wiring nightmare
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Joined: Apr 2003
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wiring nightmare
I have an electrical wiring nightmare.
My dad had the truck wired to power up lights on a trailer he pulled and added a stereo. There are also a couple of misc. lights and switches in the cab that don't seem to do anything. (if i could load a !@#% picture in my gallery you could see it!) The problem is that when I have the dash lights and the headlights on for night driving, they flash in about 40 second intervals. I do ok with electrical wiring on a trial and error basis, but could really use some direction. Somehow this scares me! I am worried that once i get into it nothing is going to make sense. Any suggestions?
My dad had the truck wired to power up lights on a trailer he pulled and added a stereo. There are also a couple of misc. lights and switches in the cab that don't seem to do anything. (if i could load a !@#% picture in my gallery you could see it!) The problem is that when I have the dash lights and the headlights on for night driving, they flash in about 40 second intervals. I do ok with electrical wiring on a trial and error basis, but could really use some direction. Somehow this scares me! I am worried that once i get into it nothing is going to make sense. Any suggestions?
Last edited by fountain pen; Sep 5, 2003 at 09:54 AM.
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,351
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From: Escondido, CA
wiring nightmare
You can order a wiring diagram from the "store". Very helpful when trying to figure out what someone did to your system. I had a similair problem with my truck when I first brought it home. I just went through the wiring harness and redid all of the splices and took out everything that I figured I wouldn't need. Chances are though that the headlight switch connector is loose and just needs to be resecured. Just take your time when you go through the system slowly and take your time. Your get over the fear of boogering something up in time. Trust me I did. 
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: peoria, az
wiring nightmare
The lights flashing like that is typical of a worn out headlight switch. It has a circuit breaker in it that trips when it heats up.This is a safety feature to prevent a total loss off lights. (so that it can be driven carefully to a safe place instead of leaving you totally in the dark)
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wiring nightmare
I appreciate to direction! Sounds like it going to be one of those nike ad things (just do it!) I think i will purchase that wiring diagram book and check out that circuit breaker--i gues it can't get any worse than it is! Thanks again! Any thoughts on how to get the pics into my gallery?
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2000
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From: Sun River St. George
wiring nightmare
Take out the switch and look at the connectors, chances are one of them shows black deposits. You can try cleaning this with electrical parts cleaner and coating it with bulb grease. I use plastic wire ties to hold the harness tight on the switch. Then again maybe a new switch will solve this problem. Reach under the dash and press the spring loaded button and pull the **** and shaft out. Then unscrew the retaining nut and pull the switch and harness down where you can work on it. Anouther location for problems is where the bulkhead connectors pass through the firewall. Unplug these and give them the same treatment. For the rear I replace the harness just inside the firewall with weatherpack connectors and run three new wires to the rear.
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wiring nightmare
I had intermittent headlight loss when I first started working on my '65 F100. After a lot of troubleshooting I found that circuit breaker in the switch was tripping. Like your's, my lights would be fine for 30 seconds or so - then they'd go out for a few seconds - then come back on. I think Stepman got it pegged...
