help with my headlight switch

[fivespeedsteed]

hey guys, before i left for school my headlight switch started acting wierd. sometimes when i hit my lights all the way to on, past parking and then to lights, they wouldnt come on. but i could turn the switch on and off a few times and it would get the idea and work. also sometimes the passenger window switch would not work at all, on either side, the window was stuck cracked in the rain one day. well no big deal to me at that time, but when i went to put it up before going back to school once i went to put the pass window up and no go. i had to tkae the switches out and fiddle with them to make it go up. well now im back for the weekend again and it got dark andmy damn headlights wont come on. i tried turning it off and back on a ton and nothing. i had to drive it home holding my brights on, and then borrow my dads f150 for the rest of the night.

this car used to have an old alpine security system in it when i first got it, but the fuse was taken out which led me to believe that it didnt work, so i just took the alarm horn out, and now the door locks have never worked, only sometimes. so basically i tihnk the alarm system is interfering with that, but i dont see how this could mess with the lights or windows, seeing as it went a year - 2 years without a single hiccup until now.

i started thinking it may be the thing where running low beams and fogs mess up those wires over time, adn that could do it, but again why would it do it after sitting still? or after a year + of using low beams and fogs everywhere.

so tomorrow morning im gonna try to take the switch to the headlights out and re-connect them. think ziptieing around the switch between the wires somehow would help it? imreally lost, and i want to get my lights working so i can drive my car already.

thanks for the help.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

Pull the switch and look for any burned wires or melted areas on the switch itself. Ford should've used a relay for the lights, but instead decided to run the full load for the lights through the headlight and multifunction switches. If that's a no go, take a look at the wiring for the multifunction switch, too. One of those areas is almost bound to be the problem, since it's all too common. The replacement pigtails that Ford sells for the repair come with heavier gauge wiring to combat a reoccurance of the issue. It should have been a recall, IMO.

 

[fivespeedsteed]

so you mean pull the switch out of the dash and check the wires? it wont be under the hood anywhere will it? which piggytail are we talking about the one that goes into the back of the switch on the dash?

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

Yeah, the switch pulls out pretty easily. Just need a couple of screwdrivers, nails, etc to push the little catches on the switch inward, and it'll pop out in your hand. They're right behind the buttons on the switch. The pigtails I was referring to are both the ones that plug into the headlight switch and the one in the steering column that plugs into the multifunction switch. They're both known to melt over time from resistance building up in them. There shouldn't be anything under the hood related to the headlights except for the wiring that runs to them from the interior.

 

[fivespeedsteed]

oh okay so the multifunction is what has the problem with the foglights not being able to run constantly with the low beams, and the problem i most likely have is with the switch up top. thanks for your help let me see what i can get done, then ill have to order them from ford and wait till my next trip home.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

Let me do some poking around and get back to ya. I'm pretty sure the pigtails are out there without having to go to Ford to get them. Worst case scenario, I might have to get you some part numbers to see if they still stock the parts at Ford.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

Ok, found the multifunction switch repair harness at 50resto, but I'm still working on the headlight switch harness.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/iwwida.pvx?;item?item_no=PE779 1&comp=LRS

Edit: This is the best I could do for the headlight switch pigtail. Worst case scenario, you'll have to cut back the factory wiring if any is burned, and solder in new. You'll need the terminals to plug into the switch that snap into the connector itself.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/iwwida.pvx?;item?item_no=LRS-14489A 1&comp=LRS

 

[fivespeedsteed]

well today i took it all apart and looked. the wires going into the back of the grey connectors to the headlight switch looked just fine. the wires and all. could it just be the switch? and am i right that the multifunction switch repair is just to get your fogs and parking lights to work at the same time. i just wished i could drive my car at night. this is so discouraging.

 

[fivespeedsteed]

how much do i need to take apart in order to find the pigtail for the multifunction switch? i have taken the steering column boot and the 2 bigger pannels off where my knees are plenty of times and im getting sick of it. so that pigtail is what i need to lookout for? ok i just looked at the headlight switch good and its burnt. one of the corners is brown, the bridge between 2 pins is cracked and the metal piece inside has sunken down into the clip so im gonna say thats my problem. can i get those numbers for the pigtail? that way i just have to cut and splice the wires together right?

 

[BK_CAULEY]

how much do i need to take apart in order to find the pigtail for the multifunction switch? i have taken the steering column boot and the 2 bigger pannels off where my knees are plenty of times and im getting sick of it. so that pigtail is what i need to lookout for? ok i just looked at the headlight switch good and its burnt. one of the corners is brown, the bridge between 2 pins is cracked and the metal piece inside has sunken down into the clip so im gonna say thats my problem. can i get those numbers for the pigtail? that way i just have to cut and splice the wires together right?

have you found any problems with your pigtail? im willing to bet its just the switch.

 

[fivespeedsteed]

how much do i need to take apart in order to find the pigtail for the multifunction switch? i have taken the steering column boot and the 2 bigger pannels off where my knees are plenty of times and im getting sick of it. so that pigtail is what i need to lookout for? ok i just looked at the headlight switch good and its burnt. one of the corners is brown, the bridge between 2 pins is cracked and the metal piece inside has sunken down into the clip so im gonna say thats my problem. can i get those numbers for the pigtail? that way i just have to cut and splice the wires together right?

i thought that was the problem, the one connector being burnt and sunken into the clip?

 

[mbarocio]

I have a light switch if need one.

 

[fivespeedsteed]

nah im pretty sure its not the switch, the switch looks fine. its the clip that goes into the switch. ill show you the pics when i get them loaded. where can i get the whole pigtail? whats my easiest option to replace this? call the ford dealership?

 

[savegoodautonfg]

When i had a problem like this, the gray connector that plugs into the headlight switch was burnt up from running fogs with low beams on. Other then the corral fix is there a thing they sell to just plug and play it?

 

[fivespeedsteed]

thats exactly what happend to me. the guy above said the pigtails come with thicker wire to accomodate this. other than that the multifunction switch pigtail is the biggest issue when it comes to fixing the fog light and lowbeam problem.

 

[fivespeedsteed]

not too sure if you can see it but the bottom right one is kinda brown around it, and the metal connector inside is sunken down into the clip.