Sorry gang to come back on this one. I converted my truck to 12 volt with an alternator and am having difficulty knowing which post on the ignition switch I should hook the battery wire from the headlamp switch. I know it should go on the always hot post. One of you suggested I check that out with the volt meter. So I did that, and none of the posts on the ignition switch seems to be hot when the truck is off (of course, they all are when its on). So why might this be? It wasn't this way before the conversion. The only oddity about the conversion was following Classic Parts directions to add a new wire from the starter switch to the coil, but that probably makes sense to most of you, just not to me. Anyway, any theories on why none of those posts is registering hot when the truck is off? Sorry to sound so dumb! Thanks, Eric
The battery wire from the headlamp switch is the hot post. There should be only two other posts left, the ignition that goes to the coil(or ballast resister first then to coil), and the accesories(heater, radio). The starter switch to coil wire is to bypass the ballast resister(if you have one) to give the coil 12 volts when you are starting up. Chris
Well, this is really the question. Some line must bring the power into the ignition switch as a whole, so that one of the terminals then registers hot, even when the switch is off. Anyone out there able to tell me what line from where brings in that current? I am wondering if my problem is there, since none of the three terminals seems to be hot right now, when the ignition switch is off. Hope someone reads this and offers me a thought..... Many thanks! Eric
If your battery terminal wire is not hot all the time than you have to back track and figure out whats not hooked up right. If you still have all the numbers on the wires go back thru them and make sure they are right. Kinda hard without being there to tell you whats wrong. Chris
One of the terminals is hot. This is where the switch gets power. If there isn't a wire supplying power, the switch won't do anything when you turn the key.
https://talk.classicparts.com/showthread.php?t=9536 Check this thread, I have a picture of the back of the switch on page one.
That's a great picture. You say that the power goes to the bottom terminal -- its the red wire in your picture. But where does that wire come from? Can you recall? Thanks for taking the time!! Eric
If I remember correctly, The wire from the alternator or generator goes into the left terminl of the ammeter, then from the right terminal to the switch. The headlight power comes off the left terminal also. I will check this tomorrow.
