Cargo Lamp has a Mind of its Own

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Bearhog

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Nov 3, 2013
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Location
Snellville,GA
Ram Year
1994
Engine
5.2
OK. I need some suggestions where to start. I acquired my truck late last year and have been doing mods as I have time. I notice some old water stains in the outside corners of the headliner and immediately thought of the foam gasket around the cargo/brake light. Sure enough, the gasket is perished so off to the Dodge dealer. $5 later and I'm at home to do the replacement and notice that both cargo bulbs are gone. As in gone-gone. That was my first clue. So, off the AutoZone. $3 and I'm at home to replace the bulbs. A quick test of the cargo lamp. All good. All done. Or so I thought. The next morning I go out to the garage and see the cargo light on. First thought was I left it on after working on it. No dead battery so it’s all good –but its not. I gave the headlamp switch a quick counter clockwise turn but it wasn’t switched on. So after switching and unswitching, compressed air, tapping and knocking (my solution to most any issue) I still can’t turn out the light. So, you guessed it. Out come the bulbs. I've waited a couple of days and tried again. Again, bulbs in, quick test, off/on. It’s all good. I sneak out later that night and there back on.

Any idea where to start with this one. Maybe it’s the problematic headlight switch. The brake light is fine, no issues. I HATE dealing with the electrics so any advice is much appreciated.
 

leadrofthepak

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Shelton, CT
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1998
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5.2
My first guess would be corrosion in the sockets of the cargo lights creating a short/constant hot.
 
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Bearhog

Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Posts
30
Reaction score
7
Location
Snellville,GA
Ram Year
1994
Engine
5.2
My first guess would be corrosion in the sockets of the cargo lights creating a short/constant hot.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check there first. I wanted to get an LED setup and need to get this resolved first. If its an issue with the sockets then the new setup would be the way to go.
 
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