Damn Electrical!!!
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 118
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From: Medford, OR
Damn Electrical!!!
I was driving home the other day and got about a mile away from home and every light on my truck goes out and stayed out till I got home. Glad I didn't end up in a ditch or hit a tree or anything. What is the most probable cause for this issue? I have been looking into getting a new switch and pigtail but if I can get a better alternative or idea that would be great.
Lights have been working while I am trying to see if I can duplicate the problem, the only ones I have gotten to come on at all are the reverse lights but I already know that the wires to the tranny need to get fixed badly.
Also, I don't have a fuse layout for my box, if someone has a diagram for the fuse layout that would be very helpful as well. No blown fuses by the way.
Lights have been working while I am trying to see if I can duplicate the problem, the only ones I have gotten to come on at all are the reverse lights but I already know that the wires to the tranny need to get fixed badly.
Also, I don't have a fuse layout for my box, if someone has a diagram for the fuse layout that would be very helpful as well. No blown fuses by the way.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 161
Likes: 1
From: Eastern Iowa
My 80 f150 used to do that. finally traced it to a loose ground screw for one of the headlights. they are a simple ring terminal screwed to the inner body with a 1/4" self tapping screw. grab a nut driver and start making sure all of the ones you can find are tight.
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,244
Likes: 40
My dodge did that one night. It burned out and I had noticed a burning smell for a week before that but figured it was just the cat or something. Anyway, I pulled the switch and that sucker was burnt to heck. Common on Dodges, I would check it on your Ford.
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 118
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From: Medford, OR
I took the headlight switch out to look at it and it was all corroded and rusty so I cleaned it up a little and put it back in. My lights seem to be working but I'm not 100% on that, I don't have my reverse lights yet but I think that the connector to the tranny is bad so I gotta look into that. I was working on changing all the bulbs and noticed that theres some sort of putty inside of some of them and the connector for my license plate light wont reach the lens. I need to go and get some new connectors for the lights and some more new bulbs, some of the bulbs broke trying to put them in.
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 118
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From: Medford, OR
I was underneath the truck looking at the tranny and I see I have a leak and that the connectors are wet from tranny fluid. I'm going to clean that area up and tighten things down and see if the connector is still good, if not I'm gonna have to replace it. So far headlights and running lights are still working
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Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Denver Metro Area, CO
That putty is to keep water from the electrical contacts, people like to use dielectric grease
for those purposes today.
for those purposes today.
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From: Denver Metro Area, CO
What I am trying to figure out is if it was your entire electrical system in the cab that got
knocked offline (in which case fusible links up near the battery are highly suspect) or if it
was merely only the lights in which case more possibilities open up (headlight switch, high-
beam switch, melted, shorted or damaged wiring, bad grounds, etc. etc.).
knocked offline (in which case fusible links up near the battery are highly suspect) or if it
was merely only the lights in which case more possibilities open up (headlight switch, high-
beam switch, melted, shorted or damaged wiring, bad grounds, etc. etc.).
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 118
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From: Medford, OR
I took the headlight switch out and checked it, it had corrosion and rust on it, I'm going and getting a new switch today and bulbs to replace in my instrument cluster. I haven't checked the high-beam switch yet, I will look at that today as well, I don't know what all fuses i'm missing are but I know that there are a few missing. Do you know where I can get a diagram of what fuses are for what?
