Using Factory Dash switches, but then getting hot?

[wagonist]

I really hate the aftermarket switch look, along with blanking plates.

I've got a pair of spotlights on my car for the highway & am looking at wiring up a dash switch for them.
I've got a factory front fog light switch from an Estima to use.

When I did this in my previous Dina, I used another front fog switch from it for the same purpose & it is the same switch.

For this switch to do it's job, it needs to have a feed from the high beam wire, which then triggers the relay.
After some time with the high beam & spotlights on, the switch would get rather hot (almost too hot to touch). The switch never stopped working though & was still like that when the car went from my possession.

In rural areas around the coast, this isn't an issue, because of corners & hills, etc, you come across cars coming the other way rather quickly, so dipping the headlights kills the spotlight circuit too.
But further west, with longer stretches of flat road, lights show up from kilometres away, so there is a need to turn off the spotlights (Cibies) earlier than the high beam (this can be minutes apart).

Originally, the trigger for the front fog light switch is the parkers (low wattage), but the high beam trigger is more.

Am I just going to have to lump it again, or is there a way to reduce the load on the switch circuit?

[jono]

the only load on the switch should be the coil in the relay, although some relays are solid-state now so there would be almost zero amps running through the switch.

[MWP]

So the switch was getting warm when only turning on the relay (which then turned on the lights)?
Something is wrong... it doesnt take much current to switch a standard car relay.
Was the switch backlit by a globe or something? That would explain the heat.

So you want this?
high beams on, switch off = spots on
high beams on, switch on = spots on
high beams off, switch on = spots on
high beams off, switch off = spots off

[wagonist]

No, like this:

So you want this?
high beams on, switch off = spots off
high beams on, switch on = spots on
high beams off, switch on = spots off
high beams off, switch off = spots off

Basically if there is no trigger to the switch (ie high beam are off), then the spots will be off too.

The switch is backlight, but only for the dash lights, there is no "On" light (but would be nice to have).
In the previous installation, the front fog switch (identical switch) was directly below & it wasn't hot to touch even though it was on as well (& for longer).

[wagonist]

the only load on the switch should be the coil in the relay, although some relays are solid-state now so there would be almost zero amps running through the switch.

Standard aftermarket 40A automotive relay like you get at Superbarn or whatever.

[oldcorollas]

something wrong, should not be getting hot.
maybe rig it up as a soft start switch, with a second relay, so it is not actually puttign current through the switch when on..

better yet, put an ammeter across the swtch now, and you will answer 3/4 of the question see how much current it is drawing

[wagonist]

Soft start switch wouldn't work, as most times you'd want the spotlights on as soon as the high beam comes on (ie as soon as the car going the opposite direction has gone past).
Up & down on the high beam can happen quite a bit on the coastal highways.

Unfortunately, I can't test the switch yet (currently the spot light relay wires are jammed into the back of the headlight plug), and the switch that I'd used previously was in the previous car, which is no longer in my possession.

There's a very good chance that this switch will be on for 99% of the time, just with no high beam, then the switch won't be active, the idea of the 2nd relay (ignition on trigger?) would be on also 99% of the time.

The switch I'm after is really hard to find, so I don't really want to melt one.

Could using the original gauge wires for the fog light wiring have an effect?
As the factory switch has it's own dedicated plug, that needs to be retained to wire it in.

It'd be nice to use the factory heated windscreen switch & change the symbol because it has an indicator light built into it when it's on. Or even the 12V/100V switch.

[CrUZida]

Measure the current going through the switch and go from there.
Maybe it has an extremely high internal resistance (due to being faulty) and as such drawing more current than it needs to

[wagonist]

Because I had 2 identical switches next to each other, I could swap the plugs over.
I did this & the switch plugged into the spot lights, ie the high beam, was the one to get hot.

Apart from a relay, is there any other way to reduce current going through?
eg, Big resistor which could be before the switch & more in the "open" rather than directly behind the plastic of the dash?

[toyoda]

Most of the Toyota Factory switches are on the Earth side not the Positive side.

Wire the switch so it Earths the Relay coil and all should be good.

Toyoda

[oldcorollas]

aren't those buttons already soft start, so to speak? ie they are momentary buttosn that trigger the circuitry inside them... they are not your basic "switch"

ie
http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n80361883

are you sure you've wired it up correctly?

also, try using a good quality relay, rather than supershit ones..

the good relays often have a much lower current draw for the coil, as they are built better internally
but yeah, measure current first, then compare to the internal resistance of the coil.

[wagonist]

Yes, those are soft touch, which I probably won't be able to use them unless I can change the insides (done this on Subaru switches before). I'm going to try to get hold of a common switch (ie the 12V 100V one) & pull it apart to see.

Front fog switch looks like this:
http://page15.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/j...ion/t152330500
It's a locking type, but there's no indication (except by feel) that its on or off.

There is no earth side of the trigger circuit because of the way the headlights work. Most later headlights are earth switched already. Therefore, the trigger circuit is:
wire from high beam switch on indicator stalk -> switch -> relay -> common wire on headlights

I had to upgrade the relay in the past to a fused 40A one because the 30A ones you get from the chain stores couldn't handle the current (2 x 150W globes)

[oldcorollas]

actually.. that's the rear fog switch...
the front fog switch is on the RHS indicator stalk...

you should just be able to wire the switch in the same way as it is used stock.. i mean.. the only difference is that you are using them as driving lights instead of foglights, and need uprated relays (ie, 1 relay PER spotlight...)

I am not sure why it is difficult, especially if the wiring is already there, just not plugged in?

you can see the front switch on this stalk, RHS stalk, middle pic
http://page22.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/l11649244

[wagonist]

Ummm, no. It IS a front fog light switch. Ok, it's being held upside down, but it's not from your model Dina.
Go back & look at the auction & see what vehicle it's from

And there's no wiring there for spotlights, anywhere in the car.

[oldcorollas]

well, i know which switch does what i have front and rear foglights

of course i am assuming you are wiring this up to your caldina?