Does anyone know the location of the foglight relay on a 98?

Thanks...

 

There are 2, number 8 and number 10. 8, I believe is the foglight relay, 10 is the isolation relay. They are all the way toward the firewall in the under hood electrical box.

In this pic you are standing on the driver's side of the truck, looking over the fender panel, with the firewall to the right side of the picture.



-Jim

 

Thanks Jim - I found your thread about your light addition about 10 minutes after I posted this.

I am trying to make the foglights work with the parking lights and brights instead of just on dim. I have done it on my Explorer, but the relay setup is different on a Ranger.

 

Cobra,

I saw this posted on another website (not TRS) for a '95 Ranger. I don't know if it will work on a '98 Ranger (seems like it might), but if you or anyone else tries it, I would be interested to know what happens:

"....The Foglamp relay can't be turned on even with the foglamp switch unless the headlights are on sending 12 volts to the foglamp relay.

Under the hood on the drivers side is where the relays are housed. Unbolt the relay box from the truck to gain access to the wires underneath.

Find the Air Conditioner Relay. When the key switch is turned to the on position you will have 12 volts going to the A/C relay (0 volts when key off). This is a smaller wire, red I think.

Now find the Relay that controls the Foglamps. Find the wire that has 12 volts when the full Headlamps are on (will have 0 volts when hi beam's on or park lights on). This again is a smaller wire.You are going to cut this wire and close it off. You need to leave enough wire where you can splice from the Foglamp relay into the the A/C relay wire you found previously. So now both relays will be fed 12 volts at the same time when the key is on.

This now allows you to use your Foglamps at anytime when the key is switched on! Basically we are sending the Foglamp relay 12volts when the key is on making it think the Headlamps are on!

Be careful doing this... you may be able to use any other relay you can find to feed the fog relay if you wish using the same steps above. don't use one that has a constant 12 volts cause fog's will always stay on if you do..."

For what it's worth.

 

That is what I did on my Explorer, but instead of using the A/C wire, I tapped a wire off my parking light. This allowed you to use the foglights when the parking lights are on - regardless of low or high beams. It also cuts power to the foglight relay when the parking lights are not on.

The only other way to do this was to tap the headlight switch, but you pull too much current through the switch and melt it that way.

I know this works - I just couldn't find the relay on my Ranger (its not positioned like an Explorer and I do not have a manual ).

Now that I know where the relay is - I will find the wire that feeds the relay power - cut it (and cap it off) - and then run a wire from my parking light wire to the relay....



Thanks guys!

 

I recommend that you double-check your state's driver's regulations. Here in Minnesota, it is against the law for a vehicle to be in motion with parking lights on. I believe it's also against the law to operate fog lights/driving lights with the high beams on. Or, to be specific, fog/driving lights can be on only when low beams are on.

 

Last time I checked, it was illegal in Oregon to have just parking lights on when in motion, but a lot of the cops do it, and so do a lot of other people (myself included) and never seen anyone pulled over because of it. I think you're also supposed to use your fog/driving lights like highbeams, and turn them off when traffic approaches. I don't know ANYone who does it.

Brian

 

It is illiegal in almost every state to run with your fogs on with the highs. And in a lot of places, it is illegal to have them on with anything but the low beams - but that has never stopped anyone. My nextdoor neighbor in Georgia was a Georgia Highway Patrol Officer, and when he saw I had changed mine, he asked me to change his. Ford even has them on Explorer to where you can turn them on with the parking lights (starting in 98 models).

I've had mine changed for over 2 years - and never had the first problem.

 

CobraXP, am I reading this right, that you tapped a wire from the actual parking <b>light</b>? Just trying to find the best/easiest way to do this. Looks like the rain broke for a few minutes, maybe I'll go check it out

Brian

 

Yes, you check the wires on the foglight light relay, and find the one going in that supplies the power when the headlights are on (will be off on the brights). You cut that wire - cap off the wire coming from the power source. Tap a wire from one of your parking lights and run it to the cut wire going into the relay.

That way, when your parking lights come on, the wire you tapped in will supply the foglight relay with power - telling it to put power to the foglights. Then they will work as long as the parking lights are on.

Make sense??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

Yes, makes plenty of sense
I was just trying to decide where I wanted to take power from. I was planning on wiring it the same way, but taking the power from the headlight switch. Not being sure how much current the relay draws (although I'm sure it's very little), I didn't know if it would be too much current through the switch. I tried pulling the bottom of the distribution panel off but was unsuccessful. Took all of the clips off but still wasn't able to pull it off. Then of course my girlfriend called me away (don't they understand that truck are <b>important</b> to us!?), and I'm about to go try it again. My manual states that the foglight relay is number 4, contradicting what PSKSAM2 says about his 98. We'll find out soon enough I guess

Thanks,
Brian

 

Brian, there is both a Fog Lamp Fuse and a Fog Lamp Relay in the power distribution box under the hood of my '98.

The #4 position that the manual is referring to is where the Fuse goes, in the section of the box where the small fuses are located.

The Relay is in location #10, in the section of the box where the relays are.

I would think yours is set up the same way, no?

 

In my Focus, it was so easy. You removed the relay and jumped 2 plugs together to make the fogs work all the time. It was nice, cause the switch inside was built into the headlight switch, and automatically turned off the fogs when you turned off the parks.

I'm too chicken to cut wires heading into my relay box...

 

I misread my manual. I double checked first (thankgod) and yes it was the fuse. Relay #10 is the foglight relay. I took my meter and found the wire that was hot with the foglights on, and clipped it and put a butt connector on the relay end, and capped the other end. I decided to use relay #13 (parking lamp/trailer) and found the hot wire with parking lights on. Put a tap in that wire and connected to the butt connector on relay #10. Now I have foglights any time the parking lights are on.
Funny thing is that I've been wanted to do this since I bought the truck 18 months ago, just been too afraid to cut into the relay box too
Hardest part was getting my fingers into the box since it wouldn't come off all the way. Thanks for the help everyone...

Brian

 

Good deal! I'm glad it worked for you!