Headlight Toggle Switch?

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Red_Duster

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Good morning!
Building a custom gauge cluster and was trying to come up with some work around for the headlight switch. Looking at the diagrams, it looks like the full 12V runs unfused through the factory switch? Has anyone ever replaced it with a toggle? If so, what amperage would that need? I was considering the same for the wiper switch? Its a two-speed so maybe and On/Off/On? A quick search didn't come back with anything.

Not an electrical engineer, so don't even know if this is feasible.
 
And I know that doing this I will lose the dimmer switch, but that would be ok with me.

Add up the amps of your dash, headlights, markers and tail lights and that will tell you the amps you are dealing with.
Figure one 1157 tail light is 2 amps and you will be safe.
Brake lights and signals are on a different circuit, so those don't apply to your intended application.
(2 headlights on hi beam, two tail lights, possible front and side markers plus dash lighting)

A toggle on say 25 amps is going to get hot, so consider a relay that your toggle operates.
FYI, a fused 30 amp relay switched by your toggle should be plenty.
The amp rating of your toggle can be pretty low, like as low as a couple of amps, because all it will be doing is turning the relay on and off.
The relay will handle the load of the lights.
 
Add up the amps of your dash, headlights, markers and tail lights and that will tell you the amps you are dealing with.
Figure one 1157 tail light is 2 amps and you will be safe.
Brake lights and signals are on a different circuit, so those don't apply to your intended application.
(2 headlights on hi beam, two tail lights, possible front and side markers plus dash lighting)

A toggle on say 25 amps is going to get hot, so consider a relay that your toggle operates.
FYI, a fused 30 amp relay switched by your toggle should be plenty.
The amp rating of your toggle can be pretty low, like as low as a couple of amps, because all it will be doing is turning the relay on and off.
The relay will handle the load of the lights.

Great, thank you. I just reached out to Crackedback about his relay harness. If I am understanding correctly, I would be able to use that setup with a toggle?
 
Great, thank you. I just reached out to Crackedback about his relay harness. If I am understanding correctly, I would be able to use that setup with a toggle?

Absolutely, and I was thinking how close to that you were going to be by the time you got done.
One thought is if you install the relay kit for the headlights you would need two relays anyway (which the kit has)
(Toggle turns on the main power supply and the hi/lo switches either the hi beam relay on or the low beam relay.)
This will take ALL those amps off your factory wiring, and not only give you way brighter headlights, but more power available for everything else electrical.
You signals, wipers and heater blower will all slow less with the headlights on at idle.
 
There are On-On-On toggle switches out there, I had one on a truck with three tanks, Left-Center-Right.
The switch is unusual but can be used as a Off-On-On. They look like a typical DPDT switch but are different internally and typically have a jumper between two terminals.


Alan
 
relays are the bee's knees cuz you can leave the factory wiring alone and just put the relays at the devices, bringing a hi-gauge wire there.
Just don't put a regular fuse in the headlight circuit, cuz if it pops at 3Am at 65mph on a moonless night,then things could get real exciting real fast.
 
I used a MicroSwitch 4TL1-1E like this on a kitcar, it has detent for center off. It also controls raise and lower of headlight buckets. High/low on floor switch, instrument lights an separate switch. Expensive, and large, but good and reliable.

shopping.jpeg
 
Just F.Y.I. There are 2 supplies to the factory headlight switch. B1 feeds the headlights. Although there isn't a fuse, there is a cycling circuit breaker built into the switch. So if there is a fault the lamps will operate on and off rather than leave us fumbling for a replacement fuse in the dark.
B2 feeds the park lamp circuit and is fused to protect those smaller wires. So... 2 toggle switches? Good luck with it
 
Consider some options. Use relays, you need two. One for high beam, one for low. YOU NEED NOT "lose" the dimmer switch. the headlight power goes to the dimmer, which then switches between high and low

Consider a center off DPDT switch. That means "double pole double throw"

The "double pole" part essentially means it is two switches in one. "Center off" means just that, it has left, center, right or up, center down Double throw means it is "one" to separate circuits each side of center

HERE IS WHAT YOU DO.

Wire center of one pole to the tail circuit fuse (originally to the HL switch for the tail/ park/ dash.

Wire the two outer terminals together and run that off to your tail/ park/ dash stuff. This means the switch is off centered, and those circuits will be live with switch either up or down

Now wire your HL power to the other center terminal. Wire the outgoing switch HL power TO ONLY ONE of the other terminals. Run that to your dimmer switch, run the high and low beam output to trigger two relays, and run their outputs to the lamps

This means the switch will be center off. One way (down?) with be tail/ park/ dash only. Other way (up?) will be those plus the headlights as well
 
This is just one type of center off, DPDT switch. 6 terminals

Z-s2s0qcpEx_.jpg
 
JMO, Set it up so the power runs from the toggle through your dimmer switch for hi/lo control. With relays the load on your toggle will be minimal, less than 1/2 amp in most cases.
 
Alright! Relays are on order and I picked up the DPDT switches yesterday. @67Dart273, could I use a similar wiring setup for the 2 speed wiper motor? Up high, down low center off? I’m thinking yes?
 
That is a bit trickier. Those switches are tricky. You might pull it off and lose park, etc. Best thing to do is get (download) a few shop manuals and real the electrical (section 8) pertaining to wipers.
 
Wire center of one pole to the tail circuit fuse (originally to the HL switch for the tail/ park/ dash.

Wire the two outer terminals together and run that off to your tail/ park/ dash stuff. This means the switch is off centered, and those circuits will be live with switch either up or down

Now wire your HL power to the other center terminal. Wire the outgoing switch HL power TO ONLY ONE of the other terminals. Run that to your dimmer switch, run the high and low beam output to trigger two relays, and run their outputs to the lamps

This means the switch will be center off. One way (down?) with be tail/ park/ dash only. Other way (up?) will be those plus the headlights as well

Ok! Ready to tackle this project. The relays should be here later this week, and I have the switch.
dpdt-on-off-on jpg.jpg


Trying to simplify this, and leave it for the next guy. If I am understanding correctly:
- switch pole #2 will run to the tail circuit fuse. I believe this is the B2 blade on the factory switch.
- switch pole #5 will be HL power which I believe is B1 on the factory switch.
- switch pole #1 jumped to switch pole #3 will be tail/park/dash, or I and R on factory switch.
- switch pole #4 will be headlights, H blade on factory switch.

I think the only thing I am missing is the dome light... not sure how to do that one yet... mini toggle under the dash?
 
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