What are these wire?
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,481
Likes: 5,542
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
pass through wires. if you look under the dash you will find the same wires.
they were put in so if you want to wire something additional up, you do not have to drill holes to push the wires through.
they were put in so if you want to wire something additional up, you do not have to drill holes to push the wires through.
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 372
Likes: 0
Geez, that was thoughtful of Ford.
Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 6,096
Likes: 26
From: Mesa AZ
They have been doing this for a while now...
Not too long ago I had the RV in the woods and ran across a fellow camper who needed a jump start. Apparently he left his RV trailer plugged into his truck and it drained the batteries over night. His tow vehicle was a Dodge and they leave the battery charge wire hot even when the key is out of the ignition. Ford doesn't do that....they shut down that circuit when the key is removed so it's impossible for a trailer to drain the truck batteries when parked.
Not too long ago I had the RV in the woods and ran across a fellow camper who needed a jump start. Apparently he left his RV trailer plugged into his truck and it drained the batteries over night. His tow vehicle was a Dodge and they leave the battery charge wire hot even when the key is out of the ignition. Ford doesn't do that....they shut down that circuit when the key is removed so it's impossible for a trailer to drain the truck batteries when parked.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,536
Likes: 200
From: southeast PA
While that may be great for certain applications, it was aggravating to mine. My little pop up had an extra 12v connector on it to run the 12v interior lights with no hookups, though we use them sparingly.Thats why there's a jumper in the fuse box and a spare relay in the glove box.....................
Ford's forethough on the extra wires is certainly appreciated though.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,472
Likes: 2
From: Southern Cal
To the others point, these switches don't work when the ignition is off.
Trending Topics
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,481
Likes: 5,542
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
those wires have been put in since the introduction of the superduty in 1999. way before upfitter switches.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 372
Likes: 0
This might be entirely unrelated but I have a Leer camper shell on my '07 F250. When the shell was installed on my previous '04 F250 a wire was run from the battery to the camper shell's dome light. Is there a better or more elegant way of wiring it to my newer truck considering the discussion of the wires described above?
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,472
Likes: 2
From: Southern Cal
Thx for clarifying.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,472
Likes: 2
From: Southern Cal
This might be entirely unrelated but I have a Leer camper shell on my '07 F250. When the shell was installed on my previous '04 F250 a wire was run from the battery to the camper shell's dome light. Is there a better or more elegant way of wiring it to my newer truck considering the discussion of the wires described above?
Keeps you from having to run a wire all the way up front unnecessarily.
Pretty easy to do.
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 372
Likes: 0
I was thinking of that but doesn't the key have to be on for that to work? I believe there was a discussion here a while back where Ford had the hot lead you mentioned switched at the key to prevent a connected trailer from prematurely discharging the battery. Or is there another hot lead in back that is not switched at the battery?
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,391
Likes: 1
From: NorCal
This might be entirely unrelated but I have a Leer camper shell on my '07 F250. When the shell was installed on my previous '04 F250 a wire was run from the battery to the camper shell's dome light. Is there a better or more elegant way of wiring it to my newer truck considering the discussion of the wires described above?
The only reason that you would need to use the "Pass-Through wires" for your camper shell light is if you wanted to use a switch inside the cab to turn it on, which would work fine if that's the way you want it.
You can tap into the trailer charge wire, but it is only hot with the key on.
Some people tap into a tail light wire so that you can turn on your camper shell light any time your headlights or parking lights are on.
Mine is tapped into my cargo light wire, which I added a separate switch for so that it doesn't come on every time the interior lights come on.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,472
Likes: 2
From: Southern Cal
I was thinking of that but doesn't the key have to be on for that to work? I believe there was a discussion here a while back where Ford had the hot lead you mentioned switched at the key to prevent a connected trailer from prematurely discharging the battery. Or is there another hot lead in back that is not switched at the battery?
Maybe others can chime in.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,536
Likes: 200
From: southeast PA
Mine is jumped because I use it to power the lights in my popup when we are primitive camping. We don't sit in the camper with the lights on, but it sure is nice to go in at night and be able to turn the lights on and see what you're doing.
If you use the 7 pin connector for a trailer, you're going to have to choose what you plug in though. The cleanest way you could probably do it would be to install the 7 pin plug into the bedside with a aftermarket pigtail intended for 5th/ gooseneck use. Then you could still plug a trailer in without swapping of disabling something. Please don't scotchlock the wires..........those things are nothing but headaches.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
FuzzFace2
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
25
Nov 17, 2017 07:18 AM
marine1200
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
9
Sep 13, 2016 06:42 PM