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I have a 1984 Ford f250 with a bad headlight switch. Ive tried searching everywhere from Rock Auto and PartsGeek to lmc and the major chain parts stores as well as ebay and amazon. They all say my switch is an 8 pin but the switch I pulled from the truck in a 7 pin. The part number on the switch I have is E1TB-11654-AA. When I search that part number, all the replacements come up as an 8 pin switch. Was my truck rewired somehow by a previous owner? Is there a way for me to verify which pin style I require? Im new to this electrical stuff so Im asking for help. This is so frustrating. Ive never had these kinds of issues finding the correct replacement parts before.
Are you sure its a 84 where did you get the year from?
Dose the sticker on the door frame say 84?
Why I ask is the only one I think is different is for the 80 trucks as its wiring is a 1 year mess!
I cant remember if the 80 switch is the 7 pin or not but I am sure it is different than the 81 - 86 ones.
The year is stamped on the plate/sticker inside the drivers door jamb. It is stamped 1/85. I checked both links you referenced and from the pictures, they are both 8 pin/blade. Mine only has one pin?blade in the middle and 3 on left and right sides. Ill post a pic of it as soon as I can.
Last edited by capn zed; May 31, 2021 at 05:55 PM.
As you can see, it is a 7 terminal that I need. I showed the part number as well but when I search it on any seller it comes up with a pic of an 8 terminal switch.
Last edited by capn zed; May 31, 2021 at 07:39 PM.
As you can see, it is a 7 terminal that I need. I showed the part number as well but when I search it on any seller it comes up with a pic of an 8 terminal switch.
I'm seeing a picture of the number stamped into the switch. But I was asking about the mating receptacle on the vehicle, currently hanging empty from the dash. 7 or 8 sockets?
Just making sure it's not an 8 socket design, intended to work with either a 7 or 8 contact switch. Stranger things have happened...
If the vehicle harness only has 7 sockets, gamble the $20 on a new switch with 8 contacts. Ignore the 8th contact for now and see if the remaining 7 contacts would line up with the connector. If good, test those 7 contacts per the diagram given earlier by Dave in post #4. If they test properly, snap off the 8th contact and you should be good to go.
I checked the connector. It does indeed have 8 receptacles in it, but the one I don't need has no blade receiver in it. It's just a hole.
Groovy! Sounds like you should be all set to install a switch with 8 contacts. That extra contact won't be doing anything, just sitting there going along for the ride. As long as all of the other 7 contacts behave the same as your original switch, it shouldn't hurt anything to have that 8th contact all by itself.
Here's my theory on this whole deal. This is just a hunch on my part, so don't take it as gospel. I'm following a time-honored forum tradition of posting something so that somebody will quickly correct me and then we can know the whole story...
Let's say that same basic switch assembly was used on a wide variety of Ford/Mercury/Lincoln models of that era. Maybe some Lincoln model had an extra function that required 8 contacts. Meanwhile, our trucks only needed 7 contacts because of one less option. Maybe that extra contact costs 15 cents extra per switch, but multiply that times total production numbers. So on the production line, it was worthwhile for Ford to produce and install the slightly cheaper 7 contact version. But rather than produce a vehicle-specific connector for trucks, they just went with the 8 socket version, but only installed 7 wires. For replacement switches down the road? No point in supplying both the 7 and 8 contact versions, and having to maintain separate stock. Just make 'em all 8, because it would work in any vehicle whether originally equipped with a 7 or 8 contact switch.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Somebody should be along shortly to correct me...
Just replaced my 86 F250 headlight switch. Same part number as yours. My replacement had 7 blades same as the original. I used an aftermarket unit made by Standard DS219T. I'm pretty sure it has 7 blades as I compared the two and that would have jumped out at me I would think.
Edit...Nope it had 8 according to pics online. Fit and everything works.
Groovy! Sounds like you should be all set to install a switch with 8 contacts. That extra contact won't be doing anything, just sitting there going along for the ride. As long as all of the other 7 contacts behave the same as your original switch, it shouldn't hurt anything to have that 8th contact all by itself.
Here's my theory on this whole deal. This is just a hunch on my part, so don't take it as gospel. I'm following a time-honored forum tradition of posting something so that somebody will quickly correct me and then we can know the whole story...
Let's say that same basic switch assembly was used on a wide variety of Ford/Mercury/Lincoln models of that era. Maybe some Lincoln model had an extra function that required 8 contacts. Meanwhile, our trucks only needed 7 contacts because of one less option. Maybe that extra contact costs 15 cents extra per switch, but multiply that times total production numbers. So on the production line, it was worthwhile for Ford to produce and install the slightly cheaper 7 contact version. But rather than produce a vehicle-specific connector for trucks, they just went with the 8 socket version, but only installed 7 wires. For replacement switches down the road? No point in supplying both the 7 and 8 contact versions, and having to maintain separate stock. Just make 'em all 8, because it would work in any vehicle whether originally equipped with a 7 or 8 contact switch.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Somebody should be along shortly to correct me...
Nothing to correct, that is very much how Ford operates....
I have an ‘80 Bronco and bought a Standard DS-197 switch as a replacement. Amazon was correct in that it fit, but both first and second detent operate headlights and parking lights. Im not concerned enough with the functionality loss to try something different - just putting it here for future reference for 1980 owners.
I have an ‘80 Bronco and bought a Standard DS-197 switch as a replacement. Amazon was correct in that it fit, but both first and second detent operate headlights and parking lights. Im not concerned enough with the functionality loss to try something different - just putting it here for future reference for 1980 owners.
That's the major difference in the 1980 switch. The 1980 switch has one power feed for the headlights AND the marker lights. The 1980 switch takes this single power feed and splits it inside the switch to two different circuit breakers inside the switch. One circuit breaker feeds the headlights, the other circuit breaker feeds the marker lights.
On the later switches, they have the same power feed, but it only feeds the headlights. The later switches only have one circuit breaker inside. The later switches have 1 extra terminal, that is a separate power feed from the fuse box for the marker lights. So the later switches have separated the marker circuit out from the headlight circuit.
The only problem you may have is the circuit breaker inside the newer switch may start tripping, since it is powering the headlights and the marker lights together. Try it though, it may work fine.
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