OK. My lights have been doing really weird things. If i pull the headlight **** out all the way my headlights come on but my tail lights and dash lights do not light up. If i slowly inch the **** in I can CAREFULLY find a spot where all the lights work. SO i figured i needed a new switch. I replcaed it yesterday and nothing changed. ANy ideas on what to look for next

 

did you check out the connectors themselves ? Sometimes they go goofy and need to be replaced inside the plastic connector. OR the connector is bad.

 

Had the same problem a year ago. Turned out to be the switch. as bilder says start with the connector first.

 

thanks for the replys. I am going to look closer at the connector and see if i can't locate the problem

 

go to schucks get harness and replace it also had same problem last winter did switch then harness. switch goes bad & harness overheats.

 

Relays on the headlights will keep that from ever happening again and give you brighter lights also.

I tow a lot so I installed relays on high, low and marker lights. Everything works better and the switch does not overheat any more.

 

what do i need to do in order to install relays??

 

I got a couple of heavy duty headlight sockets at Advance Auto that had 12 guage wire pigtails and a pair of 30 amp relays for driving lights. I had a good supply of 10 guage wire laying around and terminals.

The directions for wiring the relay are on the package, I will let you read that part since there are several different kinds of relays.

I installed mine on the drivers side right behind the coolant recovery tank.
The wires for the drivers side headlight is right there also.
Remove the stock headlight sockets.
Trace the wires back to the coolant recovery tank and cut the wire going to the drivers side headlight.
Run a wire from the positive battery terminal through a 30 amp fuse to the battery terminal of the relay.
The high beam wire that comes out of the cab goes to the trigger terminal on the relay.
The swithched relay terminal then goes to the headlight high beam wire on the socket.
I also ran a wire over to the passenger side socket from the drivers side.
There is also a ground terminal on the relay that must go to a good ground as well as the ground wire on the headlight socket. I ran both of these wires to the negative terminal of the battery.
Run 12 as a minimum wire size, 10 is better. When you compare the 12 or 10 to the stock wire you will see what I mean about the stock wire size.
If you also want to do the marker lights that wire is in the same harness. But it is a bit harder to hook all the marker lights up to the relay.

Marker is brown.
High is green
Low is red
I may have reversed the high and low colors, it has been a while since I did this to mine. If you pull the headlight socket you can see the exact colors you are looking for, black is ground on the socket. I do remember the wire colors on the heavy duty socket were reversed from my stock colors. Also the horn, windshield washer and turn signal wires are in the same loom with the headlight wires, so watch which ones you cut. A test light will make it easy to check before you cut.

I just taped the passenger side headlight socket up till I get around to a complete rewire of the front of the truck. Ford used wire way to small to power the headlights and marker lights. Plus all the power for all the lights on the truck go through the headlight switch when it does not need to.

Repeat for the low beam and you are done.
Headlights are brighter, bulbs last longer.
I have a set of APC diamond headlights with Silverstar bulbs in them.
What a difference it made in the Silverstar bulbs.
I can see where i am going at night.

 

Better yet, although I do agree with the relay install, use the alternator casing as a ground. or if to long, run a wire(10 gauge or thicker) from the lat casing to a ground terminal(available at any auto parts store or radio shack, if need be) and ground to there to get the same effect. Just make sure you coat the connection terminals in di-electric grease to water proof them after the hook-up. Solder and shrink tube all your connections, and forget about just crimping the connectors, and you'll not only have a better connection, it'll be weather-proof.

I've used the theory of grounding all electrical connections to the alternator housing for a number of years, the only one you don't want to do this with is the stereo/radio, as you will need filters to eliminate static. Wouldn't hurt to install them anyways, but won't need them for the radio so long as it's just grounded to the body/frame.

One thing I do have to say for DC current. It technically runs - to + so grounding to the source produces brighter light, period. Grounding through a new frame will not show much difference, but once things start to corrode, you'll notice a huge difference. It's easier to control a few grounding points, rather than one per light bulb, which is mostly the case on a stock truck.

 

Check the connections at the switch, they seem to have a "connection" problem. I eventually cut out the switch block connector and replaced all the terminals with single 'push - on' for each wire. Had no problems since. Before I did this replaced switch twice in 3 months.

 

Great! Thanks for the detailed write up! I will problably try to tackle the relay thing in the next couple weeks.


So i can actually cut the wiring harness at the switch and install single connectors instead of using the big plug?? I will do this first in order to get the lights workign properly and then tackle the relay job

Thanks again- you guys have been very helpful!

 

When I did mine, I could not find a replacement connector block FORD may have one now. But I soldered all my push on connectors and used heat shrink tubing on every connection When you pull off the block and see if you have any signs of a short (burnt plastic)

 

Dave- Thanks again for the write up- a quick question Do I use on relay for the high beams and one for the low? If so, then one relay controls the high beams for both sides? how do I wire that?

Thanks- jeff

 

One relay for each circuit that you do.

I came out of the first relay with two 10 guage wires. One goes to the left headlight high beam, one goes to the right side high beam.
Same process for the low beam on each side.

I just ran mine along side the cross over battery cable to get from the left to the right side. Since it is up where the wire may be damaged I used the split wire loom in a 1/2" size to protect the wires. Zip ties secure the loom to the battery cable.

 

OK- I cut the plug off at the switch and installed sperate connectors on all the wires. Still having the same problem. If i pull the headlight swith all cthe way out I only get the headlights (no tail or dash lights) When I slowly push the **** in a can find the sweet spot that powers all the lights. I replaced the switch but that didn't do anything. I am in the process of adding relays for the headlights but I don't think that will fix the problem at the switch. Is it possible the new switch went bad immediately b/c incorrect wiring or should I be looking somewhere else. Note.--I can hear a clicking noise under the hood when i pull the **** out and it activates the headlights. I hear the same noise when i push the **** in and the dash/tail lights turn on. What is this???

I need help to get this fixed.

THANKS!!