The head light lead goes to the floor high beam switch.

I believe he is saying he has no power to the instrument and ignition light terminal.
...pic...
Can easily be tested with a meter.
With the knob pulled to the first position
you should have continuity between the instrument post and the ammeter post on the rear as long as the instruments are not turned off, knob all the way left- all the way right is off.

Update- I am seeing a low trickle charge on the gauge housing. So when I turn the dash dimmer I get a short.

My issue is surely not a switch but a charge getting to the gauge housing. Will take it apart and see how the ammeter looks.

If I reversed the + and - on the ammeter by mistake ( not labeled) would it really matter? Or is this just a pass through terminal?

The ammeter is moving to the CHARGE direction when I turn on the lights. Which is making me think I did reverse the ammeter wiring.

So I pulled the ammeter out of the cluster and dash lights work.

I noticed that the small screws that hold the ammeter face plate have no insulator washer making a charge to the faceplate. Should these small screws be insulated from the faceplate?

The post on the rear of the housing should have an insulated pad on the rear
...pic... (ammeter on left)

The faceplates were originally held on with rivets

I have that but am thinking the bolt when it passes the hole for the housing can still make contact. Will try using electrical tape to stop all contact,put together and see what I have

that worked for me - so I must have had a short somewhere with the posts to the gauge housing.