brewera

Hey there. I am currently borrowing my friend's AWESOME 94 C2500 truck and I noticed that his running lights/dash lights don't always turn on and thought I would work to fix it for him as he has been super cool to let me borrow it while I save up some cash to buy my own. I have been borrowing the truck for a couple months now and initially noticed that dash lights didn't come on all the time. My friend following me from the trailhead in his truck let me know my running lights weren't working either. Now I know they are on the same circuit. I noticed that if I turned the light switch on and and off eventually I could get the running lights to stay on. Since then it has gotten worse and now they won't come on.

I am looking for some troubleshooting advice on where to start isolating what is causing the problem. I mentioned the issue to the owner of the truck and he mentioned he had encountered it very sporadically in the past and that he had taken apart the light switch and cleaned all the contacts. Was curious what all you wizards would recommend I go through to isolate the problem? I should also note towards the end of the lights actually staying on I could smell a faint electrical shorting smell. What I am thinking of doing is:

1. Replace the switch
2. Replace the running/dash light fuse(s)
3. Inspect around the switch (in the dash) for some type of short or cable that is not in the best shape and repair
4. Verify with a friend that all the lights are lighting when turning on the running lights and main lights switch
5. The regular headlights work but when I go to use the brights the regular lights go off completely and the brights don't come on so possibly replace the brights??
6. I own a multimeter so any specific areas I should check for voltage?
7. Any other recommendations???

I appreciate any type of help. Would love to give the truck back to him after fixing all the minor issues as thanks. Cheers!