Headlights

[donaldgs]

When ever you find a ground don't assume it's good by checking with a test light. Take it apart and clean it. I have seen the test light verify a ground that wasn't good because the act of checking the ground made it work at that moment. Clean and re fasten them. It pays off in the long run especially in today's vehicles using low voltage for reference voltage.
I would take a long look at the relay. That's carrying the load of the headlights not the switch. If the switch is getting hot it's either the switch itself or the relay.

[Mded40]

Check the current, then the voltage before and after the switch. veriify connections are tight and appropriate size for current

[Froggy1936]

Originally Posted by aden

Don’t know about a relay, I’m sure there is one, the ground from the headlight wiring harness.

Get a wiring diagram for your veh. If it has a relay for the headlights replace the switch, If it does not have a relay rewire to install a fused relay ! Frank

[MSGDLD]

There's been some good advice here. To cover a few things, if there is any high resistance after the Hot "feed" wire at the headlight switch, the wire could get hot. This means the dimmer switch could be a problem.

Unfortunately, you don't list what your MH is, so I can't speak directly, but because you have a Chevy headlight switch, I'm figuring it's a Chevy chassis. The chances are very good that the chassis wiring, including the headlights, is all chevy. The manufacturer chose Ford headlight housings for the style, but the bulbs are standard headlight bulbs with a standard pin layout, so that's not a factor. This also means that if you can find the chassis wiring for your chassis, it'll be very close. I bought a set of Service Manuals for my P30 Chevy off eBay. Naturally, there's a set of wiring diagrams in it, and a whole lot of other good stuff. One curiosity on my P30 is the dash air is a mix of Ford and Chevy.

A note about using a test light. Here's what I mean. A test light tells you there's voltage and/or ground at a certain point. So you check a wire at the headlight, it's a 10 strand wire, and the test light lights. All you know is that at least 1 of the 10 strands is passing voltage, but it doesn't tell you the wire is in good enough condition to power the light. The same goes for a ground. That's why a voltage drop test is important, and btw, 1.5 volts is too much. (.1 for a each wire in the circuit, .2 for each switch.) Check the voltage drop after the light switch, then the dimmer switch and then the wire, and you may well be able to ID where the issue is.

I think in your situation that the idea of using relays is a good one. You've already had to replace the headlight switch, and it'll reduce the draw on the light and dimmer switch by decreasing the current from the 110-120 watts to power the headlights to the 5-10 watts to operate the relay plus give you much better voltage and available watts at the headlights. You'll need one relay for the low beams, one for the high beams. BTW, they make relays specifically for headlights that have two load posts instead of the usual one. Like the one fellow said, keep the relays close to the headlights.

I think I might do the relays on mine. Maybe I'll get enough light to see the road!

Good luck to you!

[aden]

[ATTACH]265822[/

ATTACH].
These are pictures of the relays, under the dash, and the connection points on the panel outside.

[Donnie-Robin]

You need to do a Visual inspection of the plug and wires going to the headlight switch. If they show signs of overheating there is a good chance you have a loose connection within the plug. Your headlights should be running to a relay and a switch would control the clamp side of the relay. As mentioned by one of the other members, you really need to have the schematic so you know what you’re dealing with.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Dav L

I believe all RV owners should find the full schematic for their RV. Even if they don't DIY. If you bring your RV to a place to repair, the odds are they won't have the schematic and will then either guess or reverse engineer the wiring which can take hours of your paid for time.

I forgot to take a picture of the battery wiring, removed the batteries and then had to take almost a full day to reverse engineer the 12volt wiring just to rewire the batteries (a very basic job). No, the wires weren't labeled. Just a dumb mistake caused from working too fast that slowed me way down. I thought I did have that picture before pulling it apart. At that early time of ownership I didn't have a wiring schematic that would have greatly reduced the time. Just that one time would have costed hundreds of $ in time. I have since found a diagram that is close to mine and so far, close enough.

That is one of the main reasons I bought a Winnebago, they publish schematics/drawings for everything in/on my MH-as built.

[bobfrommaine]

If the connector is getting hot, you have a resistive connection. If the body of the relay is hot, the relay may have a resistive connection. It may be that the crimp connector on the end of the wire going to the relay has a poor crimp (many are poorly made). If it is a spade connector, I'd replace it, they become resistive on occasion. The place with the highest heat is the place where the resistance is high. Not sure how accessible the connectors are, but if you have a male spade connector, unplug the relay and see if that male spade connector slides REALLY easily into the female spade connectors on the end of the wires going to the relay. If one does, that connector needs to be replaced. Long answer, short solution.
Bob '14 Winnebago 37F; Jeep toad

[Wildbuckaroo]

Well if its a Ford style of headlamp switch and being a mechanic I have replaced many many switches and the pigtail connector that plugs into the switch. Its normal for the switch to be warm but it shouldn't be so hot you can't touch it unless you have a poor connection at one of the terminals. Unplug it and look very closely at switch terminals to see if they look burnt and if they do replace the switch and connector at the same time. Just curious, how did you discover that your switch was hot in the first place?