First gen dome light

85_Ranger4x4 · Feb 23, 2016

I was installing the correct dome light in my truck and with a simple slip of the fingers the wire fell down the rear of the cab corner and came out on the floor.

I vividly remember fighting this for days 15 years ago, I don't remember how I finally got it aside from the fight.

It is a standard cab truck with only a steel roof (it is a Custom) and no headliner.

I spent most of tonight fighting it, trying to ramrod it over with a piece of tubing, twine with a nut tied on the end (so it would pull it once it got over the hump) and new wire and no dice. Using the selfie mode with my cellphone and a penlight I can see there is quite a bit of structure up there to try to get through and it looks tight. Anyone have an idea?

adsm08 · Feb 23, 2016

Attach it to the roof with a dab of hot glue once you get the wire back up there.

As for getting it back, what about looking in your tackle box? I'm not familiar with the exact routing of the wire since I have never dealt with this issue, but could you drop some fishing line in there with a split shot and then use that to fish the wire back up. It would mean pulling the wire out to where you can work on it to tie the line, but is that even a feasible option?

85_Ranger4x4 · Feb 24, 2016

The problem is I have to get it over 3' (roughly) and then down.

I was thinking along the same lines as you with twine and a nut. I think the seam from the roof meeting the side sticks up on the inside so I have to get over that. And then the seam where the rear outside wall meets the side outside wall sticks in too so if you hug the rear wall you snag that.

I think back when I was a teenager my arms were smaller and I could reach up inside the B pillar some now that I think about it.

Here is what I am dealing with looking up the B pillar. my phone won't fit into the hole for the dome light to see what is going on from that direction. For reference the silver knob at the top I think is the backside of the bolt for the seat belt.

4EyedTurd · Feb 24, 2016

Maybe try a fish tape to pull it thru? Then zip tie it off in a few places with the ones you can run screws into.

85_Ranger4x4 · Feb 25, 2016

I got it finally, ramroded the connector over with the plastic tubing so it was hanging over the corner. I bapped it around some with my prybar and got a little more wire over the corner. Then I removed the seat belt retracter and halfway picked the truck up cramming my arm up inside the B pillar and pulled it down. :icon_thumby:

Mark_88 · Feb 27, 2016

Cable installers use what they call a "fish line" which is a stiff cable that you can feed through some incredibly tight areas...they sell those things at hardware stores and I've been meaning to buy one for my business...that is now inactive...lol

But now that you've got it you won't have to worry about it for a while...but if you ever need to push or pull wires through small holes...that's the tool to get...

85_Ranger4x4 · Feb 27, 2016

Mark_88 said:
But now that you've got it you won't have to worry about it for a while...but if you ever need to push or pull wires through small holes...that's the tool to get...

Cool, thanks for the tip.

As for it falling back down if you have the correct end it is not an issue. The one I pulled at the JY didn't have a normal connector and a few days later I couldn't remember unplugging it or seeing any way for it to get power from the truck. Went to the JY again today and found the correct connector that snaps into the roof. It was out of an XL F-150 so it had a black bezel rather than the usually not perfect chrome one I usually see. Who knows but it is probably more "correct" for my Custom truck.

And I said, let there be light... and there was. :yahoo:

Mark_88 · Feb 28, 2016

Good work! :icon_thumby:

This reminds me that I need to fish my wires through on my truck too...unless I can use the existing wiring from the 88...the 96 wiring is laying in the jump seat well and I still need to trace it all...but I'm almost certain they were very similar...except the dome light is a bit different...

I will get at it next month hopefully...but I want to use the door plungers like the first gen used instead of the latch like they used in the later models...

And thanks for the rep!

PlumCrazy · Feb 29, 2016

I just swapped out my perfect chrome XL dome and put in the three bulb super cab light in my XL truck. I could have given you the light.lol

I liked the base model look, but my replacement headliner already had marks from the larger XLT dome light so I had to upgrade....had to add an oh shit handle too.

85_Ranger4x4 · Feb 29, 2016

Mark_88 said:
I will get at it next month hopefully...but I want to use the door plungers like the first gen used instead of the latch like they used in the later models...

The sockets to plug the switches in are $40 from a parts store, darn near free from a JY. DS has three wires, one is for the buzzer if you have the key in, I would just get two PS ones (with two wires) for a cleaner install if you don't want to deal with the buzzer. I just resurrected my DS connector from a mouse attack...

I got this light/bezel for $10 with a big pile of stuff from the JY.

First gen dome light

85_Ranger4x4

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adsm08

Senior Master Grease Monkey

85_Ranger4x4

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4EyedTurd

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85_Ranger4x4

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Mark_88

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85_Ranger4x4

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Mark_88

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PlumCrazy

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85_Ranger4x4

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