Couple "new" issues on MY GURL

[FORD*DIEHARD]

A couple weeks ago I took MY GURL out to Arizona and WHEELED' some nice trails (Smiley Rock and Sedona Red Rocks).

While out on Smiley Rock trail my headlights started "flickering" , at first I thought it was just the headlight ground to the fender (because when I first installed these about a year ago that was the problem. *I have the Holley LED headlights) but that appears to be good. It got real dark on the trail and after turning off my headlights because they wouldn't stop flickering I ended up ripping off my driver side mirror on a Bush (cant make this stuff up.) But I had so much fun, I would do it all over again , and I plan on it.

I got MY GURL home and while I was backing up her up I heard a "knock" noise while turning the steering wheel. So I put I phone down to record what's going on. I have also added some photos if that helps.

Any ideas on headlight issue and track bar?

I attached some photos of Smiley Rock and Sedona Red Rock trail.

I hope you are able to view the video, if not I can email if needed.

Sonny

 

[Dude 713]

Headlight issue is probably a bad dimmer switch.

 

[FORD*DIEHARD]

The high beam switch on the floorboard? Not the headlight switch?

 

[FORD*DIEHARD]

So after Dude713 suggested possibly being a bad dimmer switch, I looked up to price them and buy one.

**I just want to make it clear that I am NOT bashing any of OUR VENDORS because they do not control shipping prices, but when shipping is 5x the cost of a small/light part , that's tough. I was also thinking of getting the headlight switch as well incase that could also be a contributing factor.

I am a FIRM BELIEVER in supporting OUR VENDORS and the saying "NOTHING CHEAP IS GOOD AND NOTHING GOOD IS CHEAP" but as we all know now a days seems like all the parts come from overseas in different packaging (not saying this is true in all parts but the majority). I understand some parts you should not skimp on but being that it's a dimmer and headlight switch would buying it from a local auto part store or online with free shipping be just as good?

I attached a screen shot of the part with estimated shipping to show.

 

[Lobi]

I had this problem before. The longer my lights were on, is when they started blinking. I replaced dimmer switch, which was inexpensive. But it was the headlight switch was the real problem. I think it was about $75 in 2000. I added a relay to circuit (cheap) and only low amperage went through my headlight switch.
Good Luck.

 

[Lobi]

P.S.
My wiring harness caught on fire shortly after that. Not due to switch or relay. It was a symptom of the old tired wiring. Luckily I disconnected the battery to stop.
Obviously I had to rewire entire vehicle.

 

[DirtDonk]

Two different issues here.
For the headlights, don't replace the dimmer switch. Test it...
You do not need any special equipment. Simply unplug the harness from the switch, and, with a short bit of jumper wire (or maybe even a paperclip!) jumper the center terminal of the harness plug to one of the others. You can check the wire colors, or just experiment. Won't hurt anything to try both, but one is low-beam and the other is high-beam, so you want to find the low-beam terminal and jumper that one for a real world test.
If the flickering goes away, it "might be" the switch, or it "might be" the connector.
If the shipping is too onerous, and you're not buying other stuff from one of us, and you're in a hurry anyway, just get it locally. It's a stock part, and it's just easier to return it when it goes bad that way anyway! Ugh...
Reason I say that, is that if you buy based on price of the part alone, you'll probably be going back to the store multiple times. So buy their "best" version if you are given a choice.
Heck, you might get lucky and get a good part the first time. You never know!

When you said you had video, I thought it was going to be of the flickering headlights. Do you have one of that as well? I'd like to see just how they are flickering and in what, if any, rhythm.

For the steering, it might be too late and the rod ends might have received excessive wear, but no matter what, I'd first try rotating the centerlink of the tie-rod up a bit more.
See where your draglink is pointing? Get it so that the grease fitting on the lower joint is facing upward at a 60 degree angle. Roughly pointed up at the bottom of the radiator is a good start.
In the video it looks like it's almost there, but in one of the other still shots, it looks to be pointed mostly straight ahead. Either way, you can see that the draglink is "pulling and pushing" the tie-rod so that it rotates on the rod ends.
Center the steering while moving straight ahead. Stop and loosen up the two adjusting sleeve clamps on the drag link, along with at least the inner adjuster clamps on the two tie-rod ends.
Rotate the tie-rod itself so that the mounting hole is pointed at the radiator. Tighten all the clamps really good.

Of course, at this point it would not hurt to have checked your toe-in measurements ahead of time, in order to see if while you're messing about, you might need to tweak the toe-in setting a bit.
But that's not the important part at this point. It's getting the lower drag link rod-end raised up a bit so that the motion of the pitman arm is not pushing down, or pulling up quite as much as it looks to be in the vid.

Good luck.

Paul

 

[FORD*DIEHARD]

Thank you everyone so far for your replies.

No I do not have a video of the headlights flickering.

I will try these tests out.

Prices for the part (headlight dimmer switch) are all pretty much the same price just shipping cost alone was at least $20 and more.

I recently purchased a side marker lens cover , think the lens was around $6.00 and paid about $10.00 for shipping.

I appreciate everything our vendors do and more importantly THEIR KNOWLEDGE, thats why I always support them.

 

[DirtDonk]

And we appreciate it!
I know for a fact that we do, I’m sure the others do as well.
So no problem there. But we also realize that every once in awhile, a standard part that you can walk down to the parts store and pick up just makes sense now and then.
Of course, not everybody is within walking distance of a major parts store. In fact, quite a few members here live two hours or more from the nearest parts store!
Don’t know if you’re one of them, but that would certainly influence buying decisions.

Just thought of another thing you might try as a test. Have no idea if it’s a legit test or not, but next time you’re trying to diagnose the flickering, unplug one headlight.
See if anything changes at all. Then plug it back in and unplug the other one just to see if anything changes.,
Hey, you never know!