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Adding Fog Lights to a GL

Scorpion8

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
1,681
Location
Juneau, AK
My 1998 GL doesn't have the fog lights, but I see some wiring harness dangling suspiciously near where they should be. I know on www.teamfordparts.com I can get all the parts I need except the dash switch, so I'd just have to find one off a parts units somewhere. Does anyone know (and a search proved inconclusive) if this is as easy a mod as plug and go, or is there more to it than meets the wallet? I haven't checked to see if the fog light wiring harness is dangling behind my dash, but I'd suspect it to be so. Unless someone knows different?
 
Interesting question, there is a GL in the family and could use some fogs. To buy some aftermarket ones was going to be my alternative compared to using unused factory wiring and it really shouldn't cost that much. I know there are kits out there for a fair price. But it would be nice to use my beat up SVT fogs rather than buy a whole new fog light kit.
 
I guess I need to find the switch first, which I may install regardless since it'd look better than the blank-off. But there won't be any light signal to the harness without the switch. Then I can put my meter on the termination and see if it's on/off with the switch.
 
Still wont wont work, even with the right switch.

Still wont wont work, even with the right switch.

Tried the same thing last year on a 96 GL, installed a headlight switch /fog switch . All the wiring is there for the fogs lights , but a relay is missing somewhere . The electrical schematics in both the Haynes and ford factory cd manuals were less than usefull.

Not really a plug and play ,unless you're really good at troubleshooting electrical problems and have countless hours to spend tracing down the wires from the fog to the headlight.
 
I managed to find a headlamp switch for fog lamps off a donor verhicle, but I also notice that there are 3 extra pins on the electrical connector that aren't on the non-fog light head lamp switch. Are these used in the conversion, or is more wiring going to be needed to be added? What about a relay in the fuse box?
 
Buy some new fog lights, rewire the hole thing with yur own switch. Should take you 15 min to wire it and everything should cost less then $65.

edit: Buy a fuse to run in the power line!
 
I'd rewire not only for simplicity but also because you'll get more power using a switched relay from the battery than you will tapping into any factory wiring.
 
I'd rewire not only for simplicity but also because you'll get more power using a switched relay from the battery than you will tapping into any factory wiring.

Well, the idea is to use the already-installed factory wiring, just add the foglamps. But is there's truly a difference between fog-light equipped and non-fog-light equipped wiring harnesses, then it might be an issue. The switches of course aren't identical, and right now I can't look at my connector to see if the extra pins on the headlap switch w/foglamps have corresponding wires on the wiring harness, or if they simply aren't there.
 
I know exactly what you're trying to do versus whats easiest to do. The last fog light switch (for my mazda) I messed with had a power, a ground and dimmer connection.
 
the fog lamp relay would be located behind the headlight switch, either on a bracket or hanging taped to the wiring harness...
 
Looking at the BAT catalog where they sell replacement fog lamps, they make it sound so easy. Add the fog lamps (done that), find a headlamp switch with fog lamp capability (done that), plug 'em in and go. No I haven't gotten my switch back home yet (I'm on travel) but I did notice that the pin layout is different on the two switches. So besides the relay, is any wiring additions going to truly need to be done? Is the wiring harness compatible between the two with-and-without?
 
Sucess finally!!!!

Sucess finally!!!!

I'm reviving this old thread after finally solving the fog light problem.

First off, my car simply didnt have the connector for the fog relay. Further complicating things is I didnt even what to look for as no pictures have ever been posted AFAIK. What I did have was a five pronged plug , with similar wires to the relay socket.

That 5 prong plug I discovered is the tail end of the relay/fog indicator light wiring harness. Get a fog/indicator wiring harness from a donor car, Plug that into the five prong plug and the fogs work.

My guess is if your car didnt have standard foglights, the relay probably isn't there but the 5 prong plug is . Also the relay if it is there is probably located on a metal prong right above the fuse box (its rarely taped to the wiring harness)


So. it is possible and not hard to get your fogs working using the stock wiring. Find at fog/indicator harness, plug it in and see the light. Took me about 10 minutes total to install

Complete harness
fogharness.jpg

Another view
100_0758.jpg
 
Last edited:
I installed fog lights on my GL a while ago, it had everything except the relay and the switch. I just used flat male connectors and stuck them in the relay connector slots and wired in a tiny switch since my fog lights only draw about 3A and the switch is rated for way more then that. Works great and the fog light indicator light on the cluster works too. :laugh:
 
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