Every time i replace the fog lamps in my explorer, they keep blowing (the glass actually breaks) and i keep replacing them. I tested the contacts at the housing and i am getting 12 volts, anyone know why this might be hapening?

 

What year Explorer? WHat bulbs are you getting and using?

 

are you using the stock fog lamps with stock bulbs each time? if so how many pairs have you gone thru? sounds like the lamps themselves may be defective....

 

My thoughts too - wondering if the lamps themselves are grounding the bulb out somehow.

 

hehe. exactly what i was thinking....

 

If they get wet, it could do this also. The cool moisture can cause the glass to break and then the filament will blow. Is there any condensation building up in the housing?

 

in my cavy (i know its a chevy) if you use them in the winter time (bad roads here) they will blow, if you turn them off in the winter on the bad roads no problems, but i think its actually from them getting really really hot (which they do) and then a cold blast of snow/water breaks them. This happened also on my after market lamps on my f-150....cold outside, lamps got hot...(these are xenons, head light) and i got some snow in them while playing in the power, got out and i hear this TINK look over and theres a big crack in the glass...but the lamps worked.

 

also...if they are halogen...DONT TOUCH THEM, that will make them break, the oils from your skin make them break...i dont know why, but they do...if you do touch them, wipe them off with a rag before you turn em on. This happend to me too, then i learned that AFTER i broke them of coarse.

 

Could also be a cracked housing causing water/cold air to get in there and blow them.

 

i just replaced my scratched up fog light assemblies with brand new assemblies from ford. Unfortunately, the new ones blow out every 3-4 weeks, and the old ones never did that. The new ones also stay fogged up on the inside all the time, which the old ones never did. It seems as though the new ones were designed differently than the original 1998 factory ones. The new ones have a different vent. I plan on drilling moisture drain holes to see if it helps. Apparantly the moisture gets in because the lens isnt sealed well, so i need to get the moisture back out...... SO what this all means is that possibly you have the same problem? It's definitely annoying to keep replacing them.

BTW on a side note, the original bulbs were like 22 watts or something. The most recent time I replaced them I found there are 3 identical looking bulbs that fit, all with different wattages. I just installed P/N 885 bulbs that are 50 watts each, been keeping an eye on them, nothing is melting. In fact the hotter bulbs seem to dry out the fog light assembly for me. So far so good, they have outlasted the cooler bulbs so far, and I can see a LOT better. It's a cheap mod for someone who doesnt want to install whole new assemblies. The harness wires are a large enough guage for 50 watt bulbs too. The only other thing to worry about is the fog lamp relay and fuse. So far so good.

 

When I install new lights I seal all the vent holes with silicone

 

gto78, don't drill into the assemblies - take them back, as they are defective. Since they are factory parts, they have a 12/12 warranty. I'd want some that didn't leak!

 

good idea, maybe i'll do that instead. i'll call and make sure they'll take em back before i unbolt em, but that would be nice

 

Hello all,
New here to the Explorer part of the forums... (I like to hang in the 6.0 section w/ my 350s). Anyways...... for Christmas I bought my hot rodding wife a pair of 9007 Silverstars, and H1 (or whatever) Silverstars for the foglights as well, PLUS new DesignTech back-up bulbs that are 'blindingly' bright!
Question to all you Explorers out there is this, is it possible to relocate the ground coming from the fogs, so that they stay on w/ the brights? Similar to what we are doing w/ our Super Duties over "there">>>>>?
Here's a link as to how it's done on the S/Ds http://www.ssdiv.com/fogfix.html
I've done it to mine and many others, and now it's my wife's turn to get hers like this, if at all possible? Thank you for the incoming replies, and if there's a link to this fix here, plz post, for I am not yet familiar w/ the Exp. part of this group of fine 'Forders'!!!!! tyvm in advance. 'BR'

P.S.~~~ Almost forgot, hers is a 1999 Limited AWD w/ some 'this 'n' thats' done to it.

 

I Did this to mine ....all i did was spice off the high at the light and ran a new ground to a spot that was already grounded to the frame