Headlights/Exterior Lights Don't Come On at the Same Time

[MSN Member]

From: AScottishSon
Sent: 11/6/2004

     I have a 72 Brave that when I turn on the lights, the only lights that come on are the headlights. After ten minutes or so the rest of the lights come on. (Dash, parking, and exterior) Is there some kind of delay switch that I don't know about or what? Could use your feed back on this.  Thanks Jim

[denisondc]

Sent: 11/6/2004

The way Winnebago made the wiring for the 72s was to discard the original dodge headlight switch. In its place they used the two-pole 3-position rocker switch, plus a relay. When you move the headlamp rocker switch to its middle position, there should be a soft click under the dashboard from a relay. This relay turns on the running lights, including all of the clearance lights. Yours might be going bad, or just be loose from its mounting. Its about the size of the last joint of your thumb. Any 12 volt 30 amp continuous duty relay could replace it.
When you move the rocker to the headlamps-on position, it closes a second pair of contacts inside it, which turns on the headlamps. I don't hear a click when I do this, and I don't find a relay under there either.
I suppose the rocker switch itself could be going bad. The rocker switch next to it on my dashboard is to turn the dash lights off at night, and to turn a courtesy light on below the dashboard. It is exactly the same as the headlamp switch, so its a possible replacement in case your headlamp switch is going bad.

[MSN Member]

From: AScottishSon
Sent: 11/7/2004

Denison,
        Thanks for the reply. Looks like I will have to take the switch out and clean it up a little bit.
Jim

[MSN Member]

From: RogerWVA
Sent: 11/23/2004 11:39 AM

Hi there:

I have a 1980 Winnebago Chieftain and I was having problems with my lights, matter of fact all my lights went out while I was traveling
on I-95 North to Savannah GA.

It took me a while to figure it out that all the  lights had blown
well now I don't have tail lights or running lights, I  did replace the light switch and also the relay switch under the dash.

Can you give me any clue about this problem, I would love to get this fixed. Now go take a look at this chiefton. www.rednecklimo.com

Roger Allen
904 247 6709

[MSN Member]

From: Boise_Chief1
Sent: 3/6/2005

I am having a similar problem with my 72 chieftain.  The marker lights and taillights sometimes don't come on.  But while messing around trying to find the problem I accidentally shorted a ground wire to the fuse block.  not much but for about long enough to pop a spark. Surprisingly it turned on the tail and marker lights.  If I turn off the switch then I have no lights again.  I have reproduced the same results several more times.  I believe I'll search for the relay.  Not a recommended way to turn on your tails and marker lights but it might get you home once.
Sean

[MSN Member]

From: Boise_Chief1
Sent: 3/15/2005

I'm having a problem finding the relay.  It isn't wired directly to the switch.  there are three relays (Huh??) under the dash.  I haven't been able to figure it out.  any further descriptions that might help me it's a little annoying to wait or to short the fuse block to get them on. Thanks again.
Sean

[denisondc]

Sent: 3/15/2005

   You could try touching the relays as you operate things, to see which one clicks for which function, or unplugging it to see what stops working.  I would expect there might be relays for: the horn, the hi-low headlamp beam, the turn signals, the flashers, as well as for turning the clearance lights on.  On mine that last relay was added by Winnebago, so it doesn't show up on the wiring diagram in the service manual.  I suppose there might be a relay just to turn on the headlamps, though my 72 doesn't have that.   Yours might also have a goody that looks like a relay, but is actually the voltage limiter for the gauges.  It would got warm with the ignition key in the on position.
   Do you have the wiring diagram for your Winnebago?  You can get a decent one at the http://www.mytravco.com website. Its a slow loading site, so give it time.  On the left of the home page you will see a link for Manuals & Brochures.  On that next page slide down and find the link for Wiring Schematic.   I wanted to have the .jpg files to be able to print them out, and did a -Save As- command in my browser and saved it to my hard disk.  The two files that had the diagram were named wiring_diagram1.jpg and wiring_diagram2.jpg   They were 350kbytes each.

[DanielTBolger]

There is head Light Relay near the fuse panel bolt  to  a metal plat the grounds it to the frame
If it lose the head light I own a 17 Winnei
Hope that helps