Headlight switch trouble

[SKimballC]

Trying to get on the road across country Friday morning and the little things have started to break. This one, as stupid as it is, is pretty disabling.
My headlight switch is not right. If I pull the switch all the way, 2 clicks, the headlights come on, but no driving lights or dash lights. First position out on the headlight switch- no driving lights or dash lights like they should. But if I get the thing somewhere between the 2 positions, the dash and driving lights come on, but once I put it back in either one of the 2 positions, they crap back out.
I bought a new headlight switch and the same damn thing happens. I don't know if that spear-looking shaft that locks into the switch could be worn and not engaging properly, but it looks perfectly fine. Even if it was the problem, I don't know where I'd find one in a hurry.
Also, the connector is cracked but the terminals can still be pushed on fine. It doesn't appear that there's is any way the current is crossing in the connector.
I am stumped. Any ideas?

 

[TLBREWER]

Shane

Don't be surprised if the "new" switch is defective. I've bought light switches from LMC, NAPA, AZ, you name it. I've gone thru more than one switch from every single one to get a good one. I've never bought one from Ford, which would probably be good on the first try. Mel would love that.

I also wouldn't rule out the connector completely. That is a Ford only part to the tune of $48 each(replaced both of mine).

Tom

 

[Agnem]

I've never bought a switch from anywhere BUT Ford, and have never had a problem with them.

You can also buy a pigtail from Ford, to replace your cracked connector. I did that for the Lady Moose, as hers was all burned up from the PO adding 15 megawatts worth of little lights.

 

[oregon-mike]

I'd add that you can get the headlight switch pigtail from autoparts outfits. I bought the one when I did my headlight switch & relay mod from Ford because I assumed it would be a dealer only part. It came in a PICO bag. Next time I was at my local Knecht's store I checked. Ford nailed me $10 for the pigtail, Knecht's had them on the shelf for $5.

Mike

 

[SKimballC]

Its the switch I believe. I pulled all the terminals out of the connector, no difference. I realized that the 2 switches act different, and found the terminals for the dash and running lights can be jumped to 12v and work fine. So its something in that switch. Off to swap the 'new' one at the parts store.

 

[SKimballC]

This is getting stranger. New switch, no better. But here's the new twist. I had the switch in my hand and was looking at the terminals, and if I press the button that releases the shaft the IGNITION comes on in the run position. Radio comes on, GP relay comes on. I have to push it just 'so' for it to do this. Which means that something is feeding back to the ignition circuit to put it in the RUN position through the headlight switch. As far as I can tell the headlight switch is always hot and has no connection to switched 12 volts.
This is starting to make me feel ill. I have to get this straightened out today on top of the other 40 things I have to do.

 

[subway]

where are you getting these switches from? i have been let down allot with the ones availible from big stores that start with A's.

 

[SKimballC]

You guessed it- your favorite Autobone. I don't have time to deal with Ferd today. They don't even have one in stock.
I figured out the ignition problem. Its what I get for not putting the terminals back in the connector after figuring out that the connector isn't the problem. Now I still have to figure out what's going on with these damn switches.

 

[RLDSL]

This probably won't make any difference, but I had my headlight knob out the other day while pulling the dash apart and when I put the knob back in till it clicked, it acted similar, I pushed the button in and shoved the knob shaft in a little further and it acted normal. I have no idea what it did aside from push the gnomes out of the way

-------Robert

 

[SKimballC]

Well, 2 Wells switches from Autozone, one NAPA switch, and one NAPA knob and shaft later, I have no results. There's power into the switch but no power out of it to the 2 terminals that turn on the dash lights and running lights. I jiggled, jimmied and tried every position within each of the 3 switches, but nothing except for the headlights in the fully on position. So I had to do something I would normally not do and wired in a separate fused switch to turn the lights on. I must leave tomorrow and this works right now.
It still seems to me that the problem lies in the switch, but I am afraid of further gremlins. Everything electrical is working and no blown fuses yet.

 

[towcat]

do you have any lights outside of the factory lights wired into your parking light circuit? If you do, cut the wires for the trip and when you get into OR we can walk you through the fix procedure for your lights.

 

[SKimballC]

No, I don't have any extra lights wired into the parking circuit, just some gauges tapped into the dash dimmer circuit. The only thing that changed before the lights broke was that I ran a new vacuum hose through the firewall for the boost gauge, so I was down there but I don't see anything squirrely with the wiring as a result.
Yeah, I just have to run it like this w/ the extra switch until I land in Oregon and then try to run down the problem.
Thanks for the replies fellas. As usual, you guys are allright

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

HEADLIGHT SWITCHES - NO MATTER THE MAKE - ARE JUNK

The absolute best way to control light functions is to toss the factory headlight switch in the trash and control each light function with it's own dedicated toggle-switch.

That is exactly the way the GOOD older big trucks did it.

I don't care what the make/model a vehicle is, they all have these multi-function headlight switches that are WAY over-loaded.

The worst switch-burner is the dash-light dimmer function.

Also, maybe not your problem, but these model FORD trucks have terrible wiring from the fuse-block = WAY TOO SMALL.

Some months ago, I came home, shut off the truck, turned off the headlight switch, and walked in the house without looking back.

Later, I poked my head outside, and saw that all my parking-lights and cab-lights were ON, even the interior light.

I first thought maybe I had left them on.

No matter what I did, nor how many fuses I removed, the lights remained on.

I finally took off all the battery cables and the lights went out.

The bejillion extra marker-lights, that I myself had installed and wired, were off and behaving as they should, just the factory crap was giving problems.

In that *** of TOO LITTLE wires that go in and out of the fuse-block, there were several that had lost their insulation years ago.

The tiny tan wire, that feeds the headlight switch, was naked from one end to the other.