Headlight and running light mod Qs

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

LIGHT RELAY MODS

Here is one :

http://www.northwestvintagebroncos.com/tech/headlight1.htm

and another :

http://ford.off-road.com/ford/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=198401

and another :

http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16016&highlight=headlight+relay

and another :

http://ramchargercentral.com/boards/index2.php?action=howtoshow;id=55

and another :

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showthread.php?t=176263

and another :

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showthread.php?t=74442

I also used this one that someone above has already posted :

http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/idx/8/039/article/Whiter_Whites_Brighter_Brights.html


I am sure there are about a million more.

It makes no matter that some of the articles are in Dodge forums, as the under-the-hood portion of the wiring is the same.

I used ideas from all of these articles to relay the lights on several of my trucks.

On my personal Ford, I checked voltage before and had less than 9-volts at the lights with engine running; after the relays and much bigger wire, bigger headlight-plugs, and much better grounds, I have just over 14-volts at the lights.

The difference was dramatic; then, I installed SEALED BEAM Sylvania Silver-Stars, and now I can see WAY out there; so much better that, in fact, I was seeing someone's lights following me and finally realized no one was back there; it was my own lights shining plumb around the earth.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

On my personal Ford, I checked voltage before and had less than 9-volts at the lights with engine running; after the relays and much bigger wire, bigger headlight-plugs, and much better grounds, I have just over 14-volts at the lights.

Oh yeah, I got straight up battery voltage at my headlights in the Lincoln, which varies between 13V (engine off) and a bit over 14V (engine idling). My stock-setup voltage was about 11 something tho, so not anywhere near as bad as yours.

The difference was dramatic; then, I installed SEALED BEAM Sylvania Silver-Stars, and now I can see WAY out there; so much better that, in fact, I was seeing someone's lights following me and finally realized no one was back there; it was my own lights shining plumb around the earth.

nice one! How do you like driving on top of that ********* hole tho?

 

[JPR]

JPR, thanks for the link, I looked for the article in the IDI-specific tech section but I guess that was the wrong place to search in.

Your welcome, it is about halfway down IDI tech section, Running Light Relay Modification .

 

[tuckerd1]

The difference was dramatic; then, I installed SEALED BEAM Sylvania Silver-Stars, and now I can see WAY out there; so much better that, in fact, I was seeing someone's lights following me and finally realized no one was back there; it was my own lights shining plumb around the earth.

 

[Optikalillushun]

so it looks like ya dont use relay position 87a in either set up...

i already have the relay sockets, relays, ends and some wiring. i need to get the headlight pigtails and some additional wiring. i may give this the ol college try.

 

[sootman73]

Just do it and save a fire under the dash. The headlite switch carries way too much amperage for my thoughts. Why more truck electrical fires haven't claimed more trucks is beyond me. Ford even has a special "replacement" plug for the burned up headlite switch plug.

do you happen to know the part number for this replacement plug?

mine is completely melted to the point where i dont have any running lights unless i dim everything up all the way?! there are only 3 or 4 sockets on my plug not burned up. mine burned up so bad that the insulation on one of the power wires melted and broke a bunch of the copper strands!

 

[Agnem]

I had to replace the one in the Lady Moose. I got the part at my Ford dealer. Don't know the part number, but they should know what you need when you ask for a "headlight switch pigtail".

 

[sootman73]

alright thanks mel. i have to go out to ford to get another list of parts from my accident that actually tells me part names not just numbers. i cant keep running around either without tailights or with the dimmer up to turn them on. def not good with that switch.

 

[sootman73]

okay i did the mod for both running and headlights. problem is that when i turn over the key my running lights turn on. i dont know what i wired wrong. u sent the brown(no white stripe) to the relay and then back to the other side of my splice in the brown wire. when the key is off everything works normal(running lights turn on and headlights turn on seperately like they are supposed to) but as soon as i turn the key to ACC the running lights turn on. anybody have any ideas?

 

[Agnem]

Does the relay click when you turn on the key? If so, at least you know the problem is upstream from there. The way it should look is the brown wire from the headlight switch goes to the coil in the relay, and the other side of the coil to ground. Then the brown wire from the headlight side goes to the relay contact, opposite the 12V supplied from the battery.

 

[sootman73]

yeah thats how i have it. i think the ground and incoming wire from the headlight switch are backwards but that should still turn on the relay and it does. all the lights come on still.

its when i turn the key to ACC that the running lights and dash lights come on. there is a white w/ light blue wire that controls the dash lights(and dimming of them). it should receive power from the headlight switch and it does. but when the key is turned the wire gets power from somewhere else. i dont know why. i checked with a test light to see which side got power.

i replaced the plug so i have two side of the splices that i have been testing when it is disconnected at the splice.

when key is off and switch is on - switch side wire has power.
when key is off and switch is off - no power on either side
when key is on and HL switch is off-far side gets power somewhere
when key is on and HL switch is on both sides have power.

it should be that when the key is on and HL switch is off there shouldn't be any power on either side right? the HL switch should be the only source of power for that wire right?

 

[Agnem]

That's correct. I'd disconnect all the brown wires and take some measurements.

 

[sootman73]

k thats what ill do. see what i can come up with. while on the subject of the headlight switch does anyone know why it is that i can turn on my radio with the headlight switch even when the key is out of the ignition? my friends 87 6.9l does the same thing!

 

[Agnem]

You guys must have some wayward electrons up there. Better wrangle them and get them back where they belong before they take off on you!

 

[Optikalillushun]

ok so i was curious and tested the voltage at my headlights this afternoon. voltage at the batteries while running with no load was right at 13.9v. loaded down with the running lights and low beams it didnt drop much, same for the hi beams.

so now onto the lights...low beam circuit showed right around 12.3v and the high beams showed 12.2v. so there is definatly some voltage drop. whole loaded up with my small 400w amp and CD player on voltage at the battery and lights dropped 1v each to 12.9v and 11.2v.

so that tells me one important thing...the stock charging system is in need of help, which is coming in the form of a 3G alternator hehe.