Turn signal switch.... Gets hot... Bad hot.

[DaveyDaveDaveDave]

Ok, ive tried fixing it three times. My right turn signal was working intermittently, then not at all. I pull out the column switch, and one contact has cooked. I pull apart the switch, make sure nothing looks out of place, new dielectric grease, put it back together, resoldered the contact and put it back in. It works until the solder melts. It is the only contact with a problem at all.

 

Any ideas?

[datzenmike]

A poor contact will cause resistance and it will heat up like a toaster element. If the contact is held in contact by tension or springiness the heat can remove the temper of the metal and it won't hold or press hard enough to make good contact and this just makes it worse. The clips on the fuse boxes are a perfect example of this. They get hot and then they don't grip the fuse properly even if you do clean them and they continue to overheat.

 

You may have to just replace it.

[DanielC]

Check the turn signal circuit on that side of the car. It sounds to me like there may be a short circuit that is drawing much more current through the switch than is normal. You may also have the wrong type of bulb.

 

Does the truck have a trailer hitch? If so, check the wiring to the trailer light socket first.

[DaveyDaveDaveDave]

 

You may have to just replace it.

 

 

NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Well, maybe. Gonna try the bulbs and whatnots afore I spend my coppers, but it does make sense.

[ggzilla]

First try cleaning the contacts inside the swtich (de-oxidize the moving contacts)

[DaveyDaveDaveDave]

Looking at my wiring diagram, its only the contact to the front right turn signal that gets hot. So I'll run down that circuit and check the bulb. If that doesn't help, Ive found a new switch that looks waaaay better than mine. As far as cleaning the switch internally, I did everything short of filing the contacts ( which I know I should have) with little change in the results. So its gotta be the oxidation (looks more like hardened soot?) like DanielC said or, though they seemed springy, the distemper of the rocker in the switch, a la Datzen Mike. Any which way, Im gonna be makin right turns like a muthafucker tomorrow. Bitches B)

[ggzilla]

The bulb and current draw is not the problem. If it gets hot, the problem is where it gets hot. There is too much resistance right there. Clean that switch. De-oxidize it.