Headlight auto sensor
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New User
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Dallas
Headlight auto sensor
Anyone know how to alter the sensitivity of the automatic-headlight sensor? At dusk and dawn my lights intermitently turn off then on as I go from shadow to lighter conditions until it's dark enough (or light enough) for them to stay on or off, depending on time of day.
It doesn't bother me as much as it probably annoys the drivers coming towards me and in front of me. Any way to make the lights turn on only when it's dark/light enough to stay on/off? Obviously, one fix is to just turn them on manually...but what the heck, I paid for the feature, right?
It doesn't bother me as much as it probably annoys the drivers coming towards me and in front of me. Any way to make the lights turn on only when it's dark/light enough to stay on/off? Obviously, one fix is to just turn them on manually...but what the heck, I paid for the feature, right?
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From: Dallas
Yeah, that's where I have the biggest issues. I live in the semi-country outside of Dallas and the hills and trees make for light/dark transitions at dusk. The weird thing is, I've had 5-6 cars with this feature and never had this problem. My wife's Lexus drives the same roads with no issue...
Oh well...could be worse.
Oh well...could be worse.
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Joined: Apr 2005
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I never found the auto lamps to be very good. After the first week of owning the truck I just stopped using them and went back to turning the headlights on and off by hand. I would rather they eliminate that feature on the f150's and give me back the under hood and glove box lights, etc etc!
Last edited by ford9c; Apr 2, 2007 at 01:34 PM.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2006
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Originally Posted by ford9c
I never found the auto lamps to be very good. After the first week of owning the truck I just stopped using them and went back to turning the headlights on and off by hand. I would rather they eliminate that feature on the f150's and give me back the under hood and glove box lights, etc etc!
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ford9c,
I disagree. I've had them on my last two F150's and I love them. I especially like the feature of the delay off function, which is handy when you live in rural areas where it is completely black out and you need to find your way to the door.
I have never had the problem described, but it would seem to me that the problem may be more with the delay timer than with the sensitivity of the sensor. When I drive into a tunnel or some other darker area like a parkade, it takes about 15 to 30 seconds for the auto lights to activate. Perhaps this function is programmable for a longer delay, which would solve the problem.
Doug
I disagree. I've had them on my last two F150's and I love them. I especially like the feature of the delay off function, which is handy when you live in rural areas where it is completely black out and you need to find your way to the door.
I have never had the problem described, but it would seem to me that the problem may be more with the delay timer than with the sensitivity of the sensor. When I drive into a tunnel or some other darker area like a parkade, it takes about 15 to 30 seconds for the auto lights to activate. Perhaps this function is programmable for a longer delay, which would solve the problem.
Doug
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i bet if somebody was really technical saavy and had some diagrams there is an adjustment to be made. i am not one of those persons. sorry.
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From: Lawton, Oklahoma
The light sensor is now integrated into the sunload sensor and theft light assembly. It is a very tiny module and hardly going to be adjustable. You might be able to wire in some kind of resistor inline to change the resistance reading to the cluster but that is something you would have to discuss with the design engineer, not a technician since we dont have the specifications for that. We get a process of elimination pinpoint test which is good enough for most people. If you want added features you could opt for some kind of aftermarket add on I suppose.
We get to the point where we want everything under the sun on our vehicles and for nothing to ever break at our expense and to get it all for half the sticker price at zero percent interest.
We get to the point where we want everything under the sun on our vehicles and for nothing to ever break at our expense and to get it all for half the sticker price at zero percent interest.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,365
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From: Ketchikan, AK.
what you might try is to darken the black sensor housing with a permanent marker. i tried this on mine, as recommended by other members here. it does help, but i think i am going to go a little drker with mine to help even more. the nice thing is that you cant even notice that you have done anything to it just by looking at it.
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From: Dallas
Homer, I think you missed the spirit of my post; that or you didn't read it completely. I was not complaining at all, I was curious if there was a fix to a minor non-issue. However, I paid for the auto-headlight feature and have every right to expect it to work within certain parameters. Having had this feature on just about every other vehicle I've owned in the last 7-8 years (five vehicles), and never having had the issue described above, I'd say the Ford feature (or at least the one on my truck) leaves a little to be desired.
I'm not saying it's broke, I'm not saying Ford should have to pay for it, and I'm not saying it should be a free feature. But thanks for you input...
I'm not saying it's broke, I'm not saying Ford should have to pay for it, and I'm not saying it should be a free feature. But thanks for you input...
