Just a lighting question
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: New Jersey Shore
Just a lighting question
Hey Guys,
I can't stand when I put on the high beams, the low beams and the fog lights go off. I don't know what the engineers where thinking when they thought this idea up, but when I turn them on that means I need more light not less at a higher angle. Anyway, to my question, I noticed a lot of aftermarket vendors offer a plug in unit to operate all at once but I am yet to find one for my 05 F250. Anyone see one of these units yet.
I looked through the shop manual at the wiring diagram and could easily enough throw in a relay to solve this but thought if someone had a neat little unit to just slap in for a few bucks and fit the original plus it would be better than opening wires and such.
Doug..
I can't stand when I put on the high beams, the low beams and the fog lights go off. I don't know what the engineers where thinking when they thought this idea up, but when I turn them on that means I need more light not less at a higher angle. Anyway, to my question, I noticed a lot of aftermarket vendors offer a plug in unit to operate all at once but I am yet to find one for my 05 F250. Anyone see one of these units yet.
I looked through the shop manual at the wiring diagram and could easily enough throw in a relay to solve this but thought if someone had a neat little unit to just slap in for a few bucks and fit the original plus it would be better than opening wires and such.
Doug..
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I think the motorhave side here has the item but not sure
I rolled my own on the 2001 and like you noticed it is a no brainer
There are hundreds of threads on this over the years upstairs in the SuperDuty form and in the general section on the "other" site.
If you do the roll your own method I highly recommend you just pull the entire wire loom away for the lights, get all the same connectors from Ford or wherever. Wire up an identical harness with heavier gage wire and feed direct from battery using the original loom to control your relays.
The Factory wires have a significant voltage drop already and ganging in the low and high beam further reduces the brightness. Even if you do not gang both light sets on at the same time and just rewire for bigger gage there is a visual increase in brightness of the Factory bulbs.
Lots of threads from more **** guys than me who did the voltage drop tests and illumination tests with and with out factor wires.
I think one of these days I wil get off my butt and diagram a way to selectivly add in FOG and Low bean via one of the Uppfitter switches.
I rolled my own on the 2001 and like you noticed it is a no brainer
There are hundreds of threads on this over the years upstairs in the SuperDuty form and in the general section on the "other" site.
If you do the roll your own method I highly recommend you just pull the entire wire loom away for the lights, get all the same connectors from Ford or wherever. Wire up an identical harness with heavier gage wire and feed direct from battery using the original loom to control your relays.
The Factory wires have a significant voltage drop already and ganging in the low and high beam further reduces the brightness. Even if you do not gang both light sets on at the same time and just rewire for bigger gage there is a visual increase in brightness of the Factory bulbs.
Lots of threads from more **** guys than me who did the voltage drop tests and illumination tests with and with out factor wires.
I think one of these days I wil get off my butt and diagram a way to selectivly add in FOG and Low bean via one of the Uppfitter switches.
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Central Pennsylvania
Now that would be a great idea, Fred. I may not want the fogs and low beam all the time but I would like to be able to selectively flip them on as needed. The upfitter switches would be great for that.
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Senior User
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From: New Jersey Shore
Thanks Fred,
I thought of wiring through the upfitter switches but reconsidered after thinking of the type of roads I drive in PA. Lots of twisty turns and I thought it would be a hastle to turn off the high beams on one side and have to reach for the upfitter switch at the same time. I'll check the web site you recommended, if not I'll make a new harness as you suggest. Did you have any temperature problems when running both at the same time, ie. lens discoloration or warping??
Thanks,
Doug
I thought of wiring through the upfitter switches but reconsidered after thinking of the type of roads I drive in PA. Lots of twisty turns and I thought it would be a hastle to turn off the high beams on one side and have to reach for the upfitter switch at the same time. I'll check the web site you recommended, if not I'll make a new harness as you suggest. Did you have any temperature problems when running both at the same time, ie. lens discoloration or warping??
Thanks,
Doug
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1st, why is this in the V10 section?
2nd, i don't know about the Super Duty, but on the focus there is a relay you can jumper to make the fogs work completely independent of the headlights, which means they can be on with the lows, the highs, and even on their own. does the Super Duty have some sort of relay for the fogs?
Lastly, I'd doubt you'd want the highs and lows on at the same time simply bc it's the same bulb! that's a LOT of heat and wattage being concentrated on such a small area. i would think you'd have to start worrying about melting harness and even doing damage to the housing itself.
Mike
2nd, i don't know about the Super Duty, but on the focus there is a relay you can jumper to make the fogs work completely independent of the headlights, which means they can be on with the lows, the highs, and even on their own. does the Super Duty have some sort of relay for the fogs?
Lastly, I'd doubt you'd want the highs and lows on at the same time simply bc it's the same bulb! that's a LOT of heat and wattage being concentrated on such a small area. i would think you'd have to start worrying about melting harness and even doing damage to the housing itself.
Mike
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None that I noticed heat wise on the 01 remember I did not have the truck long enought nor did I have many off road twin light hourd on her so my experiance is irrelevant.
I do know for a fact that the Factory wireing on the 99-04 models was too spall a gage and caused a 1-2 VDC drop just for the highbeams so many folks re-wired to heavier gage and reported significantly increased brightness.
There also were all sorts of mods to make a non fog light switch have the extra position.
There were also some mechanical mods to a fog light switch so it might add fog with High beam..
Finally so fellow figured out how to electrically bypass the GEM relay that cuts out the fog light with high beam..
Tons of info and ideas. Some of them very Rube Goldberg contraptions with 4 to 6 added relays..
Hummmm I am all about simple and effecient and lots of options so I think I will wire it so the factory switch is the stock primary lighting method and ADD in control circuit for one upfitter switch to just illuminate the bulbs or filiments that are locked out.
I do know for a fact that the Factory wireing on the 99-04 models was too spall a gage and caused a 1-2 VDC drop just for the highbeams so many folks re-wired to heavier gage and reported significantly increased brightness.
There also were all sorts of mods to make a non fog light switch have the extra position.
There were also some mechanical mods to a fog light switch so it might add fog with High beam..
Finally so fellow figured out how to electrically bypass the GEM relay that cuts out the fog light with high beam..
Tons of info and ideas. Some of them very Rube Goldberg contraptions with 4 to 6 added relays..
Hummmm I am all about simple and effecient and lots of options so I think I will wire it so the factory switch is the stock primary lighting method and ADD in control circuit for one upfitter switch to just illuminate the bulbs or filiments that are locked out.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,859
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From: USA
Mr Law ,does not take kindly to having highbeams/lowbeams/fogs on all at the same time.It can be a hazzard to oncoming people!
Then again think if this is on a lifted truck what it does to them.
Just my $1
Rich
Then again think if this is on a lifted truck what it does to them.
Just my $1
Rich
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Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,679
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From: BC, Canada
88svt have you thought about adding some driving lights?
I've got driving lights wired so that they only work on high beam. When the lights are switched from high to low beams then driving lights go off.
I'm not sure if it's true or not but I've been told that it's the law here that they have to work that way.
On an 05 the circuit that only allows the fog lights to be on with the low beams is very simple. Pull the high beam indicator bulb out of the dash and the fog lights will work on high or low beam
Ok maybe that's not a really good idea but the circuit should be pretty easy to modify. There is a light green/black wire, pin 13, coming out of the central junction (fuse) box that is spliced to the high beam indicator light wire. If you cut that and connect it to ground the fog lights will work on high beam as well as low.
I've got driving lights wired so that they only work on high beam. When the lights are switched from high to low beams then driving lights go off.
I'm not sure if it's true or not but I've been told that it's the law here that they have to work that way.
On an 05 the circuit that only allows the fog lights to be on with the low beams is very simple. Pull the high beam indicator bulb out of the dash and the fog lights will work on high or low beam
Ok maybe that's not a really good idea but the circuit should be pretty easy to modify. There is a light green/black wire, pin 13, coming out of the central junction (fuse) box that is spliced to the high beam indicator light wire. If you cut that and connect it to ground the fog lights will work on high beam as well as low.
Last edited by Racerguy; Oct 30, 2005 at 12:11 PM.
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Forty Fords... I am the one always cautioning about Mr Law...
That said,
I think Mr. Law need to get off his lazy *** and chase down the idiots with no, some, lazy eye, miss aligned, gazillion candle power, vibrating and strobing lights.
And if some numb skull Barney Fife with his bullet in his pocket wants to track me out in the woods, in and out of the trees, over hill and dale, across the Crick, up the stream, through the brook, just to give me a citation for running the MOST light possible to keep from running down Bambi...
Well then He better be the Game warden because I been on private property for the last 21 Kidney shaking miles..
So, Officer, before you leave................. could you get me a cold one out of the cooler back there?
That said,
I think Mr. Law need to get off his lazy *** and chase down the idiots with no, some, lazy eye, miss aligned, gazillion candle power, vibrating and strobing lights.
And if some numb skull Barney Fife with his bullet in his pocket wants to track me out in the woods, in and out of the trees, over hill and dale, across the Crick, up the stream, through the brook, just to give me a citation for running the MOST light possible to keep from running down Bambi...
Well then He better be the Game warden because I been on private property for the last 21 Kidney shaking miles..
So, Officer, before you leave................. could you get me a cold one out of the cooler back there?