Lighting 12v woes

[XJ4IV]

in an effort to finally finish up my lighting that is on my roof rack, last night after I got home from work I started to hook up my HD switch for the lights only to find out why the OLD switch burned up ... there was negative current coming through what SHOULD be the positive end of the wiring, after a FULLLL tear down for the lights I found that the bulbs themselves were grounded out... on allllll 10 fixtures... am I missing something or shouldnt an H3 bulb be insulated?
http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-e53-forum/29912d1233076760-i-installed-hid-kit-my-fog-lights-today-h3.jpg
from what I remember from years ago when hooking up my reverse lights the wire coming out is the positive and the metal housing is the ground... well on the bulbs I removed they were ALLLLLL showing both to be negative... what gives?

[4.3LXJ]

The H3 bulb is not like the H4 and others. The H4 has a ground wire. However you only have one wire, the positive. The housing contacting a ground is the ground. If you ohm the bulb and it has continuity, then that says the bulb is good. Since you burned up a switch, it is time for a relay.

http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?p=130262#post130262

[XJ4IV]

but when I put the bulb on the volt meter it showed that BOTH wires were grounded, these lights have NEVER been used either, the old switch that burned up was on some round lights that I took off about two years ago but I left the power wire in place since it went through the body of the vehicle, and yes the place where it went through is grommetted and ISNT where its grounding out.

[4.3LXJ]

How are you hooking up the meter?

[XJ4IV]

red wire to positive on wire hooked straight to battery black wire connected to either the metal surround on the bulb or the extended wire, both show as giving 12v of current

[4.3LXJ]

If that current is going through the bulb, then it will show voltage on the ground. The current has to make a circuit, that is a path from positive to negative

[XJ4IV]

uhhhhh????

[XJ4IV]

I used the "T" method of wiring these, meaning I ran a single wire to the furthest away light and each light along the way just tapped into the same wire and the grounds were screwed to the chassis at the nearest point.
whats very odd is this is the same method I used for my rock lights using the same exact lights... and I never had a problem with those as far as electrical goes.

[4.3LXJ]

Maybe we are not communicating. Do the lights work at all?

[XJ4IV]

they did light up but the wire was cooking... like the terminal insulation melted

[4.3LXJ]

How big is the wire?

[XJ4IV]

the initial wire from the battery was 8 gauge and the wire to the lights was 10 gauge, I don't install wuss wire