Ford Cargo Headlights.

[Mike007]

After a difficult drive home in pouring rain in the dark,I finaly decided to do somthing about my old cargo,s headlights.The problem with the Cargo (and frankly anything carrying the Ford logo)is that the wiring is far too thin for the job.Its called "voltage drop" .When a Cargo is running,the battery is at 14 volts but you would be lucky to get more than 10.5 volts at the bulbs.Bigger bulbs actualy give even less light in these circumstances.Well so much for the theory bit!. I set about the wiring today with cables and fuses and relays.Waited till dark and took her for a test run . I know all the theory and expected the lights to be a lot better. I was absolutely amazed at the results. The standard bulbs just lit everything up like day.Better still,because the grotty ford wiring was nolonger carrying the load from the headlights,every other light workeed better,especialy the rear lights.I was itching for someone to flash me so that I could use my new "starwars main beam back at them

 

[perfect11s]

After a difficult drive home in pouring rain in the dark,I finaly decided to do somthing about my old cargo,s headlights.The problem with the Cargo (and frankly anything carrying the Ford logo)is that the wiring is far too thin for the job.Its called "voltage drop" .When a Cargo is running,the battery is at 14 volts but you would be lucky to get more than 10.5 volts at the bulbs.Bigger bulbs actualy give even less light in these circumstances.Well so much for the theory bit!. I set about the wiring today with cables and fuses and relays.Waited till dark and took her for a test run . I know all the theory and expected the lights to be a lot better. I was absolutely amazed at the results. The standard bulbs just lit everything up like day.Better still,because the grotty ford wiring was nolonger carrying the load from the headlights,every other light workeed better,especialy the rear lights.I was itching for someone to flash me so that I could use my new "starwars main beam back at them

Yes good Idea... Ive done it on a few of my vehicles in the past, and we did it on the rally cars my friend ran back in the day... however I think you will find its more to do with joe lucas prince of darkness this web site has some usefull info www.mez.co.uk/lucas.html

 

[Mike007]

Oh I did enjoy that ,thanks.But I think bad wiring is an American thing too. I bought a Woodmizer mobile sawmill (American) many years ago,and a fantastic piece of kit it still is ,after 20 years, BUT WHO WAS THE F+++++T who wired it up so the entire startermotor current went through the KEY SWITCH !!!!!

 

[*hic*]

Oh an excellent link and I also loved http://www.mez.co.uk/haynes.html. takes me back years to days of far too much familiarity with oil, concrete floors, draughty garages and permanently frozen numb fingers.

As for the wiring tip - my elderly Audi A4 Tdi has had rubbish head lights since it was new some 15 years ago. It's had fancy bulbs put in which made very little difference to the glowworm rating. I don't suppose there's a hope in hell of this trick working on her?

 

[perfect11s]

Oh an excellent link and I also loved http://www.mez.co.uk/haynes.html. takes me back years to days of far too much familiarity with oil, concrete floors, draughty garages and permanently frozen numb fingers.

As for the wiring tip - my elderly Audi A4 Tdi has had rubbish head lights since it was new some 15 years ago. It's had fancy bulbs put in which made very little difference to the glowworm rating. I don't suppose there's a hope in hell of this trick working on her?

yes it could if the lights are good ie the lenses and refectors are ok and the bulbs are fitted corectly, just check the voltage reaching them.... less than 12v, then add a relay for high and low beam circuits thats fed from the battery via a fuse, use the origional feed from the cars head light circuit to just work the relays also try adding a new earth wire to the lights as these can cut out another cause of voltage drop.....

 

[perfect11s]

Oh I did enjoy that ,thanks.But I think bad wiring is an American thing too. I bought a Woodmizer mobile sawmill (American) many years ago,and a fantastic piece of kit it still is ,after 20 years, BUT WHO WAS THE F+++++T who wired it up so the entire startermotor current went through the KEY SWITCH !!!!!

Ive had/have a few American cars, trucks, and tractors and work on a few Yes they do somtimes leave you wondering how the managed to put a man on the moon but where as you marvel at the japanese neatness and atention to detail the yanks win with brute force, Im tempted to another pick up.. weezy gutlless bouncy mitsubishi or full size ford F250 with 6.4 turbo diesel 350hp 650ft pounds torque..Hmmm

 

[mjbedford]

After a difficult drive home in pouring rain in the dark,I finaly decided to do somthing about my old cargo,s headlights.The problem with the Cargo (and frankly anything carrying the Ford logo)is that the wiring is far too thin for the job.Its called "voltage drop" .When a Cargo is running,the battery is at 14 volts but you would be lucky to get more than 10.5 volts at the bulbs.Bigger bulbs actualy give even less light in these circumstances.Well so much for the theory bit!. I set about the wiring today with cables and fuses and relays.Waited till dark and took her for a test run . I know all the theory and expected the lights to be a lot better. I was absolutely amazed at the results. The standard bulbs just lit everything up like day.Better still,because the grotty ford wiring was nolonger carrying the load from the headlights,every other light workeed better,especialy the rear lights.I was itching for someone to flash me so that I could use my new "starwars main beam back at them

Mike

I know this is quite an old post so I hope you see my reply, do you have any details of how you made these mods to your Cargo. Our 0813 has dreadful lights and having read your post I am planning to rewire them, it would save me a lot of head scratching if you could share your solution.

I am fairly competent around vehicle wiring but would love to know if you went all the way back to the battery and effectively created a new loom for the head lights and how you hooked that into the existing switch wiring from the cab.

Thanks

Martyn

 

[perfect11s]

Mike

I know this is quite an old post so I hope you see my reply, do you have any details of how you made these mods to your Cargo. Our 0813 has dreadful lights and having read your post I am planning to rewire them, it would save me a lot of head scratching if you could share your solution.

I am fairly competent around vehicle wiring but would love to know if you went all the way back to the battery and effectively created a new loom for the head lights and how you hooked that into the existing switch wiring from the cab.

Thanks

Martyn

Wow this is a old thread hope im not out of order buting in... but how we used to do it was you get 2 30 amp relays take the origional feeds and earth from one of the head lamps and use them to work the relays, then take a fused supply from the battery to the relays make up a loom to each lamp one to both low beams and one for the high beam with a new earth to the chassis use heat shrink conectors if possible and mount the relays in the cab , hope this is helpfull

 

[RatzFatz]

Glad this post has reappeared and thanks for the info, my cargo headlights are completely rubbish so think l will have a go at the above!!

For the Cargo owners amonst us if you need any spare parts try Phillips commercial on ebay, they are importing the parts from Turkey where they are still being made, l needed a new exhaust manifold and couldnt find one rang phillips and he had a new one for less than people were charging for a second hand one.