1. Home
  2. Chevrolet Trucks
  3. cheyv s10 hot dash light pot gets HOT!

cheyv s10 hot dash light pot gets HOT!

Had such success with my last question being answered, I have another.

The 'wheel' that adjusts the brightness of dash lights on the left side of dash under the air vent, get real hot.

I noticed this a few weeks ago, forgot about it, but noticed it again last night. I mean it's hot enough to make me take my finger off...

**if in any position except full brightness!** if I adjust the 'pot' for dim dash lights, the area is hotter.

Way back they called voltage adjustment devices rheostats, than we changed that to potentiometers (pots). Not sure the proper term used today.

But...this make sense as at low or medium brightness, the pot is a larger resistance, which means to me it's dissipating more heat. Full brightness, no resistance.

Is this the way it works? Should I be concerned?

Reply to
FireBrick
Loading thread data ...

Concerned? Only if you are concerned that your truck might burn to the ground.

I would start by making sure it has the correct fuse in it for the inst lights(not higher amp)(to make sure it isn't a short), then check the dimmer for bad connections, then replace it.

I can tell you from experiance, once that plastic starts burning it is VERY hard to put out, and it goes up quick.

Reply to
ScottM

What year S10?

Reply to
Meat Plow

Hi!

Well...they *do* get hot in operation. But I've never used one that was hot to the touch in any user accessible area. Even the one on my '03 S-10 says "CAUTION: HOT" on the heatsink that is made into the control assembly. The rubber wheel on it has never been even warm to the touch.

Yes. Either the control is bad (most likely), dirty (not sure how you'd get it apart nonviolently), or there is something pulling excessive current (although I'd expect that to blow a fuse at full brightness). You need to pay attention to this, or a fire could be the result.

William

Reply to
William R. Walsh

Someone is trying to tell you that you are not the brightest bulb! Just kidding.

Yep remove that rheostat and replace. I think you have a frayed wire or electric is jumping across the back of the switch to other terminals and grounding out behind the switch.

Do all the bulbs light up, if you have a burned out bulb it could be shorting out the switch and cause this problem. Remember the lighting circuitry in the dash is mostly a printed circuit on plastic.

Check the wires with a voltmeter to determine which is hot and which are not now adjust the wheel and see what is happening when you adjust the wheel, most likely it is drawing across the terminals to a ground wire on the switch.

Reply to
Jon

Replace not only the dimmer but also the mating connector. Chances are the heat is being generated in the voltage drop across the connector. Both halves should be replaced (at least it was that way in my 96) ( Everything was a nice brown color from the heat)

Reply to
jmagerl

It's a 99

And for all the others that offered advice or asked questions. Fuse is original value All dash lights work normally.

One anomaly...which may or may not be connected.

At high highway speeds, I will see a momentary flicker. In both in cab/dash lights and headlights. It's so fast, that the first few times I saw it...I wasn't sure it happened.

I took the '99 s-10 to a dealer who tested the alternator and related components and found nothing wrong.

Reply to
FireBrick

Potentiometers are not a new name for a rheostat, a rheostat simply has two wires, one at one end of the resistor and one on the wiper, a potentiometer is the same with another terminal at the other end of the resistor element inside it. I remember when I opened the switch/knob box on my s10 there was a big heatsink on it to dissipate the heat, maybe yours came off.

Reply to
Eugene

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.