I can see!!!

[Silver91Hatch]

Well I JUST got done with the headlight relay mod and man I can finally say I can see again. The headlights are much brighter, the high beams no longer trip the internal breaker in the headlight switch. The lights are so much brighter that the dash lights look dimmer, lol.

So now, whats next???

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

So now, whats next???

I have my driving/fog lights such that I can select them to come ON and OFF with the dimmer-switch, turn them ON regardless of headlights or no, or turn them OFF completely.

I also have "cornering" lights, which are wide-angle driving lights that I mounted under the front corners of the bumper, aimed at around 45* toward the sides, and operate the same as the above mentioned fog lights; these are very nice when turning from the road onto some dark narrow little road that may have deep chasms on either side for one to fall into; they also light up the sides of the normal headlight pattern nicely, exposing any deer or pedestrians that may be just out of the headlights line of view.

All of these extra lights immediately flip OFF by depressing the dimmer-switch.


Loop a wire from the main HOT feed of the dimmer-switch, through a toggle-switch, and to the DIM wire after the dimmer; turning this switch ON gives you both BRITE and DIM elements ON together when the BRITE lights are selected by the dimmer-switch.


Make the cold side of the reverse-light wire trigger a relay that powers as many big backward facing flood-lights as you desire (with a toggle-switch that enables you to select them at will); this is a big help when backing or working behind the truck.

I have a center-mounted one facing straight back and one angled at 45* on each corner.


When you get all of this done, I have more projects for you.

 

[seawalkersee]

Sooooooooo...there is too much current going through the HL switch causing the lights to kick off? Mine only do it on bright and changing the switch did not cure the problem. Before you think I just threw parts at it, I changed it because with the brights on, I shook the main light shaft and they went out. But the new one does the same thing.

This is good news.

SWS

 

[Silver91Hatch]

I have my driving/fog lights such that I can select them to come ON and OFF with the dimmer-switch, turn them ON regardless of headlights or no, or turn them OFF completely.

I also have "cornering" lights, which are wide-angle driving lights that I mounted under the front corners of the bumper, aimed at around 45* toward the sides, and operate the same as the above mentioned fog lights; these are very nice when turning from the road onto some dark narrow little road that may have deep chasms on either side for one to fall into; they also light up the sides of the normal headlight pattern nicely, exposing any deer or pedestrians that may be just out of the headlights line of view.

All of these extra lights immediately flip OFF by depressing the dimmer-switch.


Loop a wire from the main HOT feed of the dimmer-switch, through a toggle-switch, and to the DIM wire after the dimmer; turning this switch ON gives you both BRITE and DIM elements ON together when the BRITE lights are selected by the dimmer-switch.


Make the cold side of the reverse-light wire trigger a relay that powers as many big backward facing flood-lights as you desire (with a toggle-switch that enables you to select them at will); this is a big help when backing or working behind the truck.

I have a center-mounted one facing straight back and one angled at 45* on each corner.


When you get all of this done, I have more projects for you.

Cool ideas. I am not much on a lot of lights on the front end. I really need to get mine aimed and go from there. As for the rear, I have 2 high mounted floods that are controlled via a toggle switch and a strobe on top of the bed(It is a rollback). Currently it has no backup lights but I plan to add some. I think my next mods will be back-up lights and a 3G alternator.

Sooooooooo...there is too much current going through the HL switch causing the lights to kick off? Mine only do it on bright and changing the switch did not cure the problem. Before you think I just threw parts at it, I changed it because with the brights on, I shook the main light shaft and they went out. But the new one does the same thing.

This is good news.

SWS

Yep. Look into the Tech articles at th etop of the page. Its the first article. I did mine a little different though. I used a fuse block from the parts store instead of inline fuses, mounted my relays right behind the starter solenoid and used the original headlight wires for triggers. On the drivers side I just unplugged the original wiring and ran all new wiring. Before after all of the voltage drop I was getting 7.5-8 volts to the headlights with the engine off, and not a lot more with it running. Now that I am getting a full 12 volts its brighter and the relays take the stress off of the headlight switch.

 

[seawalkersee]

I did the 3g swap in my bronco when it was still gas powered. BEST mod for a daily/nightly driver I can think of.

SWS

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Sooooooooo...there is too much current going through the HL switch causing the lights to kick off? Mine only do it on bright and changing the switch did not cure the problem. Before you think I just threw parts at it, I changed it because with the brights on, I shook the main light shaft and they went out. But the new one does the same thing.

This is good news.

SWS

Although FORD is the worst to have this headlights going out at random situation, they are not the only make of vehicle plagued by the breaker-in-the-switch problem.


I know of numerous FORD (and other makes) trucks that have spent many days in the garage, both when new/under-warranty and after getting some age on them; none of these vehicles ever had the problem fixed before the relay modification came along.


Many later-model big trucks also are plagued by the mysterious loss of headlights syndrome; the older ones that had a no-nonsense direct-wired toggle-switch NEVER had a problem.

 

[smolkin]

Kinda offtopic but I just wanted to praise the floor-mount dimmer switches. Those things are seriously tough! Back in the old days we used to make light controllers for my old band's stage lights out of them. They will handle 300-600W of 120VAC all night long and are highly water/beer resistant! I wish all headlight components were made to that standard.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Kinda offtopic but I just wanted to praise the floor-mount dimmer switches. Those things are seriously tough! Back in the old days we used to make light controllers for my old band's stage lights out of them. They will handle 300-600W of 120VAC all night long and are highly water/beer resistant! I wish all headlight components were made to that standard.

YES. I LOVE FLOOR-MOUNTED DIMMERS and absolutely abhor those dangerous column-mounted ones.

I recently had to drive a later model 279 Peterbilt on a lengthy trip; I couldn't believe it when I found that it too had a column-mounted dimmer; I never was so insulted in my life.


It is a simple matter to dis-connect the wires from a column-mounted dimmer and re-route them to one mounted in the floor.


I have also relocated the position of the floor-mounted dimmer on various vehicles to better suit myself; I can't remember if the one in my Ford has been relocated or not; I will have to check my carpet and see if it has an extra dimmer hole where it might used to have been.

 

[SparkandFire]

Kinda offtopic but I just wanted to praise the floor-mount dimmer switches. Those things are seriously tough! Back in the old days we used to make light controllers for my old band's stage lights out of them. They will handle 300-600W of 120VAC all night long and are highly water/beer resistant! I wish all headlight components were made to that standard.

I couldn't agree more! I hate that everything is mounted to the stupid turn signal lever now! The one on my wife's explorer had the dimmer, front and rear wipers, turn signals, ***???

I would hate to see inside the column on that thing!

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I couldn't agree more! I hate that everything is mounted to the stupid turn signal lever now! The one on my wife's explorer had the dimmer, front and rear wipers, turn signals, ***???

I would hate to see inside the column on that thing!

The real reason for everything being made into the column is so that some little minimum-wage non-union company can pre-assemble everything, then ship the completely wired column to the manufacturer; it's just plug and play from there.

No concern is given to future owners or repairmen, just whatever is cheapest/quickest on the assembly-line.

Same reasons for front-wheel-drive, complete engine/trans-axle assemblies, rack-and-pinion steering, in-tank fuel-pumps, the list goes on and on; everything is designed for the assembly-line.