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Lights = Not Bright

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Old Jan 18, 2012 | 07:15 PM
  #1  
tje2015's Avatar
tje2015
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From: Harrisonburg, VA
Lights = Not Bright

Just curious is there a way to make my lights brighter - by like...ALOT!? These things barely allow me to see the damn road and the high beams are hardly noticeable. The lenses seem pretty clean - Even the orange lights on the roof of the cab are a little dim - the alternator seems like its doing pretty good too seems like its charging the batteries as good as its suppose too.

Should i just replace the bulbs with something a little more powerful?

Any suggestions?
 
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Old Jan 18, 2012 | 07:25 PM
  #2  
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91dirtydiesel
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From: Buckley, WA
Some info here might help

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...t-upgrade.html
 
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Old Jan 18, 2012 | 07:43 PM
  #3  
artfd's Avatar
artfd
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Exclamation

Get a cheap multimeter and measure the voltage your truck is running with while you have the lights on & are going down the road. You don't need to install a dash voltmeter (although that would be nice), just wire the multimeter to hot & ground inside the cab, you can even do this through your cigarette lighter plug.
Modern alternators will charge the system at 14.5 VDC or so while you are doing this while older design alternators will charge at maybe just enough to keep the batteries from discharging -- you will see the results as dim bulbs. There are other reasons for dim lighting, but low supply voltage is important to consider.
 
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Old Jan 18, 2012 | 09:53 PM
  #4  
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f350dualie
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reground your truck

take the ground off the block and clean then reinstall

also make new grounds from the battery to the chassis in at least two places and the engine to the chassis in two places

make sure you grind down to bare shiny metal then hook up grounds and paint over them to seal them tight

you would not believe how many stupid little problems can be related to a bad ground
 
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