turning headlights on causes cut-out

I replaced the very old headlight switch on my 63 CJ5 and now when I pull it out to turn on headlights the engine will cut-out as I pull. So long as I keep pulling all the way out, the engine keeps running. It cuts-out about half way out. The previous switch did not work, and I never noticed the behavior before. Any ideas? Should I just replace the switch? Thanks

 

Depends on what switch you put in. Some switches do what is called break-before-make. Other switches are make-before-break. The switch in my 66 has a circuit breaker on the end of the switch which has the battery wire (heavy 10 ga) going to it and another wire from it to the ign switch. The headlight part gets it's power from the other terminal of the circuit breaker. That way you have ign power all the time when the switch is ON.

 

Maybe something related to the parking-light circuit, if it happens "halfway out?"

Since you just worked on it, did you switch any wires accidentally? is there a new short in that circuit? Could try disconnecting one teminal at a time, isolate it.