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desertjoe 
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Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Location: New mexico
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 Topic: better headlights on them dang Fords,,,,,
Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 9:33pm |
On my new to me F150 it has got to have the most pizz poor headlights that I have ever had to drive behind,,,!! I been doing a lot of reading and the trks either came off the assembly lines with HALOGEN OR LED lights. mine are Halogen. A lot of the owners are changing to either of 3-4 types that involve some sofisticated changes that I do not even want to try. Some guys are able to get theirs to work and some wind up frying the trk ECM. The alternative is to dish out $1800 for headlights,,,, My understanding is that a simple bulb change does not do any more for your trk's lights than what is in there now,,,,?? Anyone done any of the modifications and had good luck with them,,??
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KJCHRIS
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Joined: 21 Dec 2015
Location: WC Iowa
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 10:00pm |
D Joe, are your lens nice and clear, if U can't see bulb they need cleaned? Any big box store or auto parts store should have at least 1 brand of "headlight cleaning kit" on the shelf. An hour or less on each can make a big difference. My farm truck a 2001 F150, 300K+ that sets outside has needed the lens cleaned and polished a couple times. It makes a lot of difference in light output. I've never ran any head lights other than OEM halogen in car or truck in 40 years. I have considered a LED changeover for hi beams mostly as a counter measure for the A-holes that don't dim theirs. |
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AC 200, CAH, AC185D bareback, AC 180D bareback, D17 III, WF. D17 Blackbar grill, NF. D15 SFW. Case 1175 CAH, Bobcat 543B,
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desertjoe
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Location: New mexico
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 10:28pm |
Hey Chris,,,YES,,I cleaned the lens just a week or so ago,,,but they were really ok as they were,,!! From what I've read you cannot just change to LED bulbs from the Halogen bulbs,,,or have you read differently,,?? I hope so,,,!!!
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steve(ill)
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Location: illinois
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 10:50pm |
joe, i think the new LEDs interchange with the Halo in most applications...You can buy LEDs that are equal to the Halos, or you can buy SUPER BRIGHT ... You want a 6500 type to get a pure WHITE light i think is what your looking for..
I would read up on one of the sites... then call or e-mail these guys and ask a few questions... That being said, the Halos are suppose to be very good lights from the factory.
Edited by steve(ill) - 14 Dec 2024 at 10:53pm
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 10:56pm |
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Walker
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 11:55pm |
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Wonder what happened to the old 5.00 buck sealed beam that was good enough for almost a hundred years?
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desertjoe
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Posted: 15 Dec 2024 at 3:47am |
Hey Walker,,,that right there is a Great Big 10-4,,,,and you never had to polish them sealed beams ,,,ever,,!! I often wonder whose kinfolk it was that convinced the MFGRs to switch over to these POS'sss,,!! Another of Ford's "Better Ideas",,,,,My Son's F150 has the LEDs from the factory and it is like Day and Night,,,just NO comparison,,!!
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Dakota Dave
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
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Posted: 15 Dec 2024 at 4:26am |
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I bought 9005 and 9006 Led replacement bulb kit from Amazon. They go right in place of the original halogen bulbs connect directly to the existing wiring. On my old suburban they made a difference. I also changed out the complete headlight assemblies on my other suburban. An aftermarket clear lens kit for all the front lenses and the rear lights was cheaper than one light from Chevy. They lasted 10 years before they started to get hazy like the originals.
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 15 Dec 2024 at 5:57am |
Everyone went to plastic headlights cause..... It's cheaper for them to make, saves MPG, and krap out sooner so more visits to the parts counter. 'they' win,win,win...YOU lose,lose lose
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DMiller
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Posted: 15 Dec 2024 at 6:48am |
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I replaced BOTH headlamp housings on my 99 due to Yellowing and deep clouding, could not see with headlamps very well at all, now are back to Bright, Same Style lamps inside them as the old ones.
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desertjoe
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Posted: 15 Dec 2024 at 8:51am |
Hey Dakota,,are the 9005 and the 9006 numbers for the brights and the dims,,?? I've looked at so danged many different ones I've lost count,,, I'm now leaning towards some from Sealight that Steve has sent a link on as suppossedly they are changeouts with NO wiring mods required. I am still kinda concerned about some "canbus" ECM potential issues that has caused some owners real issues ,like a "Warning" notice on dash,,,,,,,??
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desertjoe
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Posted: 15 Dec 2024 at 8:58am |
 DMiller wrote:
I replaced BOTH headlamp housings on my 99 due to Yellowing and deep clouding, could not see with headlamps very well at all, now are back to Bright, Same Style lamps inside them as the old ones. |
Hey Dave,,,did the new headlight "housings" you bought come without the rest of the headlight assembly or were they a complete unit? I would be very interested in the housings alone IF they are available as the PO had polished the lens so many times they now are etched on inside from maybe too much heat while polishing,,,?
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DMiller
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Posted: 15 Dec 2024 at 11:41am |
Got mine off Parts Geek, Package Deal Lamp assemblies and TS Lamp assemblies, just had to install them.
My old ones beyond the Clouding also had degraded the Back Reflector Silvering, not much chance of fixing that.
Edited by DMiller - 15 Dec 2024 at 11:42am
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KJCHRIS
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Posted: 16 Dec 2024 at 12:26am |
D Joe, I'm thinking of using the style Steve posted. They just twist in the hole in original housing. That's IF I spend the money for them. I see that to change them on my newer truck, I'd have to partially loosen the plastic front fender liner to get to the rear of lamps or remove entire grill and then remove the lamp assemblies.
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AC 200, CAH, AC185D bareback, AC 180D bareback, D17 III, WF. D17 Blackbar grill, NF. D15 SFW. Case 1175 CAH, Bobcat 543B,
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desertjoe
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Posted: 17 Dec 2024 at 3:49am |
Dakota Dave wrote:
I bought 9005 and 9006 Led replacement bulb kit from Amazon. They go right in place of the original halogen bulbs connect directly to the existing wiring. On my old suburban they made a difference. I also changed out the complete headlight assemblies on my other suburban. An aftermarket clear lens kit for all the front lenses and the rear lights was cheaper than one light from Chevy. They lasted 10 years before they started to get hazy like the originals. |
Hey Dakota,,On the " Aftermarket Clear Lens Kit" you bought for your Suburban,,, #1 where did you buy these? #2. Is the "outer" clear plastic lens available by itself for the headlights? I'm talking about the clear lens that you have to keep polishing due to fading,,?? #3 Mine are now etched due to PO using some heavy handed polishing and I think he must of got the plastic TOO hot,,,,?
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desertjoe
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Posted: 17 Dec 2024 at 4:00am |
KJCHRIS wrote:
D Joe, I'm thinking of using the style Steve posted. They just twist in the hole in original housing. That's IF I spend the money for them. I see that to change them on my newer truck, I'd have to partially loosen the plastic front fender liner to get to the rear of lamps or remove entire grill and then remove the lamp assemblies. |
Yeah, Chris,,I'm thinking to go with that same kit. I did talk with one of Sealight's agents yesterday but he was more interested in going home than talk specifics with me,,,!!! I'm try calling Sealight again today. I also looked in Amazon for (I Think) the same Sealight LED bulbs of the SAME specifics that Steve quoted and are much less than the price that Sealight offers off their website,,,?? I think those are the ones that Dakota got for his Suburbans,,,,??? The Sealight rep told me the warrantee from Sealight is only ONE YEAR,,,?? Gonna check Amazon's warrentee,,,,?
Edited by desertjoe - 17 Dec 2024 at 4:01am
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Dakota Dave
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Posted: 23 Dec 2024 at 6:14pm |
9006 and 9005 are high and low beams. I’ve bought 3 sets of Nilight brand lights from Amazon. Two because of old faded yellow light one set because of accident. They come as complete assembly’s new housings adjusters and backing plates. For my suburbans and pickup they were around $100 a set. The one set was 180 dollars I replace every thing with a black out set. Headlight turn and markers and rear tail light assembly. They will come with new halogen bulbs. But I thing a set of leds was around $50 from Amazon. I also put a 20 inch Nilight led light bar in the bumper cutout on my pickup. Really lights up the night.
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Dakota Dave
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Posted: 23 Dec 2024 at 6:17pm |
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you cannot change just the lens they are bonded together. Only the glass lenses could be changed and you can’t get them any more. Even on Gm obsolete parts they were NLA
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desertjoe
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Posted: 23 Dec 2024 at 8:48pm |
Dakota Dave wrote:
you cannot change just the lens they are bonded together. Only the glass lenses could be changed and you can’t get them any more. Even on Gm obsolete parts they were NLA |
Well, Dakota,,that right there is what I thought but someone here said that they had installed new lens,,so I just assumed that you could buy just the lens,,,?
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DMiller
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Posted: 24 Dec 2024 at 4:38am |
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I did not change Lens on my Ford, Changed the Lamp Housings, multiple faults required, Reflective Mirroring on the back walls degraded, Inside the Lens face checked and yellowed, Outside was scratched and fogged from weather/UV damage. Cannot simply replace a bulb and receive magic better light as I tried all that snake oil as my lamp housings degraded over 25 years, Blue Lamps, Xenon Gas charged lamps, the spray on wipe or buff off sprays, even the use of Insect repellants to clear them, short term and revert right back to where started.
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desertjoe
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Posted: 24 Dec 2024 at 6:34am |
Well, Dave, I agree,,, both of the clear lens on the housings on my trk are etched on inside,,I think from heat by over polishing by PO and am now on the hunt for new replacement housings and they ain't gonna be cheap from what I hear,,,,,,  After replacement of the housings,,,thten,,I'll decide if the LED bulbs are required,,,,Thanks for your help. 
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DMiller
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Posted: 24 Dec 2024 at 10:05am |
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Curious Notation, just ordered replacements for the KW should I EVER need them, Two Each Hi/Lo H4656 and Two Hi only H4651 Halogens, likely the last will ever find and require swap to LEDs after those crap out. $18 Each Lamp. Shop I been working out of had to replace a Projector headlamp unit in a Pete, Three years aged and NOT Warranty, $212 NOT Incl Labor. And was Just a Lamp Unit, not the Housing or the Lens section.
Edited by DMiller - 24 Dec 2024 at 10:06am
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