Headlight blinking!?!
Greg Cookson
after they have been on for about 20 mins or so. Now, I have heard that
this is due to a short in the wiring from the fog light switch, and the
multifunction switch (whiper, signal, etc). I have also heard that if I
replace this switch (the signal one), that the problem of the headlights
blinking will go away, (Until it shorts out again I guess). Is this
true? Can I solve this problem for a time by replacing the one
multifunction switch? FORD wants 160$ CDN for this switch, and I want
to make sure that it will work. Also my wipers stop moving all together
after about 15-20 mins of use, I assume this is a fault of the shorted
switch too??
Thanks in advance...
Greg Cookson
1989 Mustang GT
Robert A. King
>My 1989 Mustang GT has recently started to blink its head/fog lights
>after they have been on for about 20 mins or so. Now, I have heard that
>this is due to a short in the wiring from the fog light switch, and the
>multifunction switch (whiper, signal, etc).
Nope, it means that the last time you had it serviced, they put
blinker fluid in your headlight fluid reservoir. (I couldn't resist.)
Actually, this is a well-known flaw with the Mustang. The headlight
switch is overheating and shutting down. The easy solution is to
drive with your foglights OFF. ("But then I wouldn't be stylin'
man!")
Another solution is to wire in a relay that switches current directly
from the battery when the headlights are on. Then you won't be
pulling nearly so much amperage through the dash switch.
+------------------------------------------------------------+
|Robert A. King | 1988 Mustang GT |
|gt...@cyberramp.net | 205,000 miles and racing strong! |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
bmu...@mednet.swmed.edu
>
> My 1989 Mustang GT has recently started to blink its head/fog lights
> after they have been on for about 20 mins or so. Now, I have heard that
> this is due to a short in the wiring from the fog light switch, and the
> replace this switch (the signal one), that the problem of the headlights
> blinking will go away, (Until it shorts out again I guess). Is this
> true? Can I solve this problem for a time by replacing the one
> multifunction switch? FORD wants 160$ CDN for this switch, and I want
> to make sure that it will work. Also my wipers stop moving all together
> after about 15-20 mins of use, I assume this is a fault of the shorted
> switch too??
>
> Thanks in advance...
>
> Greg Cookson
> 1989 Mustang GT
Well known flaw in pre 90 mustangs. Its caused by the headlight switch
overheating. You can purchase a replacemnt from ford that should resolve
the issue. I bought mine in 1990 and paid about $60 for it. You *may*
have to fix the plug also.
Another alternative is to rewire it so the foglight switch activates a
relay connected to the battery to power the fog lights.
--
Bruce Musgrove
bmu...@mednet.swmed.edu
"Always reach for new heights. Use the drapes, that is what they are
there for."
from the musings of Master Meow
Jim Stoltz
>
>My 1989 Mustang GT has recently started to blink its head/fog lights
>after they have been on for about 20 mins or so. Now, I have heard
that
>this is due to a short in the wiring from the fog light switch, and
the
>multifunction switch (whiper, signal, etc). I have also heard that if
I
>replace this switch (the signal one), that the problem of the
headlights
>blinking will go away, (Until it shorts out again I guess). Is this
>true? Can I solve this problem for a time by replacing the one
>multifunction switch? FORD wants 160$ CDN for this switch, and I want
>to make sure that it will work. Also my wipers stop moving all
together
>after about 15-20 mins of use, I assume this is a fault of the shorted
>switch too??
>
>Thanks in advance...
>
>Greg Cookson
>1989 Mustang GT
NO! It's not the multi-function switch, don't waste your money. GTs up
through '89 had this problem because the engineers at Ford weren't
smart enough to realize that using the puny 14-16 gauge wire for the
headlights AND the fog-lights would cause the wire to get REALLY hot.
This melts the connector at the headlight switch. Mine wasn't bad
enough that it needed replaced. There are numerous FAQs on this,
unfortunately I can't tell you where they are, I can't remember. I
killed two birds with one stone on mine by eliminating the foglights
from the circuit by adding a separate power source and relay for the
fogs. This allows me to turn the fogs on independent of the headlights
(a feature I hated) and takes the load of the fogs off the headlight
switch. I ran 12 gauge wire directly from the starter solenoid, with a
fuse as close to the solenoid as possible, and into the car. I
branched it - sending one wire to the stock foglight switch and the
other to an aftemarket 30 amp relay. I ran the other side of the
foglight switch down to the relay, and the factory foglight wire (brown
with an orange stripe, I believe) to the relay as well. Once you have
the constant hot, the switched hot (from the fog switch) and the
factory fog wire at the relay, you just plug them all in and ground the
relay. Now the fogs come on anytime.
Jim
Mark A. Willette
wrote:
>My 1989 Mustang GT has recently started to blink its head/fog lights
>after they have been on for about 20 mins or so. Now, I have heard that
My 79 Stang did that at one time...it turned out to be the headlight
switch itself had "heat corrosion". Replace the switch, problem
solved.
Since it's both your fogs and headlights going out, your story may not
be so simple.
-Mark
Zandra Davis DeLamar
It seems to me that if the headlight switch is over heating... replace it.
I had this problem with a 78 t-bird. Changed the switch. No more problem.
Also, I would change it right away if that's the problem, before the
headlights go out at an inopportune moment. Before I changed the switch
I had to turn the headlights off, let the switch cool, and turn them back
on, definitely not cool.
On Tue, 16 Apr 1996, Robert A. King wrote:
> Greg Cookson <DCH...@HOOKUP.NET> wrote:
>
> >My 1989 Mustang GT has recently started to blink its head/fog lights
> >after they have been on for about 20 mins or so. Now, I have heard that
> >this is due to a short in the wiring from the fog light switch, and the
> >multifunction switch (whiper, signal, etc).
>
Alan Webster
Thanks to all who posted info on this! I have been having the same
problem with my fairly recently purchased 1989 GT. Lost headlights and
foglights coming off a mountain pass in the rain at about 70. That got my
attention!
Where's a good bet to find the part? Dealer or ?
Alan
Jim Stoltz
In <4lmvs3$h...@ratty.wolfe.net> aweb...@wolfenet.com (Alan Webster)
writes:
Well, there's no "part". There's some rewiring to do. Replacing the
switch is a temporary fix. The new switch will exhibit the same
symptoms after a while. The dealer printed me the service bulletin,
which had step by step instructions for performing the re-wiring, as
well as part numbers for the switch and connectors in the event they're
too melted to save.
Jim
bmu...@mednet.swmed.edu
There is indeed a "Part" for this. A new headlight switch is definitely
needed and is the reccomended repair. Repalcement of the wiring
connectors is only reccomended if the plastic connectors are melted
beyond recognition and / or the metal terminals are corroded. If the
harness is in good shape, a new switch should work fine. Ireplaced mine
in july 89 afgter having it happen twice and have had no problem since.
Wiring harness is still in good shape.
Jim Stoltz
It will probably happen again, then. The TSB is 89-17-11 and is
described as "Wiring-headlamp circuit - inadequate gauge wire and
terminals". The "inadequate gauge wire" gets hot and ruins the switch,
connector, and terminals. The right way to correct it is to replace
the Circuit #15 red/yellow 14 gauge wire with 12 gauge wire as close to
the harness as possible. If there's heat damage to the switch or
connector, they need replaced as well. There is nothing different,
though, about the new headlight switches, they are not different as a
result of the recall - they are damaged as a result of the wire
overheating. So there is no "part" to fix the problem, simply
replacement parts to correct damage done by the original problem -
inadequate gauge wire.
Jim
Julio C.
In article <317472f8...@nntp.intex.net>, will...@cse.uta.edu says...
>
>On Mon, 15 Apr 1996 18:45:57 -0400, Greg Cookson <DCH...@HOOKUP.NET>
>wrote:
>
>>My 1989 Mustang GT has recently started to blink its head/fog lights
>>after they have been on for about 20 mins or so. Now, I have heard that
>
>switch itself had "heat corrosion". Replace the switch, problem
>solved.
>
>Since it's both your fogs and headlights going out, your story may not
>be so simple.
>
>-Mark
>
Not necessarily, the Headlights and foglights work on the same circuit. If the
headlights aren't on, neither are the fogs. I don't know why Ford wired them
this way, but the lowbeam headlight circuit also powers the foglight circuit on
my '85 GT. So the problem may well be as simple as you correctly stated.
--
"Just turn and burn fellas...They'll just have to drive around the mess left
behind..."
Julio C. Chacon, Jr.
jcch...@shadow.net
Officially Sanctioned Racing Fanatic
and Proud '85 Mustang GT Owner!!