Headlight indicator

Anyone have any idea on a good way to install a headlight indicator in the Raptor? It's kind of annoying with auto lights that there is not a way to tell that they are on unless it's dark or you catch a reflection off another vehicle. Some states require you to burn them when using wipers and I'm not certain that the light sensor's program is set to the optimal threshold. "Auto" should be auto and that's it, but I would like to know when the lights are on.

That's a good point. Interested in this as well...

NCD, I'm not sure I'm on the same page with you...

When the headlight switch is in Auto position, the headlights will come on when the dash sensor determines it's dark enough outside. When the lights do come on automatically, the instrument panel lights come on and the NAV (if you have it) display goes to night mode.

Now if the headlights are turned on manually the instrument panel lights do not come on until the dash sensor determines it's dark enough outside.

Given this I deduce that you're wondering about a headlight on indicator for those times when the headlights are turned on manually.

Is that correct?

I don't use the auto setting.

If I did, I would turn the lights on manually during daylight rainstorms (if local laws required it) as I'm pretty sure the auto setting is not designed to sense rain...

As far as a sensor... I wonder if a tiny fiber optic fiber could be run from a small hole in a headlight housing to somewhere visible in the cab? You'd have to pick a spot in the headlight that wouldn't get hit by sunlight but that would be what I would look into.

MagicMtnDan said:

NCD, I'm not sure I'm on the same page with you...

When the headlight switch is in Auto position, the headlights will come on when the dash sensor determines it's dark enough outside. When the lights do come on automatically, the instrument panel lights come on and the SYNC (if you have it) display goes to night mode.

Now if the headlights are turned on manually the instrument panel lights do not come on until the dash sensor determines it's dark enough outside.

Given this I deduce that you're wondering about a headlight on indicator for those times when the headlights are turned on manually.

Is that correct?

Click to expand...

I don't drive with my instrument cluster lit up like a christmas tree, I like it as dim as possible but still legible. Even if, and I don't know if the truck always does it, the instrument cluster lights turn on when the headlights turn on there are instances when it's not "dark enough" outside for me to notice if the backlighting is on, given that it is a light blue. Also the navigation panel works on a different sensor than the headlights, as far as I know (I may be wrong), but I could have sworn I have had headlights on and the nav system did not go into night mode (aka. a black background) until later.

My wife's MDX's lights stay on auto and when they come on there is an indicator on the instrument panel along with the fog light indicator (which we obviously don't have to worry about). The navigation screen changes brightness at a predetermined setting, similar to the Raptor.

Point being there is no easy visual cue that let's you know if the lights are on during that "gray" area unless you see the reflection on a street sign, another vehicle, or you manually turn them on (then the truck yells at me when I get out).

MarkT said:

I wonder if a tiny fiber optic fiber could be run from a small hole in a headlight housing to somewhere visible in the cab? You'd have to pick a spot in the headlight that wouldn't get hit by sunlight but that would be what I would look into.

Click to expand...

That's a good idea, but the sun does pose a problem. Although, given the circumstances I don't think the sun would play a huge roll...for it to penetrate fiber it would have to be pretty dead on and intense at that particular location. I would be more worried about fracturing the fiber optics when penetrating the firewall and also with water-tight integrity of the headlight housing after modification (although the hole would be small).

The little bump in the center of the dash behind the speaker is for headlight control. It turns on and off the headlights and dash lights when in either auto or manual mode. If it is daylight out and you turn on the headlights the dash lights will not come on but the headlights will. BTW all Raptors come with the Sync system but not all Raptors have Nav.

We're in the same boat Diver. I dim my dash down to almost nothing too, so the change in brightness between the cluster being off and on is unnoticeable in the day.

I like the fiber optic idea. Seems easy enough and wouldn't require any aux wiring.

Another thought would be to have the dealer turn on DRLs. They'll be on all the time and they'll satisfy the wiper law too (to the best of my knowledge)

BigJ said:

We're in the same boat Diver. I dim my dash down to almost nothing too, so the change in brightness between the cluster being off and on is unnoticeable in the day.

I like the fiber optic idea. Seems easy enough and wouldn't require any aux wiring.

Another thought would be to have the dealer turn on DRLs. They'll be on all the time and they'll satisfy the wiper law too (to the best of my knowledge)

Click to expand...

In VA and NC you have to have your headlights on which includes tail lights. DRLs are not good enough. What Ford should do is tie headlight control when auto into the wiper switch. If wipers are on slow speed for X number of seconds the headlights come on. If wipers are on high speed then the lights come on as soon as the wiper switch is in a certain position.

Well then the only "fix" that doesn't involve any sort of real effort would seem to be covering that dash sensor, maybe with a bit of electrical tape or something. And then, you'd have to turn down your console brightness. Between those two, when your lights go on your heads up display will dim every time, probably noticeably enough.