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Fog Light Mod


hauser775

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Is there a way to have the fog lights on with on the running or parking lights on. The way it is stock is they only go on with the head lights. I found some threads on how to do it in 98 and up rangers but I want to do it in my 94. Anyone know of a thread that gives details or know how to do it?
 


AllanD

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Ok, auxilary lights are usually controlled by a relay.

"Relay Logic" is one of the frst things you learn in circuit design and there's some really cool things you can do...

Your relay is obviously wired so that the switch is inline to the 12V feed to the
relay.

If your fogs turn OFF when the high beams are turned on the relay coil is probably grounded to the same wire that powers the HiBeams, this means that when the hi's are turned on there's 12V Pos on both sides of the relay coil and the relay drops out.

Now to get the lights ON when the marker lights are on you need to replace
the headlight low beam power feed to the switch with power fed from the
marker lights.

This is how I wired my foglights.

To me someone who runs their Foglamps with their highbeams is
someone who wants to prove that they don't know .
what the lights are really for.
 

Chris.S.

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To me someone who runs their Foglamps with their highbeams is someone who wants to prove that they don't know .
what the lights are really for.
In saying that have you seen the beam pattern on these new trucks? It's pretty rough, as soon as the high beams come on there is a large dark spot right in front the vehicle. Fog lights work perfectly to fill that hole in.

You obviously know your stuff, so I'm not trying to pick an e-fight. Just kinda playing the devil's advocate a little....

And yes, my headlights are aimed properly.
 

Jason

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Ok, auxilary lights are usually controlled by a relay.

"Relay Logic" is one of the frst things you learn in circuit design and there's some really cool things you can do...

Your relay is obviously wired so that the switch is inline to the 12V feed to the
relay.

If your fogs turn OFF when the high beams are turned on the relay coil is probably grounded to the same wire that powers the HiBeams, this means that when the hi's are turned on there's 12V Pos on both sides of the relay coil and the relay drops out.

Now to get the lights ON when the marker lights are on you need to replace
the headlight low beam power feed to the switch with power fed from the
marker lights.

This is how I wired my foglights.

To me someone who runs their Foglamps with their highbeams is
someone who wants to prove that they don't know .
what the lights are really for.
Wow, issue of the week huh? This is like, what, the 4th time in two days.
 

AllanD

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I'm trying to phrase this a bit more delicately....

Turning ALL the lights on at once isn't a proper corrective measure for
lights that simply SUCK.

I'll concede the point that the lights DO suck.

Hacking into the wiring isn't the best way to fix it.

I have an '87, so I have the classic 200mm Rectangular headlamps.
In my truck they are Hella H4 "E-code" lamps.

My Driving lamps are Hella 550's

BTW, generally speaking "Driving lights" have clear lenses
"Fog" have lenses that look like a ripple potato chip.

My foglamps are currently sitting in a milk crate of stuff waiting
to be installed or in some cases (like the foglamps) re-installed.


a "Dark spot" in front of the vehicle is often more a matter of perception. Many people mistakenly think that "good lighting" makes a big blob of light on the ground in front of the truck....

I can tell you my Hella H4's DO NOT do that... (no "blob")

you really can't appreciate the beam pattern until you drive on a
snow covered road and see an even sheet of white...

Driving in the rain on asphalt it's sometimes hard to tell the low beams are on
except for the reflectorized pavement markers shining back at you...

I haven't tried driving a gen4, gen5, etc in the snow.

I CAN say with no reservations that anyone who wants to swap a gen2 nose onto a gen1 truck is going to HATE the stock
gen1 headlights...



AD
 
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AllanD

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Wow, issue of the week huh? This is like, what, the 4th time in two days.
It's actually my pet peeve of the month of june.

It became my pet peeve when I was revewing back posts prepairing for a forum cleanup that I realized there was a bunch of what I believe was "disinformation" or atleast "Faulty logic"

and since I'm sorta the forum high priest of technical accuracy it was time to whip out my "spanish Inquisition hat" to persecute the heretics:)

Please notice that I've JUST finished moving all the lighting topics to our shiny new "illumination" forum....

and since there is exactly one person that can tell me that I can't rant & rave about it until July or August (or for that matter 2045) and that's the forum owner (and I suspect he agrees with my position) ... I'm gonna roll with it.

That all being said I have reason to doubt that many people actually know the difference between a "fog light" and a "Driving light"... there is a radical difference in beam pattern...

Driving lights work quite well mounted behind the grille....
so if stylistically that's what floats your boat go for it.

but be sure you know the difference between the two....

The only issue that mounting them behind the grille creates is it makes it a Royal-PITA to change the bulbs when they eventually fail... but it does keep them from getting smashed by the next traffic accident (mabey) or by the next deer you hit (I've hit 14deer)


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Jason

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Honestly, most of the people aren't even aware of what type of light they have, so the mounting locations are, well, random at best.

Oh BTW, I wasn't saying you couldn't rant on about it. I am just pointing it out.
 

AllanD

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I'm just trying to educate people.

Many simply don't know the difference between "fog" and "driving" lights.

Driving lights are like "Magnum" High beams
While foglights are the "skeet gun" of the lighting world...

Foglights have lenses that liik like a rippled potato chip.

Wide beam pattern like a fan spray lawn sprinkler...

AD
 

AllanD

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But that all being said I actually ANSWERED the OP's question because fog lamps that come on with the MARKER lights instead of the low beams can be far more effective if the effect of properly made, located and installed foglamps isn't disturbed by running the
headlamps at the same time.



Like I said MY Fogs are wired to come on with the markers.

But I still need to reinstall them.
the switch, relay and fuses are still there the lights are just
physically dismounted at this time.

I WILL remount them before driving across country to Wyoming this summer.

All those flat agricultural states the highways follow (or cross) rivers meaning between here and there I have ~1000 miles of
driving in the fog to look forward to.

I get to follow the North Platte River all the way from Omaha NE
to Casper WY

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85_Ranger4x4

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I WILL remount them before driving across country to Wyoming this summer.

All those flat agricultural states the highways follow (or cross) rivers meaning between here and there I have ~1000 miles of
driving in the fog to look forward to.

I get to follow the North Platte River all the way from Omaha NE
to Casper WY

AD
Not too much fog around here during the summer, a haze is common from the humidity but lights won't really help you much there. Something about heat and fog just doesn't really mix. During spring or fall there are times you can't see past the hood, but even that is pretty rare.

Here is a pretty typical July morning, before the boiler was lit and it got into the 90's.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/85_Ranger/Tractor Ride/Picture152.jpg?t=1244768073
 

Rifleman

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I don't know about this.

I came into this thread looking for a nice "how-to" on exactly what you describe as being "wrong" for my 2006. The stock lights are far from "sucks" as you describe. They are quite bright, and do lay out a very distinct pattern. They are aimed from the factory so the lows and highs both do not reach the ground directly in front of the truck, the driving lights fill in this area when the low beams are on, and go off for high beams. Reason being? the designers assume the only time a person would use high beams is at highway speeds therefore seeing the ground directly in front of the truck isn't needed (as reaction time for potholes and such so close to the truck at highway speeds would not do any good as far as avoiding the obstacle if it was so small it couldn't be seen sooner with the regular headlights) and they could save some money on the alternator and such by not having the increased load of both high beams and driving lights.

Don't know about you, but my driving lights have a much wider reach at the road's edge than the headlights. Deer are always all over around here and that extra width to the light patterns at the corners of the truck really help out no matter what other lights you're using. I want them on with highbeams, I guess I'm just stupid or just want to show how little I know about what works for me.

Unless you can find me some form of conclusive lab results that state a reason (beyond power draw) running driving lights and high beams at the same time is "wrong" for the design and purpose of the lights, it seems to me what you have is an opinion that the lights suck and nothing more.

Wanting to run highbeams and driving lights at the same time is common and in no way "wrong" unless your vehicle doesn't have the wiring or power system to handle it. (not the case with a typical Ranger, wiring and power system is typically flawless and overly capable for the stock needs in comparison to many vehicles a simple light mod isn't going to push it over the edge)

I don't want anyone making rules for what I can and can't do with my truck or telling me what works for me is a bad idea. If it works for me, who cares. If I ask a question, I'd prefer an answer rather than having someone ramble on about relay operation then tell me I don't know what will work best for me.

I ain't trying to pick an E-fight either, but lighten up man, this is the illumination forum. :)

Hope this doesn't make it the pet peeve of July too.

I'll keep looking rather than ask a question.
 
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85_Ranger4x4

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Unless you can find me some form of conclusive lab results that state a reason (beyond power draw) running driving lights and high beams at the same time is "wrong" for the design and purpose of the lights, it seems to me what you have is an opinion that the lights suck and nothing more.
It is illegal in some states (if not all) to have any extra white lights on when the highbeams are on. Probably why they don't come that way from the factory.
 

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