Realistic budget of a 2wd -4wd and goodies build

qestion rgarding batteyr cable.s back when i redid my cable si coudlnt find 3/0 or 4/0 so i used two 1/0 or maybe they were 2/0 going to my starter. thinking about this...wont current just pass thru only one cable at a time anyhow? Whichever has lowest resistance?

question regarding hazrard lamp wiring. I got my harbess all wired up to the stock turn switch column connector, everything except hazards, because i want them on a toggle switch.
I cant really undwrstand the schematic of the switch laser posted, but my question is-can i simplt take the hazardd wire and run it thru a toggle rather than the column switch? Or does the column switch physicaly connect left and right circuits?
I got a aeperate flasher for turn and seperate for hazard.

I fear the stock hazard switch bridges the left and right circuits, applying power to this new circuit from the hazrard flasher. In which case i could need to tap into lf, rf, rr, lr wires and run them all into my seperate toggle switch?

Without looking at it I think it does because I think the hazards go solid when you step on the brake. I think you'd have to get creative. Why not use the switch in the column?

the switch is broken on both my columns, think it would be easier to just replace the switch lolol.
Might be getting a tilt column of a member here so ill wait on a new switch.
but you are right, new switch is like 35$ on ebay..ill just do that and save myself time and wire!

Greg5OH said:

qestion rgarding batteyr cable.s back when i redid my cable si coudlnt find 3/0 or 4/0 so i used two 1/0 or maybe they were 2/0 going to my starter. thinking about this...wont current just pass thru only one cable at a time anyhow? Whichever has lowest resistance?

Click to expand...

I will split based on resistance yes, but it won't be all thru one of the cables. So say 60% will pass thu one cable and 40% thru the other, the close the cables are in length the more even the current flow. That is why it's a good idea to periodically switch your batteries around, due to the arrangement & length of the cables (especially if you have one of the later factory setups with 2/0 all the way, instead of 2/0 between the batteries and 3/0 down to the starter) and the currents involved the passenger side is always the one providing most of the juice needed to get the engine started. Or you can run two separate starter cables, one from each battery, make them 2/0 and equal in length and your truck will be very happy.

Greg5OH said:

question regarding hazard lamp wiring. I got my harness all wired up to the stock turn switch column connector, everything except hazards, because i want them on a toggle switch.
I cant really understand the schematic of the switch laser posted, but my question is-can i simply take the hazard wire and run it thru a toggle rather than the column switch? Or does the column switch physically connect left and right circuits?
I got a separate flasher for turn and separate for hazard.

I fear the stock hazard switch bridges the left and right circuits, applying power to this new circuit from the hazard flasher. In which case i could need to tap into lf, rf, rr, lr wires and run them all into my separate toggle switch?

Click to expand...

You didn't have your coffee in yet when you typed this, did you? My auto-correct went nuts But yes, the hazards switch does in fact bridge all 4 corners into one circuit. And technically there should be a diode built in it as well between the switch and the rear lights, as without it when the 4-ways are bridged together and you step on the brakes current feeds back from the brake lights (rear turn signals) thru the 4-ways switch and into the front turn signals, thus like Laserjock said making them all light up solid. (Not saying add the diode yourself, it's probably near impossible with a factory combo switch, and it needs to be able to handle the currents of many brake lamps passing thru it, but still it would be nice to have it.)

If you want to run a stand-alone 4-ways switch you need to look at vehicles that have one mounted in that manner, those would be mostly newer vehicles with the switch on the dash. Keep in mind these may or may not be able to handle the currents associated with flashing trailer lights, so you're probably better off using a switch from a pickup truck rather than one from a passenger car.

Or, for extra heavy-duty, you can ditch the factory setup altogether and use one of these instead: http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wc...catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=29409
Match it up with one of these: www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/store...catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=23770

Pretty much guaranteed to never give you any troubles whatsoever. You may burn out the harnesses, but probably won't even scratch the switch or the flasher Depending on how you wire up the relay the push button on the handle can be used to either switch between high and low beams, or just turn something (anything) on and off.

Or if you wanna go real fancy with your lights, find a VSM999574, first one on this page: http://www.vehiclesafetymfg.com/Mack-Turn-Signal-Switches.html

those are some HD looking units! I may have to reengineer my system when i do the back rack and get my clearanc elights along the flat bed going.

Greg5OH said:

those are some HD looking units! I may have to reengineer my system when i do the back rack and get my clearanc elights along the flat bed going.

Click to expand...

You can run one right now, it will hook right up to your factory harness. Well, you'll be splicing the wires, but point is, all 6 important wires (inputs from BOO switch and flasher, and the 4 outputs towards the turn signals) will match. The truck harness actually uses two flashers, a key-on for turn signals and constant hot for 4-ways, just use the 4-ways flasher to feed the switch and ditch the key-on one altogether - it will work like factory except you'll now be able to use turn signals with ignition off. Then the turn signal switch may have a pilot light wire, or it may not, the ones with button on the lever usually don't have the light. If it has a light and you want it to work (it's just a turn signal indicator, green for left and right and red in the middle for 4-ways) then you'll have to use the big-truck flasher with a pilot light output, and you'll have to run an extra wire from that to the pilot light wire from the switch. But the whole thing is optional as our trucks have indicators built in the dash, those run off the front turn signals so pretty much as long as the switch supplies power to the front turn signals the indicators will operate properly.

Then for the relay for the button on the lever, you don't actually have to run that if whatever you plan on turning on and off already has a relay - the reason you get a relay with the big-truck switch is because the wires for the lever button are pretty small, and there are just two of them anyway, this is enough to control a relay but not good to carry any significant load. So they use the relay instead of your foot switch, power from the main lights switch comes in to terminal #30 and then gets sent via terminal #87a to the low beams, when you want high beams the pushbutton on the lever turns the relay on and it switches the power flow to terminal #87 and the high beams hooked up to it. If you don't hook up anything to terminal #87a then the pushbutton on the lever will simply switch terminal #87 on and off. But like I said if whatever you plan controlling with the lever pushbutton already has a relay, just hook up the switch wires to the relay trigger and go.

woop woop! another wiring question. regarding wipe rmotor

i swear mine has 3 prongs on the wiper motor. not 4. I did have interm wipers. I am for now using an aftermarket switch its off, low, hi. Do i just connect the wiper, 1 proing to ground, 1 to low, 1 to hi from the wiper switch?\

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Greg5OH said:

woop woop! another wiring question. regarding wipe rmotor

i swear mine has 3 prongs on the wiper motor. not 4. I did have interm wipers. I am for now using an aftermarket switch its off, low, hi. Do i just connect the wiper, 1 proing to ground, 1 to low, 1 to hi from the wiper switch?

Click to expand...

Goodness, you ARE a persistent little ******, ain't ya?

Does your aftermarket switch have a "park" feature? If not then you're stuck timing the wiper arms to shut the motor off when they reach bottom position, unless of course you want them to be halfway up your windshield. But yes, you can simply connect your low side on the switch to the solid white wire on the factory switch connector, the high side goes to the darkblue/orange wire, and that's it. Since it's an aftermarket switch the solid red and the black/pink wires on the motor won't see any current thru them. The black wires on the motor itself are grounded thru the harness to the metal skeleton of the dash right next to the factory fuse panel. Oh, and AFAIK the dash harness is the same regardless of which setup you get, the only differences are the intervals brain box and the wipers switch (and possibly the switch harness, but IIRC that one is short and stand-alone and thus quite easy to change). You can go from intervals to idiot wipers by simply unplugging the two harnesses from the brain box and connect them together (one plugs into the other), and if you're trying to upgrade idiot wipers to intervals then all you need are the brain box, the intervals switch, and likely the switch harness as well. About as modular setup as you can get.

I do have to ask though, why are you replacing the factory switch with this aftermarket mess? Especially since you're losing the interval wipers in the process? Interval wipers are a gift from the engineering gods, they are very handy during drizzle when running on solid low will clean the windshield a bit too quick and cause the wipers to squeak like heck and start skipping. Besides it's not like the factory switch is a questionable item, there's a good reason the system has been around in Ford vehiclesfor decades with no major alterations - it's reliable and it simply works.

Oh yeah, buy yourself an EVTM already - while most of the circuit diagrams can be found online the manual also contains excellent explanations on how said circuits actually work, plus step by step troubleshooting procedures. No to be an a$$hat, but I ain't typing what could pass as a draft for an international peace treaty in Africa every time you or anyone else needs that info, I mean I don't mind helping you guys modify the stuff to suit your needs but first you gotta understand how everything works in its factory form, and trying to do so based on the diagrams alone can and will make your head spin.

LCam, i totally understand lol I Am very demanding, and I thank you for your detailed walk thrus. I also didnt think to get the electric manual since my harness is all aftermarket. I should grab one either way jsut for reference though, especially since i am still using some stock components or stock configuration. Silly me. Only reaons i was installing the dumb no intermittent was because I messed up my delay box. a member here Stubborn Nut is sending me one, dude is very generous. It wont be here in time for my road trip so I have to use the aftermarket non intermittent wipers. Acutally...Im just going to use my stock wiring come to think of it, at least it will still work in hi and low, and then put the new box in when it comes.

I did look at my motor, it has the two plugs, 3 prongs each

some more pics

wife loves me.

one large holes covere dup, jsut gotta make a cap for my tcase now. painted it since this pic was taken, putting some sealant on the seams tonight.

Just sitting back watching while I can't work on mine... but soon... very soon...

I guess if I can't get anything done, I can cheer you on right?

almsot ready to roll. Got the dash in. dash lights and gauges work, for some reason my radio is flickering, probably a chepa shot boss unit.
but the harness does power up, im using the coil wire for my FSS, as it is hot while cranking. I kjust need a couple battery terminals, and my bay wiring will be done. Using choke power off my harness to power the fuel heater, cold advance solenoids. Just need to tuck up and tie up the harness as i go, extend a few wires in the tail section, and iyts driveable! got new front steering on, decent string slignment but will take it in to get checked first. Finishing my glowplug harness tonight, need a new starter solenoid. So hook those things up and I should be able to fire it tonight. Maybe even get around to installing the headlights and corner markers. then after im done in the hop finish my 8 relay harness. Tuesday is deadline to have it done, do a test drive aorund the block make sure nothign leaks or overheats, then drive it to work wed and thursday. assuming is all good, toronto bound on friday night.



my aux 8 gang toggle switches, and my push button glowplug on the right

holy aircraft batman!!!
thats slick!

wiring my glowplug and starter relays today. and the wiper motor. again..im st00pid with this, help this guy out.,


starter:
+ battery to + on the starter solenoid.
trigger wire from starter switch in cab goes to the trigger post on the relay
10 gauge wire from switched relay side down to the trigger wire on the solenoid.

glowplugs:
harness to switched side of relay
+ battery to hot terminal of relay
trigger wire to small top post. Does my trigger need to go to ground or do I send it +12v? Id like to just ground it if thats possible.


wiper motor: i got the dual plug one...and I got no idea what goes where. From my diagrams looks like there are 4 wires that come out, basically park, intermittent, low, hi. I assume I will have 2 wires per plug?