Gary Lewis Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 Now that my dash is apart and I'm pulling out the A/C ducting, it occurred to me that this would be an excellent time to install that new headlight switch I bought a while back. My headlights work fine, but my dash lights flicker on and off unless the knob is in just the right position, so I figured the switch was worn out. My surprise came when I was putting everything back together after testing, and brushed the ceramic disk with the back of my hand. HOT! I immediately thought about the fact that all the power for the headlights routes through that switch, wondered if I'd gotten a defective Chinese replacement, and decided to do some testing. To make a long story short, it's not the headlights that are the problem - it's the dash lights. After waving my laser thermometer over the switches for a bit, swapping them in and out and turning things on and off, I realized that it's actually the dash lights that cause the switch to get hot. Turning the dash lights low apparently causes the excess power to be dumped off through that coil behind the disk, which then gets quite hot - nearly 170 degrees according to my thermometer: My new switch is probably Chinese, but it's not defective - the old one reached roughly the same temperature. I'm not thrilled with something that hot behind my dash, but apparently it's by design, and I normally keep my dash lights pretty bright anyway. Just thought I'd share this in case anyone else finds it interesting. You could replace the bulbs with LED’s. The rheostat won’t dim them very much, but if you run them on high anyway that won’t matter. And the switch won’t get hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted June 20, 2019 Author Share Posted June 20, 2019 You could replace the bulbs with LED’s. The rheostat won’t dim them very much, but if you run them on high anyway that won’t matter. And the switch won’t get hot. Hmmm, something to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 You could replace the bulbs with LED’s. The rheostat won’t dim them very much, but if you run them on high anyway that won’t matter. And the switch won’t get hot. Hmmm, something to consider. So today while my lunch was grilling, I went outside to poke at the truck a little more. I pulled one of the A/C ducts out and found this: Yep, a mud dauber nest. The truck was covered with these things when I got it (the wasps absolutely loved the shed where the truck was parked), but I thought I'd gotten them all by now - I found a nest in the core support last year, and that was the first one I'd found for quite some time. Who knows how many more there may yet be? In other news, work other than reassembly is going to slow down for a bit - I was reminded today that I promised a friend's son that my truck would be available to support his Eagle project for Boy Scouts next month; probably not a good time for me to start futzing with either U-joints or the transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 So today while my lunch was grilling, I went outside to poke at the truck a little more. I pulled one of the A/C ducts out and found this: Yep, a mud dauber nest. The truck was covered with these things when I got it (the wasps absolutely loved the shed where the truck was parked), but I thought I'd gotten them all by now - I found a nest in the core support last year, and that was the first one I'd found for quite some time. Who knows how many more there may yet be? In other news, work other than reassembly is going to slow down for a bit - I was reminded today that I promised a friend's son that my truck would be available to support his Eagle project for Boy Scouts next month; probably not a good time for me to start futzing with either U-joints or the transmission. Sorry I missed this yesterday. Anyway, that mud dobber's nest may be a holdover from the truck's time here in Okiehoma. They sure like to make nests down here. As for the project, that sounds like a cool thing to support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 Sorry I missed this yesterday. Anyway, that mud dobber's nest may be a holdover from the truck's time here in Okiehoma. They sure like to make nests down here. As for the project, that sounds like a cool thing to support. No worries, I’m just making idle chit-chat while waiting for my seat to come back. I’m a little miffed, it was supposed to have been ready last week sometime, but Friday came and went with no word. I’ll give him Monday as well, then I’ll start pestering him on Tuesday. In the meantime, I’m waiting for NAPA to get my new air pump belt in; it’s a weird tiny little thing, I couldn’t find it locally when I replaced all the other belts when I got the truck. But the belt is now literally crumbling, so it has to go. Hopefully the one they ordered is the right one, but I have little confidence. I may also pull the drivers door panel and try to fix the lock; I had what may have been the last original working slider locks in the world, but mine finally gave up the ghost last year. That I can do without imperiling the truck’s availability next month. He’s a good kid with a good project (building outdoor facilities for a camp for kids with special needs), so I’m happy to be able to assist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 No worries, I’m just making idle chit-chat while waiting for my seat to come back. I’m a little miffed, it was supposed to have been ready last week sometime, but Friday came and went with no word. I’ll give him Monday as well, then I’ll start pestering him on Tuesday. In the meantime, I’m waiting for NAPA to get my new air pump belt in; it’s a weird tiny little thing, I couldn’t find it locally when I replaced all the other belts when I got the truck. But the belt is now literally crumbling, so it has to go. Hopefully the one they ordered is the right one, but I have little confidence. I may also pull the drivers door panel and try to fix the lock; I had what may have been the last original working slider locks in the world, but mine finally gave up the ghost last year. That I can do without imperiling the truck’s availability next month. He’s a good kid with a good project (building outdoor facilities for a camp for kids with special needs), so I’m happy to be able to assist. Those projects teach the kids a lot and are very helpful for the recipients. As for the lock, at one point I drilled the broken plastic that was supposed to come through the metal plate and install small sheet metal screws and washers. That worked for that lock, but I'm not sure it would for all of them. I've also used JB Weld to glue the plastic to the metal. Anyway, hope you get the seat soon. And that the new belt does the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted June 24, 2019 Author Share Posted June 24, 2019 Those projects teach the kids a lot and are very helpful for the recipients. As for the lock, at one point I drilled the broken plastic that was supposed to come through the metal plate and install small sheet metal screws and washers. That worked for that lock, but I'm not sure it would for all of them. I've also used JB Weld to glue the plastic to the metal. Anyway, hope you get the seat soon. And that the new belt does the job. Well, the lock problem is moot for the time being; when I replaced the door panels a couple years ago, I also replaced the cranks for the windows since the ones I had were discolored and badly pitted. Well, I thought the tired old Phillips screws holding them to the shaft looked ratty in comparison, so I replaced the screws with nice chrome screws from the hardware store. They looked pretty, but they were also Allen screws, and I apparently rounded out the driver's side when I reinstalled. So that panel isn't coming off any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Well, the lock problem is moot for the time being; when I replaced the door panels a couple years ago, I also replaced the cranks for the windows since the ones I had were discolored and badly pitted. Well, I thought the tired old Phillips screws holding them to the shaft looked ratty in comparison, so I replaced the screws with nice chrome screws from the hardware store. They looked pretty, but they were also Allen screws, and I apparently rounded out the driver's side when I reinstalled. So that panel isn't coming off any time soon. Bummer! I've wondered about placing some JB Weld on the end of an Allen wrench and placing it in the screw to be removed and letting it set up. Granted you'd have to figure out a way to keep it in place until it sets up, but might it bond to the screw well enough to get it out? Otherwise a left-handed drill bit or an EZ Out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsai Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 Bummer! I've wondered about placing some JB Weld on the end of an Allen wrench and placing it in the screw to be removed and letting it set up. Granted you'd have to figure out a way to keep it in place until it sets up, but might it bond to the screw well enough to get it out? Otherwise a left-handed drill bit or an EZ Out. Huh...the JB weld is an interesting idea, maybe even interesting enough to try out. Of course, fixing the lock is pretty much my lowest priority at the moment; I never keep anything of value in the truck, and if someone's going to break in looking for stuff I'd prefer they open the unlocked door instead of smashing a window. And if I do need to lock the door, I have a key. No seat yesterday, so today I start calling the guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Huh...the JB weld is an interesting idea, maybe even interesting enough to try out. Of course, fixing the lock is pretty much my lowest priority at the moment; I never keep anything of value in the truck, and if someone's going to break in looking for stuff I'd prefer they open the unlocked door instead of smashing a window. And if I do need to lock the door, I have a key. No seat yesterday, so today I start calling the guy. There is a nifty little screw extractor made right here in Wolcott, CT by Alden Tool. The Grabbit is essentially a double ended left hand drill & easy out in one. They can be found nation wide in Lowe's stores. Sizes 1-4 fit screws with the corresponding Phillips tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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