Grease dripping from headlight on/off switch?

2695 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Blacksheep1, Apr 20, 2011

ORTRED

Discussion Starter · Apr 18, 2011

Noticed a burning electical smell in my 94 chevy silverado the other day, and a pop when I turned my headlights on. I removed the dash faceplate which houses the switch and notices a significant amount of grease that had run out of the switch and down my dash. It had the smell that I noticed previously and appears to be the electical grease that is applied when the switch is manufactured (kind of looks like loose vaseline). My question is this: I ordered a new switch cause this one is obviously toast, but then I got to thinking.... Was this problem contained to the headlight switch only, or could the dimmer switch right next to it be over heating, melting the grease in the headlight switch, causing it to short out? The dimmer has a heat sinc on it which means it is suppose to get hot, and I've noticed that the dash where the dimmer is located is warm to the touch when the truck has been running, but I'm not sure how to test this idea.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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MightyMax

· #2 · Apr 19, 2011

I think by design those things generate a lot of heat.

I have some of the grease also leaking from mine.....

I had to replace my switch not long ago, it would no longer turn on the headlights, parking lights and dash lights would come on, but no head lights.

My neighbor lost dash lights to his truck (an '02), and was driving him crazy trying to figure what was causing the problem....
After having replaced mine, I suggested we do the same with his.....did it and it worked.

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tbplus10

· #3 · Apr 19, 2011

It's electrical and will fail sooner or later. Your probably leaking Dialectric grease because the switch overheated and in your case failed to some degree, not uncommon.
Something I learned about electronics years ago was that their failure rate is about as unpredictable as a woman.
Check the fuses to make sure it didnt take any of those out with it, it should but for some strange reason this doesnt always happen (again like a woman unpredictable).

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ORTRED

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 19, 2011 (Edited)

Sounds like my situation is not that uncommon. I was playing around with it a little more last night and noticed that now I have to wiggle the switch to get the dash lights on. I'll just replace the switch and leave the dimmer alone for now (sounds like the heat from the dimmer is normal).

And I'll have to disagree with tbplus10.... For 17 years my 94' Chevy's electrical has been way more predictable than a woman... ;-)

Thanks for your help guys!

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Blacksheep1

· #5 · Apr 20, 2011

Amen lol so true

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