Dome lamp ground short circuit questions.

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Grit dog

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Bump for info for recent dome light thread...
 

AuroraGirl

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I did the led's in the blinker indicators as well... I said hell no and took the bezel back off:happy175:
did you get a low power green chip LED for them? If its not greeen the filter will proba Pass a LOT of the light because not the same color and the bulb was prob a bright sucker. the turn indicators are 168 or so right? In an LED it would be best to have a single head chip of low wattage and quality make . Unless the bulbs dont go in from the back on those two, then not head of the chip.
 

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My 86 has a floor lamp below the ashtray. Several white wire come together at that lamp holder.
 

Randy and Easton

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Guys, been following this thread as I’m having a similar issue. All lights on truck been working fine. Two nights ago I saw that the rear taillight s and plate lights were off. Brakes worked fine as do turn signals. Found 20A fuse for lights blown. Replaced, all was good until you turned the dimmer portion of the headlight switch and it would blow the fuse. This happened before we put in LED dome light yesterday. Thinking it was all fixed , E used headlight switch to turn on dome light worked great, then I turned on headlights and fuse blew. Replaced and with dome off all lights worked. Today, turned on headlights and everthing was fine again until I turned the knob to activate dome light and fuse blew again

We have no door jam switches, they have been out of truck since the rebuild. Bought the painless kit for the door jam switches but have not installed them yet.

Bought new headlight switch today and as soon as i put on headlights it started smoking and melting, but fuse did not blow. The part had been opened (plastic bag open inside box and looked like it was handled at least) bought from NAPA. They are getting me a new one Monday.

What am I missing? White ground wires for the door jam switches have just been bundled and zip tied out of the way until we got further along.

Everything has been fine , and then here we are…

Thanks y’all

Randy and Easton
 

AuroraGirl

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Guys, been following this thread as I’m having a similar issue. All lights on truck been working fine. Two nights ago I saw that the rear taillight s and plate lights were off. Brakes worked fine as do turn signals. Found 20A fuse for lights blown. Replaced, all was good until you turned the dimmer portion of the headlight switch and it would blow the fuse. This happened before we put in LED dome light yesterday. Thinking it was all fixed , E used headlight switch to turn on dome light worked great, then I turned on headlights and fuse blew. Replaced and with dome off all lights worked. Today, turned on headlights and everthing was fine again until I turned the knob to activate dome light and fuse blew again

We have no door jam switches, they have been out of truck since the rebuild. Bought the painless kit for the door jam switches but have not installed them yet.

Bought new headlight switch today and as soon as i put on headlights it started smoking and melting, but fuse did not blow. The part had been opened (plastic bag open inside box and looked like it was handled at least) bought from NAPA. They are getting me a new one Monday.

What am I missing? White ground wires for the door jam switches have just been bundled and zip tied out of the way until we got further along.

Everything has been fine , and then here we are…

Thanks y’all

Randy and Easton
it really sounds like your logical next thing is your switch.
you use it a lot to turn the lights on, that wears the switch more. its also taking the full power of the headlights. I would do the headlight relay mod which doesnt run the full headlight current through it and then that will inrease brightness, decrease the load the switch must do, and then also eliminate the possibility your headlight current wasnt short-to-powering that circuit
 

AuroraGirl

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it really sounds like your logical next thing is your switch.
you use it a lot to turn the lights on, that wears the switch more. its also taking the full power of the headlights. I would do the headlight relay mod which doesnt run the full headlight current through it and then that will inrease brightness, decrease the load the switch must do, and then also eliminate the possibility your headlight current wasnt short-to-powering that circuit
is this like yours by chance? and if so, it looks like its 15, but maybe 76 has a 20 for that spot
 

Randy and Easton

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Taylor, it’s blowing the courtesy light fuse which is 20A. I can do that mod, but I’m trying to figure out what has changed. Pictures to follow
 

Randy and Easton

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So it’s blowing the tail lamp courtesy fuse here, 20A. The first headlight switch was new in February this year with no problems. Now, the only new thing is Vintage Air instal a few weeks ago and had to tap into dash lights to get back lighting for VA control panel which is LED. It has worked fine so far until we found the fuse blown a few nights ago. Here is a pic of the connector as well, but as far as we can see there is no contact with the ground post when installed.
And again, everything works until you turn the know to adjust interior light backlighting brightness, blows the fuse.

Randy and E
 

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AuroraGirl

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So it’s blowing the tail lamp courtesy fuse here, 20A. The first headlight switch was new in February this year with no problems. Now, the only new thing is Vintage Air instal a few weeks ago and had to tap into dash lights to get back lighting for VA control panel which is LED. It has worked fine so far until we found the fuse blown a few nights ago. Here is a pic of the connector as well, but as far as we can see there is no contact with the ground post when installed.
And again, everything works until you turn the know to adjust interior light backlighting brightness, blows the fuse.

Randy and E
that connector has some melt and the copper isnt clear. if you know how to depin that i would clean up the copper and then reinsert. your tail lamp ground on driver rear should be checked too, and the connector on the frame rail that the tail lamp harness comes off of, they are possibly having issues. Corrosion at every point could theroetically be enough to cause a overly large draw
also, check your bulb sockets like for the tabs in them under the bulbs, maybe pull some bulbs out of each side and then put fise back, see if you pop when you have much less load
 

AuroraGirl

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So it’s blowing the tail lamp courtesy fuse here, 20A. The first headlight switch was new in February this year with no problems. Now, the only new thing is Vintage Air instal a few weeks ago and had to tap into dash lights to get back lighting for VA control panel which is LED. It has worked fine so far until we found the fuse blown a few nights ago. Here is a pic of the connector as well, but as far as we can see there is no contact with the ground post when installed.
And again, everything works until you turn the know to adjust interior light backlighting brightness, blows the fuse.

Randy and E
you cant tap the dimming of incandescent for LED dimming, you need a different dimmer unless the vintage air is designed to convert that for the LED
 

Randy and Easton

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Ok on that dimmer. I was going to just disconnect that tap for vintage air and see if that’s the problem. Replaced right rear socket yesterday when I found it was faulty as well. I will check ground on drivers side tail in the AM. I think bed is grounded on drivers side if I remember correctly and I will check that.
Ordered the heavy duty harness and new plugs for everything from LMC so I’m hopeful process of elimination I find the problem.
I’ll keep you posted.
 

AuroraGirl

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Ok on that dimmer. I was going to just disconnect that tap for vintage air and see if that’s the problem. Replaced right rear socket yesterday when I found it was faulty as well. I will check ground on drivers side tail in the AM. I think bed is grounded on drivers side if I remember correctly and I will check that.
Ordered the heavy duty harness and new plugs for everything from LMC so I’m hopeful process of elimination I find the problem.
I’ll keep you posted.
yup the ground is behind the backing plate for the bulbs on an eyelet screwed to bed
 

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