And in order to provide a solid current return path for G104 & G105 on the radiator support,
you should also perfect the condition of G101 near the battery. IF you do all this and it still takes
noticeable time for the voltage to rise high enough to make your headlights come on normally,
then we need to take a look at the power side of things. (In my following reply.)
Cheers --
Re: Lights coming on a couple of seconds after turning on the headlight switch.
In my previous replies I was focused on the following grounds:
* G202 -- question about location of cab-related ground
* G104 & G105 -- exterior lighting circuit ground
OK, in this forum we do put a lot of emphasis on locating old, marginal
shared grounds on our aging platforms. With good reason, for the
electrical systems usually get a good leaving alone, and since they normally
go flaky/intermittent over a period of years, electrical issues don't get
dealt with until there are several issues to sort out.
****
When troubleshooting 12v vehicle systems, the 2 most important things to remember are:
1) We only have 1/10 the voltage to work with in a vehicle vs the normal (US) home wiring. (120v)
We have barely enough to work with when all is well, and can ill afford to lose
more than ~1/2 volt than what we started with
while the electrical load is busy drawing power.
(Schurkey will often recommend to check the voltage across a load {fuel pump} when it's powered up.)
In English, losing a whole volt somewhere in the wiring harness is something to investigate.
Maybe on a circuit with a steady draw (like a power window) losing a volt just means a
slightly slower operation.
But on a electrical subsystem where heavy power is drawn for short periods of time
(think ignition system) ...a weak/marginal power feed can create weird, counterintuitive
symptoms. Easily seen with an oscilloscope, but maybe only 0.01% of the population is a
scope dope?
Given the above, when it comes to sorting out a sickly vehicle, I've learned the hard way
to first figure out just how good or bad the electrical system is. A robust 12V system
(~14.0-14.5v running, 12.6v off) is a mandatory foundation to start the troubleshooting
process.
2) The electrical load
does not care if it is being undervoltaged because of a bad shared ground
-or- a weak 12v power feed. Or both. Full voltage is your friend.
Q: So, IF the grounds are all good, then what should be checked on the Power source side of the equation?
A: Since your vehicle is a '92, there is a "Always Hot" power bus bar at the top of
your firewall in your engine bay, where battery power is distributed to various areas
of your vehicle. (Including your fuse block.) This diagram shows this positive power Junction Block:
You must be registered for see images attach
And here's a video of a guy describing how he was chasing some electrical gremlins &
finally discovered loose electrical connections on this Junction Block:
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
Just food for thought. If you methodically work through all the grounds discussed
above and inspect/clean/tighten your Junction Block power connections, eventually
your lights will come on like they are supposed to, instead of having to wait a couple
of seconds. And IF after all this the lights are
still coming on slowly, then I'd be
looking for a switch out of the Treasure Yard for $. And if that solves the problem,
either stick with what works, or find a new switch that meets your purchase criteria.
And I know that slow lights are a lower priority than the engine bogging down under load.
But going back to the way that the Ignition system draws heavy power for short pulses,
sometimes if you fix the obvious, then suddenly the exotic is also cleared up.
Food for thought. But please note that in all of the above I never once tried to reset
expectations that a 32 year old truck can't run like new. Because I don't believe that
for a second. (!)
Best of luck!
PS:
Oh, and both shops seem to think that I am an idiot for thinking an online forum will help; according to them none of you are trustworthy or have any experience. Whenever I reference this forum they scoff and look down on me.
I cheerfully disagree with those fine, yet judgemental fellows. If they are under 50 years
old, then I've been working to make internal combustion things run for as long as they
have been alive. :0)
When somebody is giving me the business like that, I ask them what year they were born.
1979? Shoot, I was rebuilding Quadrajets and dialing them in on a Sun 1115 while you
were still filling diapers! All delivered with my very biggest, most cheerful grin. And I only
did cars & trucks for a living for a relatively short period.
There's plenty of talent in here that has swung wrenches in anger for their entire career.
They have 10-20x as much experience as yours truly. They have been successfully
troubleshooting remotely for years, while this troubleshooting in a closed phone booth
versus being elbows deep in the engine bay is still a new thing that I'm still learning
how to do.
There's literally tons of talent in this joint, and I enjoy watching the GMT400 hive mind work
on tough troubleshooting challenges. I am constantly learning the good stuff from the talent
that takes the time to share the wealth. (!) Methinks that both shops are guilty of thinking
that all forums on the internet are working at the same exact level. I don't share their
conclusion. So I'm going to have to agree to disagree with those pros. Especially when they
discredit themselves with statements like, "...I was unreasonable in thinking a 30 year old
truck could run right. "Its just old"."
Negative, Ghostrider.