need help dealer says engineers don't have a answer . the story is when I plug my dash mount single light blue light in the head lights go out after 20-30 seconds I still have curtesy lights to drive with and after unplugging my light from 12v plug the head lights reset (circuit breaker) My dealer told me to run a wire directly to the battery . I did this with the ground also and got the same results out went the lights the dash light draws 4.6 amps and checking it draws 8 amps to start then 3.5 to run not a lot of power . plugging my trailer plug in draws 25 amps why would a single light drop the breaker. the only thing I have found in forums is a thing called a battery state of charge monitoring system (black widgets clamped to the battery cable ) as a possible culprit

 

I did put a 30 amp fuse inline from the battery I'm a little careful about the electrical running direct

 

I have a weird problem where a car charger cigarette lighter adapter causes a no-start condition. And since it isn't charging a phone at the time, the draw is really tiny. My thought is that it is somehow interfering electronically with the vehicle - and my answer was to use a different one which doesn't do that. Rather than figure out how to make that one work.

I somehow bet your blue light is doing the same thing. Causing noise in the vehicles internal network. Of course, I can't be 100% certain... If you were in Alaska, I'd let you try one of mine. I have several of those that I can't use anymore, since I retired.

 

thanks for the info . I had a idea that so far has worked I took a wire and run it to the 12 volt lead on my trailer 7 pin plug . it charges my camper battery just fine . I took the truck for a short cruse and no light issues I don't get it I'm going to wait till I get a ems call and see if it is the way I drive and use other equipment in route to see if this is a fix ill post the outcome

 

Good luck with it. And thanks for the follow up.

 

the wire to the trailer plug did not work either lights went out till the breaker reset . but I did find a solution if I put the headlight switch to manual on position the blue light will work it only shuts the lights off in the auto position that turns the lights on at dark automatically . so I'm going to have to dig into the system to see what is different in the switch to make the circuit breaker trip.

 

Are you sure the circuit breaker is tripping? Or are the computer systems turning the lights off?

I can't even imagine a mechanism or theory which could possibly explain the over current circuit breaker tripping. Isn't the current protection on the headlights a hard fuse? I can imagine a lot of mechanisms and theories as to why the computer might shut the headlights off.

In the Auto position, there is a light sensor somewhere measuring the ambient light, and the blue light might be activating that.

The blue light might have high frequency drivers in it (is it LED?) with a lot of radiated and/or conducted interference. This could confuse the computers or serial communication busses.

One diagnostic would be to run the blue light from a separate battery, while it is sitting in the same place that you had trouble. If it trips the headlights now, you are left with radiated interference as the only cause (can't be conducted as you have eliminated the conducted path between light and truck). Now put a paper bag or a cardboard box over the blue light and try it again. That will eliminate radiated light as a possibility. The solutions for each of these problems will be different.

 

swarf-rat - I think you are on to something, I wonder if the blue light is hitting the dayligtht sensor. It's in a bad spot on our super duties if you have a dash light. Easy thing to do would be to turn the lights to ON and not on AUTO.

 

Yeah - probably best to reorder that debug. First put a bag over the light and try it, see if the headlights stay on.

 

Or just cover the sensor with some painters tape since that doesn't stain. I did that for an annoying light on a computer I had. Black magic marker and a couple of layers and you couldn't see the LED light anymore...

 

tried covering the light put it in the back seat same lights went out on automatic the light is a quartz light not led I tried another light both use about 4 amps . where is the sensor for the auto off I would like to cover it and see what happens my ride is a 2015 6.7 LB supercab single wheel f350