Replacing 3-terminal toggle switches with 4-terminal?

[jdr999]

Hi all,

My mid 80's Sea Ray is wired with three-terminal two-position lighted-tip toggle switches. I'm assuming: positive battery, circuit, and ground? The last terminal has two black wires that chain from circuit to circuit..

The new switches I found have four terminals: positive, circuit, ground for light, and panel illumination.

I've got the switches working but the tips won't light.

I may need to jumper a connection on the new switches. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Joe

 

[juggernaut1]

Have you run a wire from the panel illumination switch to one of the new switches illumination tab then daisy chain to the illumination tab on your other switches?

 

[jdr999]

Interesting. I double checked and it looks like the switch lights with the dash lights and in the on position. I didn't expect that, and only need illumination in the on position.

Should I be able to connect only the ground for light without the panel illumination terminal to get the tip to work in the on position?

I assumed the two black wires daisy-chained to each circuit was ground. But when hooking that up to the ground for light nothing happened..

 

[dvx216]

sounds to me that the old switch supplied the positive feed to the light internally and the new one need a jumper. the wiring diagram for the switch should tell you this.