Need RELIABLE dimmer switch.

[Evan Frucht]

I have a feeling my dimmer switch and maybe my headlight switch are defective.

I've went through 2. First one was a chinese one from ebay which was very cheap (under $8 including shipping) which simply just stopped working after a month if i remember.
Next one was a used one i bought a spring fling the guy said it was tested and it was Made in USA.
I am now suspecting that this one is causing me problems. The high beams filiment always is dim and orange even when the high beams are off. The headlights are also very finincky and have been know to flash on and off while I'm driving.

My main symtom/probem is that If I have the high beams clicked on the headlights will start to flash on and off immediately. If the high beams are off it will sometimes do it.

I should not be seeing the glowing orange filiment on high beams when my normal 2 driving lights are selected ( am I right that this is not correct? )

My new chines headlight switch is also getting replaced with an NOS made in USA one.

WHERE CAN I GET A RELIABLE DIMMER SWITCH OR NOS MOPAR WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK?

Anyone have a stash or know who does?

I'm so done with my electrical issues and need to solve them.

I CHECKED the grounds

Has anyone had this exact issue ?

 

[RussT Plymouths]

What headlight bulbs are installed? If they're the newer style they pull more current than the original headlight switch's internal circuit breaker can handle. You could try a new switch but it probably has the same capacity as the original. I had a very similar issue on my 67 and put a relay and circuit breaker on the high beam side.

 

[khryslerkid]

I bought a new dimmer switch, either a Napa or a Standard. Probably made in Mexico but it wasn't cheaply made or I wouldn't have used it.

Your headlights dimming and such sounds like a bad ground. Check them all and make sure the crimp isn't corroded on the wire end. Also make sure your headlight switch plug has good clean contacts. You could turn on the lights, reach up under the dash and grab the plug to the switch and see if things change when you move it. If the plug is hot, you know that's a bad connection. Also pulling in and out on the switch knob, just a little while the lights are on might show a bad connection in the switch itself. Check the bulkhead connection for the headlight wire also. (Some things to try)

 

[Evan Frucht]

Ok, the bulkhead wiring I re-did and it has 12 gauge wire going thru... the connection is solid. I Think I've checked/cleaned all the grounds but maybe there are some hidden ones I've missed. The manual doesn't show me all the exact locations on the body where the harness needs to be grounded. Its probabaly a combination of issues, but I highly suspect my dimmer switch is faulty simply becuase the high beams glow when they should be off?

Or maybe something is wired wrong and it keeps frying my switches?

I messed around with the knob hoping to identify the probelm months ago. Its been a while since I drove it at night tho, so it's hard to remeber... but I think it was always so messed up and sporatic that I was never able to fully tell if slightly moving knob had any effect.

 

[RussT Plymouths]

Could be a bad low beam headlight bulb. Try unplugging one at a time and see if the high beam glow goes away.

 

[Evan Frucht]

I bought a new dimmer switch, either a Napa or a Standard. Probably made in Mexico but it wasn't cheaply made or I wouldn't have used it.

Your headlights dimming and such sounds like a bad ground. Check them all and make sure the crimp isn't corroded on the wire end. Also make sure your headlight switch plug has good clean contacts. You could turn on the lights, reach up under the dash and grab the plug to the switch and see if things change when you move it. If the plug is hot, you know that's a bad connection. Also pulling in and out on the switch knob, just a little while the lights are on might show a bad connection in the switch itself. Check the bulkhead connection for the headlight wire also. (Some things to try)

The metal casing of the headlight switch itself gets very hot to the touch after the headlights are on for a bit

 

[RussT Plymouths]

Can you remove/unplug the dimmer switch and jumper between the green, (12 volt from the switch), and the black, ( low beam to the headlights), and not get the high beam glow?

 

[Evan Frucht]

Ok I will do that...

BUT, what could be causing the switch itself to get very hot to the touch?

 

[khryslerkid]

Ok I will do that...

BUT, what could be causing the switch itself to get very hot to the touch?

It's normal for it to get warm when the lights are on. Very hot could be dirty connections in the plug and on the switch prongs or dirty contacts inside the switch. Also a bad connection somewhere in the wiring could cause resistance at the switch creating heat.

 

[dryheat]

I agree. The kit from @Crackedback is plug and play, excellent quality, and a big improvement in headlight performance. Also keeps loads off the interior wiring, switches, and bulkhead.

Reach out to @Crackedback ... this solution will probably help you a lot.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Reach out to @Crackedback ... this solution will probably help you a lot.

Yup, Relays will solve your issues & have your headlights working allot better than they did when the car was new....

 

[RussT Plymouths]

Ok I will do that...

BUT, what could be causing the switch itself to get very hot to the touch?

To add to what has already been suggested, too much load on the headlight circuit can cause the circuit breaker inside the headlight switch to get hot, i. e. too many lights are on. It may not be quite enough to trip the breaker, although you did suggest this may be happening in your original post, (My main symptom/problem). Relays are a way to get some of this load off the headlight switch.

The high beam glow when low beam is selected, suggests you're getting some voltage on the high beam circuit. Could be from a failed dimmer switch, (why I suggested by-passing it). It could be a wiring issue between the dimmer switch and any front light socket, (don't forget the park lights, that 12v wire is in the same harness as the headlights after the bulkhead). Could be a failed light bulb, ( dual element bulbs can present some strange anomalies when the broken element touches the good element inside the bulb).

 

[Ski 61701]

Bad grounds on headlight harness will cause you grief, as well as a bad battery ground cable to motor and ground strap to firewall from motor will complicate things.
if you havent done so, go buy a can or two of the sprayable electric contact cleaner. Wurth is a good brand. Your floor dimmer switch needs to be rinsed out really good, also unplug bulkhead connectors both of them, and spray and scrape the contacts really well. You'd be surprised on how much gunk is on terminals

 

[Ernie ingling]

Ski good call when there is heat then too much resistence ie. Bad ground time for dvom and some voltage drop testing

 

[Ski 61701]

Ernie brought up a good point about dvm.
Just because a cable looks good on the outside, the inside can be loaded with the green gunk of death. A few yrs ago I had a Honda Nighthawk, charging systems in those were marginal at best. I was cleaning cables up and noticed at the one end where the terminal attaches a little green corrosion. luckily it was a jumper type cable and I was able to make a new one. After I put new one on.. electrical system worked much better, I did not realize how much power I lost. The old cable, I sliced it open, it was completely loaded with green corrosion. I wish I would've taken a pic of it. So ohm your cables and see how much resistance you get.
Anymore, if you can swing the cost, put a new harness on we are pushing 55yrs old on things that were designed to maybe last 10 yrs...
Lastly, since you have been putting a lot of time on this. you may want to consider getting a fire extinguisher. I bought one, as a just in case thing.. My .02

 

[Ernie ingling]

Yes proper use of meter can save money ie. Unnecessary parts frustration, poor performance, electrical melt down “ need for extinguisher “ Voltage drop test is most usefull and most misunderstood test.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Yes proper use of meter can save money ie. Unnecessary parts frustration, poor performance, electrical melt down “ need for extinguisher “ Voltage drop test is most usefull and most misunderstood test.

While I 100% agree with this even a brand new harness will still be passing the current in through the bulkhead connector, through the headlight switch, down to the floor mounted dimmer switch, back out through the bulkhead connector to the headlights.... Headlights, be they low beams or high beams are a significant load (A 60-watt halogen bulb draws 5 amps of power and on low beam there are two bulbs so 10 amps..... High beams four filaments are powered so 20 amps) , every connection is a potential point of resistance.... By adding relays all of that circuit becomes a very low current trigger circuit (triggering a relay is less than .2 amp load...) The relays take the load off all the original wiring.... Modern cars all use relays, no reason not to add them to our cars...