8my$

Has anyone ever seen/had a cherokee light switch get hot?I have a 91 that the dash light reisister is hot to the touch with the lights on. When I put the dome light on it's fine.Crazy!!Help!! Thanks

Cherokee89sport

There might be a short behind the switch?

8my$

Yeah,I'm kinda figuring theres a short somewhere. Just trying to figure out where.I think it's in the dash lights ,but I just don't know where to start. Thanks

Cherokee89sport

I would start by pulling out the dash, to check for bad wires

XtreamJ

Sounds like there's to much resistance in your ground, like no place for all the juice to go. I've seen the headlight switches go bad to the point where the cluster will act crazy and light up like the fourth of July

waltermitty

If your lights are not dim or incredibly brighter than they have been things are more than likely operating as advertised.

A resistor dissipates current to ground creating heat in the process. If your dash lights are dimmed via the switch the resistor will begin to get warm, the dimmer your lights, the warmer the resistor. The fewer lights you have on the warmer the resistor because there is more alternator output in the form of amps available. HTH

8my$

I replaced the switch. The resister gets very hot,like melt plastic. I was checking stuff today and it doesn't get hot when the dome light is on. I think it must be a ground, just by how crazy the symtoms.Thanks

waltermitty

If it is "melting plastic" hot then you have a short to ground somewhere. In other words the current is getting to ground before it is getting to the device. To prove this theory hook up a light switch between the pos and neg posts on your battery and flip the switch on. You'll have an instant fire with melted wire and burnt insulation. If you use a switch with a 12 volt light bulb in the circuit the lamp will light with no ill effects. If you remove the ground and turn on the light switch nothing will happen. If you provide a ground with poor contact the light will just be dim, no heat generated.

There are two devices used to control electricity in motor vehicles. One controls current and the other controls voltage. Normally, a potentiometer (voltage controller) is used to control dash lights.

Why was the switch replaced?

8my$

I chased that short to the dome light.For now I have just pulled the bulb and the lights work.I need to replace the headliner and may be a console.Hope to get to it soon.Thanks

waltermitty

Good job!