I have a 56' Victoria and the other day coming home from a car show at night  I noticed that after driving about 20 minutes the light pull knob steel rod was very hot.  The lights were working ok, but the hot steel rod has me worry.  Any ideas?  Thanks

Either you've got high wattage headlights, meaning add a relay, or you've got high resistance in the switch. It'll fail from the heat. Good news is the lights just go out. Bad news is the harness catches on fire. If driving in the dark is good news. I'd quit driving at night till I fixed the switch or moved the load to the relay. Check the wiring at the sw for signs of heat damage, or that the wiring is causing the heat. I'm more inclined to look at the sw first.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Maybe disconnect battery also until fault is found.

I needed to replace my switch because it was not smooth and the resister for the dimmer was bad and that's what I would look at. That resister causes heat. Replacement was ez because they are available at a good parts store. (not the big chain type) also make sure all your connections are tight. Good Luck.

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

Thank you all for the advice.  I will take it to someone who understands electrical trouble, since I know nothing and will probably do more damage than good.  Ford people are the best.

Actually, it's not that hard to change the switch. Disconnect the battery first. There's a button you push on the back or top that lets you pull the shaft out from the dash side. Then you pull the bezel and remove the sw from the back side. I'm not sure on the the cars, but it will probably drop down far enough to let you easily remove the wires. Check the new sw, make sure they're the same, make notes, and swap out the wires. You'll likely see the heat/corrosion on the resister that Drylake's noted. Check the wires for cracking or burned insulation. Report back what you've got and you'll get more answers. Now, if you've got a buddy who'll do all the work for a couple beers, take it to him.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Thank you all for your advise.  I really appreciate it.  It turns out that I did have a short wire under the hood.  Fixed it and the lights work great now.

You've received great advice. A relay is also a good idea.
This is a great forum with very helpful members.