G'day All...
BF1 XR6 - (Fourth Falcon, First XR!)
Had this car for a couple of days, never checked the fog lights...they don't work! There was no fuse in the box, so I thought, 'happy days, bung a fuse in, and off we go!'
Nope
Fuse in, no fog light indicator in the dash light panel.
I know that changing the globes sounds like the KISS solution, but I am concerned about the lack of instrument panel indicator light, making me think that the issue is a little deeper.
Does anyone have any idea/experience in this regard?

(I am very happy to learn, and have been taught lots about my cars in the past, but electrical issues are not one of my talents...Being on a budget (broke!!) I am eager to learn a new skill!)

Have you checked that the relay hasn't been pulled from the engine bay?

Okay, relay seems fine, but the fuse in the engine bay was blown. I changed the fuse, foggies came on for a split second, then the fuse blew again immediately. Any ideas on where I should be looking next?

I'd be checking the wiring closer to the foglights.
Look for any customisation, or kinks/breaks/etc.

Hi,

Try unplugging both lights, replace the fuse. If not blown try the lights 1 at a time. When the fuse blows you will know which light to pull out. If it is a light, have a good look and if you dont see anything wrong replace the globe. I have seen 2 lights from Ford with wiring faults from new !

Regards 96ELGli

First, thanks heaps for the advice...
Okay, so between work and kids, I finally got a chance to get these lights out. Left light had wired that looked squashed, and the right on it's own didn't blow the fuse, so any advice from here would be great! Do I have to replace the wiring only or the whole unit? Can an electrical noob be trained to do this himself?!

The squashed wire would definitely be a concern.

Electrical work is just like any other job, process of elimination, but with wires.

Have you got a pic of the squashed wire? If this is the source of the short circuit, you might be able to get away taping up the damage, but it will depend what has actually happened there.

Hi,

The squashed wire on its own may not be the issue, can you see any of the conductor through the insulation ? It may be a sign that the car has been in a prang. I would take the light out and have a good look. To blow the fuse the power has to be going to ground. It still could be the globe so swap them around. If the fuse blows with the suspect globe in the good side, replace the globe. ( just try the globe from the bad light in the good one, really for a few dollers I would just replace it and try ) Keep in mind that you shouldnt touch the " glass " with a Halogen globe, if you do clean it with Metho and a cloth. If there is a damaged wire, not hard to fix. See if you can post up a picture of it.

Regards 96ELGli

You guys have helped greatly, thank you!
I found that the splash plate was pressed on the wires, which could have caused the squashing, but that want the issue anyway. After a process of elimination as recommended, I found that where the globe plus in on the left light, there was a sliver of metal. (no idea where it would have come from...kind of looked like a thread, all curled and wafer thin.) After getting this out, and replacing the globes (again, for very little coin,this was worthwhile suggestion) both foggies work, no more tripped fuse, dash light works as it should and wires are now clear of the splash guard. In fact, I find it careless of the last owner allowing the wires to be trapped like that...I'm not sure that I could have trapped the wires in the same place even if I tried!
I will post some pics soon. Again, thanks fir taking the time to help me out...gaining confidence with every repair!

Hi,

Nice to hear you had a win. Electrical stuff is easy, a bit of knowledge and a multi-meter and you can work out most things. Also good that you posted with the fix, it may help others in the future.

Regards 96ELGli