Headlights very very dim

[Marcus2000monster]

Hi all!! My headlights are extremely dim in high and lows! If I didn’t have a light bar I would have already been in the ditch probably! Lol not quite that bad but they are definitely abnormally dim! What should I check test  etc ? Thanks

[Mopar1973Man]

Check your head light fuses most likely blown both fuses in the PDC.

[IBMobile]

Check the grounds for the lights.  The resistance in the ground connection may be to high, .

[Mopar1973Man]

29 minutes ago, IBMobile said:

Check the grounds for the lights.  The resistance in the ground connection may be to high, .

 

Grounds for the headlights are NOT under the hood. The headlight grounds are in the driver side kick panel. The center of dash ground goes to the driver side kick panel and that is where rust typically forms.

 

Edited November 1, 2017 by Mopar1973Man

[Marcus2000monster]

20 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

 

Grounds for the headlights are NOT under the hood. The headlight grounds are in the driver side kick panel. The center of dash ground goes to the driver side kick panel and that is where rust typically forms.

Sorry to be in the dark but do you mean the the fuse panel inside the dash behind the drivers door when you say kick panel? Are the grounds actually inside there? Sorry I’m an idiot when it comes to electrical! ;)

[Mopar1973Man]

No. You need to take up the door trim the kick panel by the parking brake pedal needs to be removed. The ground is behind the plastic kick panel near the door. 

 

Dodge changed up the headlights. So basically the blubs are power with +12V on the common contact and the headlight switch and dimmer switch control the grounds to the lo and hi. So the ground terminates right near the door hinge behind the plastic kick panel.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Mopar1973Man

[Marcus2000monster]

1 minute ago, Mopar1973Man said:

No. You need to take up the door trim the kick panel by the parking brake pedal needs to be removed. The ground is behind the plastic kick panel near the door. 

 

Dodge changed up the headlights. So basically the blubs are power with +12V on the common contact and the headlight switch and dimmer switch control the grounds to the lo and hi. So the ground terminates right near the door hinge behind the plastic kick panel.

Ok I know right where your talking about now! Thanks

[JAG1]

So if that ground is not clean the headlights are dimmed down, but would that also contribute to the headlight switch getting hot?

 

I ask cause it's amazing how hot it gets near the switch and I know the relay set up is the way to go for that.

[Mopar1973Man]

1 minute ago, JAG1 said:

I ask cause it's amazing how hot it gets near the switch

 

If you dim your panel lights at all the switch will increase with heat too. I keep mine wide open and it stays cool.

[Haggar]

JAG,

 

A poor ground causes high resistance.  High resistance causes higher than needed amperage flow.  high amperage flow causes heat.

The contacts in the headlight switch have more resistance than a straight piece of wire.  So in laymans terms more of the amps are "used" there.  This makes heat.

 

Mike has a good point too, the voltage reduction the dimmer gives is a heat source too. 

 

Hag

 

Edited November 2, 2017 by Haggar

[JAG1]

That is a ground I have overlooked on both trucks. Thanks to you both.

 

Just want to say on my 02, I figured a way to attach about  6 inches of copper pipe to the factory heat sink. This gives a greater escape for the hea and works pretty wellt, but the relays are best solution. 

[Mopar1973Man]

11 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

I figured a way to attach about  6 inches of copper pipe to the factory heat sink.

 

Actually the heat sink has nothing to do with headlights. If you remove the panel light fuse that heat would be cold. So if you want to reduce that heat from the heat sink the proper way would replace all the interior bulbs with LED's and ditch all the old incandescent bulbs. 

 

Relays will do nothing for that heat sinks. It would provide a slightly more power to the headlight bulbs but most people can't tell the difference. Most of this loss isn't the switch per say but the long run of the ground into the cab and its small gauge wire used.

 

 

So since I drop the sport head lights which are 60w x 4 bulbs or 240w of burning bulbs divded by 12 volts that is 20 amps of draw. The wire size contributes a bunch of loss to the run. 

 

So now jumping ship to 35w HID's x 2 = 70w of burning bulbs divded by 12 that's 5.8 amps of draw. Now there is near nothing for loss on the headlight circuit with the stock gauge. Honestly the relay kit of the HID's removes all the load off the headlight switch any ways but reducing electrical loads has a great impact on voltage loss. 

[dripley]

There is panel, knee bolster, that is on the dash under the the steering wheel. Three or four screws at the bottom hold it in place. Take those out and the top is just pulls away off of some prongs holding it in. That is where the ground is though I don't know the exact location.

 I guess I should read all the posts. Did not see them and it would appear I was leading you astray.

Edited November 2, 2017 by dripley

[Marcus2000monster]

On 11/1/2017 at 8:07 AM, Mopar1973Man said:

Check your head light fuses most likely blown both fuses in the PDC.

Checked the fuses in the under hood panel and they look good. Will check grounds after work...

[Mopar1973Man]

7 minutes ago, Marcus2000monster said:

Checked the fuses in the under hood panel and they look good. Will check grounds after work...

 

Be careful I've seen cracked fuses that look good but tested with an ohm meter are open circuits. So check them again wth a ohm meter of test light and verify power is on both pins of the fuse with lights on.