Hello again my fellow Gladiator enthusiasts. I would say my fellow Gladiator drivers, but I'm not sure whether your ride is mobile, or still just a project in progress.  Even just sitting there, they sure look fine don't they?  We owe it to them to keep the last survivors alive. That is my purpose in writing this ongoing guide, to share with you the benefit of my 28  years of piloting  one or another of these destinctive pickup trucks.  If you're reading this I have to assume either you are just bored and looking for something to kill time or else you have a place in your heart for them like I do. What I offer is solutions to problems that you can't go to the parts store and buy. It may not be the only solution, but it is the one I have tried successfully. This installment concerns the little suprise that the designers threw in free of charge.  I wonder if they knew what would happen. They should have.

     Have you ever been driving on a cold rainy night with the wipers, heater, and headlights, (of course) on and have the lights begin to blink on and off?  I had it happen once or twice, then one rainy night I was on my way home and the lights began to blink off and on about as often as you would blink your eyes. I wasn't talented enough to syncronise my own blinking  to match this so I figured maybe I would have to look into it the next day. Fortunately I was on gravel roads so I didn't have to explain this to  the sheriff.

      After removing the light switch the next morning I could see that the main hot lead wire showed signs of being very hot and so did the heavy wire going to the lights. I removed the wire harness from the switch and saw the same signs on the two corresponding spade connectors, that being partially melted bakelite. I  noticed some rust on these spades so I checked them with a magnet and sure enough they were steel.  Steel resists the flow of electricity and expresses that in heat. That's why lightbulbs glow and get hot; they have a steel filament, and that's also why electric house wiring is made of copper and not steel, which would be much cheaper. All of the other spades were brass.  Why they didn't spend way less than a penny more on two more brass spades I don't understand. Especially with the two biggest wires involved. Surely they must have known this would cause problems someday.

      Now the solution. If you go buy another switch, even if you can find one, it will probably be made the same way. I have had this happen on two vehicles,  and the ones in my Wagoneer boneyard were the same too.  I don't know why this only seems to happen when you run all three accessories at once, but I know how I made it go away.  First carefully drill off the crimp end of the two rivets that hold the switch body together.  You will need to replace these later with long tiny stove bolts. I have quite a collection of this type of stuff because I'm always dismanteling or repairing something. Carefully open the switch and observe how it is assembled so you can put it back together the same way. ( I would recommend you only start this when you have time and parts to put it back together the same day, or you will loose stuff and forget how it went together. I know that  firsthand too.)  After placing the nonoffending parts aside in order , carefully drill off the rivets that hold the two steel spades to the backer board.  They are located on the near and far ends of the switch. (Check them with a magnet.)  Remove the little buggars and throw them as far as you can. Then you will need to replace these with brass spades of similar size. Check them with a magnet. Brass won't stick, steel will.  I have an unlimited supply from all the switches I tear apart. I would recommend the switches from a retired wash machine or dryer or some other electric appliance. Grind these so they will be the same height when attached as the others were. These must then be reattached with tiny brass stove bolt type screws with nuts. I wouldn't recommend metal screw type screws.  They MUST be brass or you will still have the same problem, the electricity passes through them too. Make sure they face the right way.  Replace the guts of the switch in order and fasten together with two long tiny stove bolts. Steel is O.K. here, no juice passes through these. Reattach the wire harness after removing any corrosion caused by the overheating  and reinstall the switch.  You should be good to go. The blinking was the effect of an internal overheating protection mechanism in the switch with points like the points in your distributor. You will see that when you're in there. They could design that ingenius device but not put in all brass spades? Must have been designed on a Friday.

    Well good luck. I havent passed any of you on the road so far. Not too many visitors yet and no + votes, but when you need this information, I'm sure you'll be glad you heard it.

    Parts needed... Two long tiny stove bolts and nuts, two short tiny brass stove bolts and nuts, two brass spade fittings.

    More to come...                                                                Skullhunter