Need headlight help
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6th Gear
Joined: Jan 2023
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Need headlight help
Need help getting my headlights to work
I believe my cab has been swapped as I have an 88f350
I have no headlights or taillights my other lights are working I’ve tried replacing the headlight switch and the wiring harness that goes into the switch with no luck. I don’t have the high low switch in the floor on my truck any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated
I believe my cab has been swapped as I have an 88f350
I have no headlights or taillights my other lights are working I’ve tried replacing the headlight switch and the wiring harness that goes into the switch with no luck. I don’t have the high low switch in the floor on my truck any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,928
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From: Mojave, Ca
You'll need to go on eBay and get the EVTM (electrical and vacuum troubleshooting manual) for your gear truck and a multimeter and start wringing out wires. The manuals are a PDF or CD and they run about $40 for the EVTM plus the general repair manuals in a bundle. The multimeter should cost you about $20. With a good set of crimpers and a few butt splices, you should be able to fix it.
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,561
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From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
hopefully the warranty tag is still on the "B" pillar to figure out what year cab and electrical you have.
do you have the dimmer switch on the blinker stalk?
have you looked around the driver side floor under th eparking brake to see if maybe someone removed the dimmer switch and never returned it?
if it is a 91 and older cab there should be a 3 wire plug down there, and 2 small screw holes in the floor.
if the dimmer switch is removed, the headlights will not work.
do you have the dimmer switch on the blinker stalk?
have you looked around the driver side floor under th eparking brake to see if maybe someone removed the dimmer switch and never returned it?
if it is a 91 and older cab there should be a 3 wire plug down there, and 2 small screw holes in the floor.
if the dimmer switch is removed, the headlights will not work.
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,561
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From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
that is the plug for the dimmer switch.
with headlights on, take a test light and find the wire with power. i want to say it is the center one. than with a small jumper wire go from the hot to one of the others and you should have headlights. one is for low beams, one for high beams.
red/yellow stripe should be hot with headlight switch pulled out.
red/black stripe should be low beams.
lite green/black stripe should be high beams.
with headlights on, take a test light and find the wire with power. i want to say it is the center one. than with a small jumper wire go from the hot to one of the others and you should have headlights. one is for low beams, one for high beams.
red/yellow stripe should be hot with headlight switch pulled out.
red/black stripe should be low beams.
lite green/black stripe should be high beams.
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6th Gear
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Very new to anything mechanical so I don’t know how to make a jumper wire, if I just buy the switch and hook it up should that fix my issue?
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i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,561
Likes: 5,599
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
yea, that will work to. a jumper wire is simply a small piece of wire with the ends stripped a little bit.
you can just as easily do it with two small screwdrivers. turn on headlights, stick the screwdriver ends in the plug so they make contact with the metal tab in the plug, than touch the two screwdriver metal shafts together. your helper will then tell you the headlights came on. if doing it this way though, make sure the metal parts do not touch anything on the truck.
you can just as easily do it with two small screwdrivers. turn on headlights, stick the screwdriver ends in the plug so they make contact with the metal tab in the plug, than touch the two screwdriver metal shafts together. your helper will then tell you the headlights came on. if doing it this way though, make sure the metal parts do not touch anything on the truck.
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6th Gear
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yea, that will work to. a jumper wire is simply a small piece of wire with the ends stripped a little bit.
you can just as easily do it with two small screwdrivers. turn on headlights, stick the screwdriver ends in the plug so they make contact with the metal tab in the plug, than touch the two screwdriver metal shafts together. your helper will then tell you the headlights came on. if doing it this way though, make sure the metal parts do not touch anything on the truck.
you can just as easily do it with two small screwdrivers. turn on headlights, stick the screwdriver ends in the plug so they make contact with the metal tab in the plug, than touch the two screwdriver metal shafts together. your helper will then tell you the headlights came on. if doing it this way though, make sure the metal parts do not touch anything on the truck.
so I jumped the wire and got the lights to work so I’m going to go by the switch but I don’t see the plug like connectors that will go into it to make it work I’ll attach a picture of what I’m talking about also I cleaned the connections that are dirty in the picture
Got the lights to work by putting both ends of some pliers on each side (both left side connections together and both ride side together) then cleaned these connections. Going to buy a dimmer switch but I don’t see the connections for the plug on the dimmer switch (little metal ends that look kind of like your standard house wall plug)
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,561
Likes: 5,599
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
you most likely need to stick a flat blade screwdriver between the plug and switch part and pry then apart.
or just buy both and eliminate what you have there, as the contacts in the current plug very well may break when trying too separate it.
or just buy both and eliminate what you have there, as the contacts in the current plug very well may break when trying too separate it.
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6th Gear
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Update
Got the new headlight switch in and it’s working but when the switch is plugged in the headlights won’t turn off, they stay on regardless of the headlight switch being pulled even stay on with the truck turned off, only way to turn off the headlights is to unplug the truck, any ideas how I can fix this?
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,561
Likes: 5,599
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
probably why they pulled the dimmer switch.
something is not kosher with the headlight switch
it almost sounds like a few wires are shorted out and bypassing the headlight switch
something is not kosher with the headlight switch
it almost sounds like a few wires are shorted out and bypassing the headlight switch
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