Dimmer Switch - silly question

[Don Jordan]

I have been rewiring my Plymouth - down to the last 4 wires. The ones that go to the dimmer switch. There are 4 places and 4 wires - does anyone know if there is a certain order - or if it even matters? 2 wires are 12 gauge and 2 are 16 gauge. The switch has 2 places for wires on the top and bottom and the 2 wires in the center are actually common. I plugged them in ranomly and had lights but when I pushed the switch they went out. Finally I blew a fuse and thought I'd ask before ruining something.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I think you will find the common hot wire..then you have the wire out to the low beam..and then the wire out to the high beam and the high beamis a dual connector..for the other wire goes to the high beam indicator..you must have it wired correctly..quick check with an ohm meter will set you straight..just remember the the high beam and the high beam idicator

[greg g]

Once it is powered it really doesn't make much differene which terminal the lows and highs are wired to. Basically it is a 2 position rotary blade switch with one circuit hot when the headlight switch is on, so if the highs are on and you hit the switch the next position will power the other element and so on. I think it is actually 4 positions with each push rotating the switch gear 90 degrees aligining with an internal lug two of which power each terminal.

[Jim Saraceno]

According to this wiring diagram there is a #12 yellow coming from the light switch, a #16 orange going to the indicator light, a #14 going to the lights (dim) and a #12 red going to the lights (high beam).

If that is what you have, it would make sense that the two terminals that are common would lead to the indicator light and the high beams. A third terminal would go to the low beams and the 4th would go to the light switch.

To figure out which is which, start at the double terminal and use a continuity tester to see if it has continiuty with one of the two other terminals. If not, press the button then is should then have contunuity to one of those terminals. That is the terminal that would be fed from the light switch.

The idea is you bring the power to one terminal and you will have continuity to a second terminal. When you press the button you will have continuity from that first terminal to the third terminal. That is the power is coming in on one wire and going out on a second wire. Press the button and it goes out the third wire.

Does that make any sense?

[BobT-47P15]

Here is a wiring diagram for the P15 models. Looks like 3 wires to it......in lower center - called headlight beam switch.

[Jim Saraceno]

Look again, there are three terminals and four wires. The indicator light and the high beam share the same terminal.

[Don Jordan]

See it's always something silly - thank you all for this invaluable help. I knew it was something simple that I can fix once I know how. I forgot about the high beam light - now it will work. Now if I could just find a cure for world hunger and create world peace. Thanks again.