Head Lights Melt Down

1996 DODGE RAM 1500.
Headlight switch so hot that it is melting down, dash to hot to touch. Replaced head light the plug, gone trhough 3 switches and 2 plugs from the wiring harness. Started when I started towing. Two different people have done the wiring harness and both say the towing wiring is correct. Two different mechanics both say the light switch is suppose to get hot. Something is wrong and we are all missing it -- has anyone seen or had this type of problem and if so how was it corrected?

could it be the wrong size fuse

I've got a 95 1500 and we had the same problem. We had to put a new switch in it. The originals were defective if you had trailer lights hooked up. As I recall it Chrysler covered it.

I have replaced it and it still gets hot. I bought mine thru NAPA and it looks the same as Dealers. I did notice that the new wires are of different size,but same colors.My problem has not changed still hot.

Aiight. I have been fighting with mine fer a while now. Last night I had the whole dash apart tracing wires :banghead: On my headlight swith I found that the green wire was the one getting extremely hot. Traced it to the high/low beam switch, Then found the purple with white tracer that ran to the headlights. I found that if I unhooked one of the lights the switch will not heat up and I have mine wired for a trailer (aftermarket) so that therory can be tossed. I am agreeing that the wiring is to small for the high intensity beams. Just your standard 9004. I put the high intensity in there and that is when my problems started. Hinsight of course. Hopefully this helps. Gonna keep reading.

In my 2001 manual it states in a big Caution box that "adding devices to the headlamp/parklamp circuit without a separate relay can damage the headlamp switch and wire harness" it also says that to prevent recurring switch failure, trailer running lights should be isolated from the vehicles headlight switch using a relay. This feature is included in vehicles ordered from the factory with a trailer towing prep package.

You are right about the relays. That goes for any vehicle. Dodge for some reason used to small of wire when they ran the lighting on all of there trucks. If your truck comes with the towing package then there is a relay in your system allready in the fuse box under the hood. This weekend I am planning on putting realays on my headlights and gonna see how that works. While I am at it I am gonna do the same for my trailer wiring.

I will be working on my Dodge this weekend, finally found some time. I will keep you posted. Thanks to all of you who responded.

Thanks for all the help. I will have to wire seperate for my trailer and headlamp switches. Talked to some truckers and they have many switches just for this same reason. Did not think that my truck would have this problem. Stay away from the Dealer, that is a major @#%&*@$# no help except to take your money!!!!!!!!!!!