OK,

1988 Aerostar

When I put the headlight switch to parking lights, nothing happens. The parking lights come on between the parking light and headlight positions, and in the headlight position, the headlights come on...but the parking lights go off.

I can use a jumper wire to make all of the lights come on at once, so I'm thinking the switch is bad, but 5 from the junkyard with the same problem. No parts stores have them, and neither do ANY Ford dealers (???).

Is that a common problem with this van?

Oh, and BTW, don't tell me to upgrade my headlights. Seriously, if you think I should upgrade them, bring your butt over here, buy and install it. Telling me to upgrade them doesn't help me.

 

Ok, first off, you first post here has come across the wrong way here. If you come on asking for help, you don't say what kind of help you want. This is a great community, and we pride ourselves in trying to find solutions and sharing them with our members. But don't try to dictate what kind of help you want.

We do have a site sponsor that has lots of excellent parts. It sounds like your switch is bad, the junkyard parts are likely the same way because the stock wiring does need to be upgraded, the switch just can't handle the amount of current the headlights draw, it causes the switch to overheat. You need a good switch first, then once the issue is resolved, you will need an upgrade harness, which is basically plug and play.

If you go to RockAuto Auto Parts and enter your vehicle information.. Standard makes this switch, part# DS924. Its not too expensive, and it should fix your immediate problem. As for the upgrade harness, you need a 6054 harness. Here is a site that has one Headlight Services - Wiring. You want the Universal Wiring Harnesses - Dual H4, 9003, 6024, 6054. I'm not trying to defy your request regarding upgraded wiring, but at the end of the day, these vans desperately need it. You don't have to use upgrade bulbs. All this upgrade does is take the load off the stock switches and lets the harness handle the heavy current draw of the headlights. In the process, it makes the headlights brighter.

 

Yeah. Didn't mean to sound abrasive, but I get that a lot when trying to get info. Things like just upgrade it...just sell your car and buy the one you want...that doesn't help, but your answer did. Thanks. I'll try that and let y'all know what happens.

 

If the original headlight switch has failed, it has most likely cooked the harness connector that attaches to the switch. When the switch failed in my 95, the connector was half melted. At that point, the terminal sockets in the plug won't make good tight contact with the spade terminals in the new switch, so replacing the connector is a must. I bought both the switch and connector for about $75 & the local Ford dealer had both in stock. That was almost 10 years ago now so no idea if the dealers will still stock these items.

The harness connector included about 10 inches of wire to splice it into the orginal wiring harness. I recommend soldering over crimp terminals, but it's your van.

If you search the forum, there is info here on the headlight switch problem and also info for a DIY upgrade for the headlight wiring. I did a home-brew upgrade with relays when I got my 96 to avoid the headlight switch overheat problem. I can attest to the fact that the headlights are MUCH brighter with upgraded wiring. The upgrade can be done quite inexpensively if you have good sources for the parts.

The wiring upgrade is also strongly recommended if you swap in any of the Nighthawk/Silverstar type high output bulbs to handle the increased current draw. I won't bother with the upgraded bulbs because the stock bulbs are plenty bright with better wiring.

 

The key is to use relays to switch the lights, whether you buy or build your own upgraded harness. In either case, make sure the harness has two relays; one each for the hi/lo.

The other guys didn't mention one other benefit. If the current drawn through the stock harness is enough to burn up the light switch, it can also burn up the multi-function dimmer switch. This is why you need the two relays; they will also take the load off the dimmer switch.

 

The socket is fine, not burnt at all and the dimmer works fine.

I know how and why to upgrade the headlights. I did the same with my 84 chevy monte carlo. That uses 4 headlights (2 hi, 2 hi/lo) and has a relay for each filament (6 relays). Probably overdone but. My main point was I needed to know if the switch was a common failure or if it was something else. My research on the net and experience at the boneyard has suggested that it is, and no the dealers don't have one and none are shown anywhere in the usa on their computer. No parts stores carry or can order one either. This has been a serious pita!

 

If the headlight switch has been overheated a lot, it will burn up. Mine overheated once and the thermal fuse shut itself off until it cooled down sufficiently. I installed relays as soon as I could, so it was no longer being overheated, and it's worked fine for years. Most users do not fix the problem, and allow the switch to repeatedly overheat, thus damaging it. The problem is not limited to the Aerostar; most of Ford's cars have the same problem.

Just for fun, I once took apart a burnt switch from my Mustang, and cleaned out the contacts and built up the burnt plastic with epoxy. It is now a backup, in the unlikely event that the service switch should fail. You might try that with one of the switches you got from the junk yard.

 

I thought there was a recall to reroute the headlights through relays to take loads off the switch? That was done on my '93 under recall, I'm dead sure.

 

There was a recall to route the accessory circuit through relays, to my knowledge there was no recall on the headlight switch.

 

Hi all,

just to give my 5 cents. I did the Headlights wiring-upgrade resulting in all the known benefits but the Stick of the Headlight-Switch still heated up as the the cigar-lighter does.
After doing more research on this Forum, i found Mediaman's Post that guided me directly to the Culprit: The wirewound Potentiometer attached to push-pull Switch! Wounded wire is burnt and corroded at a point where the slider took its position at the most (dep. on users preference in brightness). Temporary Solution now is to turn the **** all the way to the left, outside the burnt area (all the way right to the off Position does not help in my case). Next time i take off the Dash, i will deactivate this Wirewound Potentiometer and install a Resistor instead with a resistance that meets my personal preference in Brightness (not reglable anymore)..

Greets


97' XLT, 3.0L, 95tsnd miles

 

Just to be clear guys, I have an 88 which has the rocker type switch not the push/pull switch. The weird part is that the PARKING lights don't work. The HEADLIGHTS work when the switch is in that position.

 

I could make the later switch physically fit the dashboard (which would be cool because those are readily available), but I don't know how to wire it properly. The older switch has a separate dimmer in the dash; the newer one has it in the switch itself, and I don't know what all the terminals do, when they are energized, or whether they get powered by the switch or grounded through it.

 

The older dimmer also has a thermal fuse attached to the rheostat. If you overheat the rheostat, the fuse will blow, and it does not reset. You will have to disassemble the switch to replace the thermal fuse (available from Radio Shack).

But understand how all those rheostat dimmers work; they introduce resistance into the light circuit. The more resistance, the less current flows, and the dimmer the lights. The worst mode to operate them is to turn it just slightly off of full-on. It will flow the most dimmed current, which will heat up the smallest region of wire windings, and will therefore most easily overheat or destroy that little piece of resistance wire. So if you want to dim the instrument panel, dim it a lot, or dont' dim it at all and put the dimmer to full brightness setting.

Maybe the newer cars today use an electronic dimmer, or even with LED illumination. While those in theory are more efficient, and should not burn out the way rheostats do, they have their own problems that also result in light failure.

 

BigLoo,
i would stay with the rocker type switch and try to open it. Sometimes the internal flip-mechanism of such a switch fails. Automotive rocker type switches should be available in various variations and can be mounted elsewhere into the Dash.
I only have electrical diagrams for the later push-pull one but i wish to have this earlier type of switch since it is the more reliable one and it's even more the aviation-style

Does the rear red backlights burns if Headlights are on?

All the best

 

Very interessing post xlt4wd90! It's exactly that near-full region on the rheostat where mine has the worst damage.