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89 Dakota Headlights #1771689
03/04/15 10:03 PM
03/04/15 10:03 PM
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Florida
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CHRGR69 Offline OP
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I've posted about this before. Headlights go off and on by themselves. Changed headlight switch. Battery is new (dead cell, not for headlights). Negative cable seems fine. Is there not a relay in this circuit?


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Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771690
03/06/15 06:11 PM
03/06/15 06:11 PM
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Waynesboro PA 17268
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RODHALL Offline
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think there is fuse link on driver side inner fender well that acts up and makes the head lights do this.

Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771691
03/06/15 06:28 PM
03/06/15 06:28 PM
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in a cattle trailer down by th...
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Guitar Jones Offline
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Did you change the switch with a new one or one from a pick a part?


"Follow me the wise man said, but he walked behind"


'92 D250 Club Cab CTD, 47RH conversion, pump tweaks, injectors, rear disc and hydroboost conversion.
'74 W200 Crew Cab 360, NV4500, D44, D60 and NP205 divorced transfer case. Rear disc and hydroboost coming soon!
2019 1500 Long Horn Crew Cab 4WD, 5.7 Hemi.
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771692
03/07/15 12:17 PM
03/07/15 12:17 PM
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Maryland
GO_Fish Offline
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Maryland
Once the first switch heats up and burns, you may find that the matching plug on the harness has been burned also. Plugging a burned harness plug onto a new switch will again cause a loose connection that generates heat. And the cycle repeats, headlights blink and another switch burns up. Check the plug. Another problem with these (as happened on my '90 Dakota) was the headlight lead wire burned at the bulkhead connector where the circuit passes through the firewall (Driver side near where the steering column passes through). Pull the cover and you'll find a green corroded connector. I pulled wire straight through the bulkhead and spliced the wires direct without connectors and sealed it back up with silicone, permanent fix.


Scott B. "I'm a self-made man... I started with nothing, and I still have most of it!" 68 360 rusty B'cuda 'vert (GO Fish)13.59@ 98.72 mph 69 340 GTS stock 14.18@ 95.60 mph 01 5.9L Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4 01 3.5L 300M 16.23@ 86.97 mph
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: Guitar Jones] #1771693
03/09/15 04:40 PM
03/09/15 04:40 PM
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Florida
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CHRGR69 Offline OP
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New. Connector looked fine.


Grandma always said I had "hands of gold"!
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771694
03/09/15 05:02 PM
03/09/15 05:02 PM
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Florida
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CHRGR69 Offline OP
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What I've done;

New battery (installed BEFORE lights starting blinking)
Alt 13.9 while running
Bypassed dimmer switch
Replaced headlight switch/connector looked good
Replaced headlights
Checked firewall main harness connector
Checked ground (all other lights are fine)
Shook and wiggled every wire on the vehicle
Links on driver inner fender look intact, do not get hot, not melted and do nothing when wiggled
Ground strap could be replaced, but all the other lights are fine

I know electrical can be a nightmare, but this is nuts.

Last edited by CHRGR69; 03/09/15 05:10 PM.

Grandma always said I had "hands of gold"!
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771695
03/09/15 06:29 PM
03/09/15 06:29 PM
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Posts: 10,570
Sunny South Florida
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if you have power in the red wire, try jumping it to the headlight wire itself, at the switch. (remove the switch, and jump the wires) it's entirely possible to buy a brand new, piece of junk switch, that doesn't work. if you start at the hot wire at the switch, and work your way forward with the headlight wires, you'll find the problem quickly. there's nothing extra in the way of this, except for passing through the bulkhead.

i replaced my switch back in january, for the same problem. advance gave me a bad switch. vato-zone gave me a good one.


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Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: Golden-Arm] #1771696
03/09/15 07:22 PM
03/09/15 07:22 PM
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Florida
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CHRGR69 Offline OP
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Quote:

if you have power in the red wire, try jumping it to the headlight wire itself, at the switch. (remove the switch, and jump the wires) it's entirely possible to buy a brand new, piece of junk switch, that doesn't work. if you start at the hot wire at the switch, and work your way forward with the headlight wires, you'll find the problem quickly. there's nothing extra in the way of this, except for passing through the bulkhead.

i replaced my switch back in january, for the same problem. advance gave me a bad switch. vato-zone gave me a good one.




I have power at the red, but where am I jumping it too?

Last edited by CHRGR69; 03/09/15 09:34 PM.

Grandma always said I had "hands of gold"!
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771697
03/10/15 04:24 PM
03/10/15 04:24 PM
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Florida
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CHRGR69 Offline OP
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Can I just bypass this wiring with a relay type kit?


Grandma always said I had "hands of gold"!
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771698
03/10/15 06:07 PM
03/10/15 06:07 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20,621
in a cattle trailer down by th...
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Guitar Jones Offline
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You'll still need a good source of power to operate the relay from the switch. Do you have a DVOM?


"Follow me the wise man said, but he walked behind"


'92 D250 Club Cab CTD, 47RH conversion, pump tweaks, injectors, rear disc and hydroboost conversion.
'74 W200 Crew Cab 360, NV4500, D44, D60 and NP205 divorced transfer case. Rear disc and hydroboost coming soon!
2019 1500 Long Horn Crew Cab 4WD, 5.7 Hemi.
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: Guitar Jones] #1771699
03/10/15 06:37 PM
03/10/15 06:37 PM
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Posts: 1,534
Florida
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CHRGR69 Offline OP
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Yes


Grandma always said I had "hands of gold"!
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771700
03/11/15 09:41 AM
03/11/15 09:41 AM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20,621
in a cattle trailer down by th...
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Guitar Jones Offline
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The switches have contacts in them with bimetal strips that will open up when they get too hot, like a circuit breaker. You either have a bad switch or excessive resistance in the circuit somewhere. Find your battery wire to the switch and connect the voltmeter to it with the connector plugged in. Connect the other end to the hot wire at the headlamp, turn the headlights on, you should be reading around 0.1 volt. If it's more than that you have excessive resistance in the circuit. Turn the lamps off, disconnect the head lights and switch and start probing backwards, measuring the resistance to outside and inside of bulkhead and back to the switch. It should be less than 0.2 ohms. If it is measure the resistance of the ground circuits from the headlamp connector to the body ground and back to the battery to find out where the excessive resistance is. If all this fails to find anything go get another switch.


"Follow me the wise man said, but he walked behind"


'92 D250 Club Cab CTD, 47RH conversion, pump tweaks, injectors, rear disc and hydroboost conversion.
'74 W200 Crew Cab 360, NV4500, D44, D60 and NP205 divorced transfer case. Rear disc and hydroboost coming soon!
2019 1500 Long Horn Crew Cab 4WD, 5.7 Hemi.
Re: 89 Dakota Headlights [Re: CHRGR69] #1771701
03/16/15 01:10 PM
03/16/15 01:10 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,534
Florida
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CHRGR69 Offline OP
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SOB! It was the new headlight switch. Chinese junk! Made the auto store swap it for another piece of crap until I can find a Mopar switch. Anyway, I appreciate all the help. At least I know all the other wiring is good to go!


Grandma always said I had "hands of gold"!






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