Re: funny smell......

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxx>]

See pic of my melted headlight switch in #5939's photo album. Almost
lost car on that one...

Headlight switch is not protected (fuses 14 and 15 come AFTER switch),
yet it contains an internal bulb! A very hot internal bulb. Is just a
cheap switch to begin with. Heat from bulb will eventually melt
switch. If there was no ground wire for that internal bulb would
simply be inconvenience of a switch stuck open or closed. With ground
wire you can have an unprotected short.

BTW: compare to hazard flasher circuit, in which fuse 6 comes BEFORE
the switch...

"Funny smell" when my switch melted was accompanied by fire. This is
very bad in a plastic car. Note that insulation was melted off ground
wire (intermittently) all the way back to relay compartment.

I highly recommend pulling your headlight switch to see what's going
on. Simply remove A/C panel and pop switch towards you.

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Gus Schlachter <gus@xxxx> wrote:
> My parents always told me that attempting to my battery-operated toys
> run faster by hooking them to 120V would do me no good.
> 
> Boy was she wrong! She didn't know that in the future, I would own a
> car that would require me to be able to quickly identify that exact
> smell.
> 
> That being said, I have several electrical issues. The fuse for the
> low-beam headlights has started to melt, and the headlight switch is
> damaged (i.e., wont stay in). I don't use the headlights much at all,
> so is this a coincidence or could these problems be related?
> 
> My plan is this:
> 
> 1. new headlight switch
> 2. all new fuses
> 3. clean all fuse connections
> 4. clean all relays and relay connections
> 
> I hope that will do it. I cant find any other damaged components but
> the wiring does get quite hot in that relay compartment.
> 
> 
> 
> Gus Schlachter
> VIN #4695
> Austin, TX
> 
> 
> P.S. If someone out there (ahem) made a "kit" to replace most all of
> the incandescent bulbs (interior, door, dash, tail, etc.) with the
> super/hyper LED's, I'd buy it. Just to take some of the load off.