I want Fog Lights!

[JoeExpedition]

I have a 98 Expedition XLT, with NO fog lights.

Right now the truck has the black plastic inserts where the fog lights go.

But I discovered that I can pull the light switch out when its at the headlamp position. I believe this is the fog light switch. Am I right? It automatically retracts when the switch is rotated to parking lamp and off.


I looked under the truck where the fog lights would go. It seems that there is already wiring there waiting for fog lights. Each side has a lead with a plastic (and rubber gasketed) plug with two leads.

I tried to check voltage on it with the switch on, but got nothing. It could be due to light surface corrosion of the past 9 years.

Does anyone know about this? Does it sound like I can just throw a pair of lights in, plug them in and go?

(Hoping for some Yes answers...)

Joe

 

[green03]

at least on mine pulling the switch out turns on the fog lights. You may need to find the fuse location as you may need to put a fuse in there because the factory had to save the 2 cents on the fuse since your truck didn't have that option.
Matt

 

[pronstar]

You need a new switch. The standard switch mimicks the motion of the fog light switch, but it doesn't have the same internals.

The rest should work just fine by using the existing wires. I've reads a few posts on other forums that others have done this and it worked great.

 

[JoeExpedition]

pronstar, thanks for the reply.

I will see if I can try that out. I wonder why the standard switch mimics the motion of the fog light switch...

But it gives me hope!

I will post the results as I go.

Have you heard of any need to switch out the relay too?

Joe

 

[pronstar]

I believe you just hook it all up...is there a shared relay in there already?

Sorry I'm not much help...I'm just going on what I read from others.

But everyone says that on the old bodystyle Expy (like ours) all you do is replace the switch and use the existing wires...and presto, it works.

 

[JoeExpedition]

Thank you pronstar...please keep checking in on this post...you have given useful info.

Your last post sounds like good news to me, I have my fingers crossed...

I ordered the switch and lamps/brackets. Guess how much the new switch costs... guess quick...

The new switch is about $175. The lights are $106 for left and $102 for right.

I once heard you have to be careful for what you wish for, because you might just get it ... (and pay $400 or so for fog lights!)

 

[pronstar]

I looked into adding them as well, but couldn't justify the cost.

I found the lights for about $60 each on E-bay a while back, but the left one was always a little more expensive for some reason...

At any rate, I never bothered to look at the switch prices, because I was too cheap to even fork over the buck-twenty for the lights.

Sounds like we all should be selling switches!

 

[dubedition2003]

On my old 97' expy it did not come with fog lights, so I purchased my fog lights from E-Bay also for about $90 for a pair and it looks much better then the stock OEM it had a diamond pattern to it.

Come to realized the hard way that I needed a new switch, because the one that was in my 97' was just a dummy with the pull thingy.

Called the dealer and found out they had to send it out somewhere to get it done because they don't do the wiring the harness at the shop.

So I went to AUTOZONE and bought a fog light relay kit and wired it up to my corner lightsmyself. VERY SIMPLE TO DO. All the instruction came with the kit. Cost about $15 for the fog light wire kit.

 

[JoeExpedition]

dubedition2003, did you end up using the new factory fog light switch WITH the AUTOZONE wiring harness?

 

[dubedition2003]

No, I used a rocket switch and mounted onto the dash right beside my steering wheel. I had to wire one postive to the battery terminal and one other postive to the corner lights (this is how you would be juice to the fog lights,) then grounded the ground wires onto the body of the truck under the hood.

 

[JoeExpedition]

dubedition2003, Ok, thanks.

So, your truck did not already have the wires for the fog lights?

My 1998 seems to have the wires hanging up above the fog lights, they are factory tagged to sheet metal using a white bristly-push-pin.

(To see them, you have to get on the ground, on your back, and look up above the fog light mounting area with a flash light. They are above.)

I am SO hoping those are the wires for the fog lights, as I just ordered a crazy amount of parts!

 

[dubedition2003]

my 97' did have the wire harness but they would not light up the fog lights because the switched needed to be replaced.

I did not know where to get the factory switch equipped with the fog lights from so I got the rocket switch from AUTOZONE.

 

[JoeExpedition]

Today I got the foglights and the new switch installed, and everything works! (Albeit it took some serious cash, about $500 - I must have lost it a bit to attempt this.)

I now know the following:

The first generation expeditions were pre-wired for fog lights at the factory. These were the wires I had seen.

The non-fog-light switch does mimic the fog light pull out, but this is because the mechanicals of the plastic round switch is the same. To make a fog-light switch a fog-light switch, its all in the electronics, of which the round-switch sits in front.

The whole switch (electronics, round switch, and front plate) costs about $175! Maybe this makes sense if you think about it as having some circuitry, and special connectors and such. A very cheap and not too good digital camera costs $175.

A new headlight relay is also needed, as the relay must shut off the fog-lights when the high-beams are switch on.

The lights are about $100 each.

It took a good technician about 2 hours to hook up the whole thing.

So now my 1998 Expedition looks cool with fog lights where they are supposed to be, and with a factory switch.

 

[lakmflx]

Very cool post up some pics if you get a chance!!!