Headlight rewire experts come in please? or need rewire??

[Jaswir]

ok my headlights work but when i have my headlights on my parking lights turn off... i have to play with the switch to get them both to come on at the same time... like i have to put it right in the middle... even then if i drive and hit a bump the parking lights turn off or my headlights then i have to move it a lil for both of them to come on... and seems if i drive for more then two hours i can't get them to work... they flicker! ok so i replace my switch because i thought it was bad... wrong it does the same thing but to me it kind of feels like the switch is broke but its not!

so i am wonder on what i need to do... can i buy some other type of swich to wire just for my parking lights? or switch for both like radio shack switch or something???.... do i need to run new powerwires? just wondering why i can't get both of my headlights and parking lights to come on when i turn the switch all the way on! anyone have a simular problem?

 

[Roland69]

I'd try a new switch I heard they were weak and did funky stuff often. My 95 had a poopy switch and it would turn the lights off alltogeather so I bought a new one.

 

[HISSIN50]

There are myriad options. A simple one is to install relays on low and high beams, and fogs (3 relays). This unburdens the switchgear, which can extend the service life of the contacts.

Good luck.

 

[Jaswir]

what kind of relays where can i get some?

 

[jrichker]

SEE http://www.corral.net/tech/maintenance/foglights.html to fix the problem. The stock wiring isn't up to the job and is overheating. The headlight switch & turn/multifunction switch are affected by Ford's wiring problem. Sometimes it overheats so badly that the plastic shells of the wiring connectors start to melt.

 

[HISSIN50]

what kind of relays where can i get some?

Jrichker got you the goods.

If asking what I used directly, I simply used a Bosch SPDT (SPST would work fine as well) 30 amp relay x 3. One for lows, one for highs and one for fogs.

I tend to not be one to make a circuit more complicated than it was to begin (relays do occasionally fail, etc) but since peoples' lights sometimes go off on their own (a condition I consider extremely dangerous) I figured trying to improve the circuit (and adding more crap to it) was worthwhile. I will mention that the reason I added 3 relays was really to unburden the switchgear - it's over 100 bucks worth of switches that I wanted to avoid buying.

I chose to use resetting circuit breakers in series on the wire from the battery to the relay's common terminals. From when I used to rewire my bikes, I found that in wet conditions the breakers were effective for those occasional times when the circuit would get wet/whatever, and kick out. A fusible link might be even more application appropriate.

Bottom line is that simply following the link in Jricker's post should have you greatly improving things alone without introducing other sources of malfunction down the line. It is absolutely the place to start.

Good luck.

 

[Jaswir]

found the problem... it was a fuse! i checked them but this one was broke at the bottom and it wasnt noticeable... but today my dome light burt out... so i checked them all and pulled everyone out and 2 were bad... my domelight and my headlights! so now they work good... but i am still going to do the rewire for the foglights