FTCOne

Don, This was actually something I was considering. I actually found a thread where someone out the lights in parallel and used enclosures around the bulbs as a solution. At a minimum, i will double check my math, test the current draw of the actual bulb, and then decide. But it will have to wait until later next week. Life is about to get in the way.

Ok, so I made my original selection of resistors based on what is typically used by HID companies. But calculating those numbers shows that I am drawing a value less than the bulbs would and I am questioning if this is the problem. For my test, I used a 6ohm load resistor. At 12.6 volts (vehicle not running), this is only ~26.5 watts representing a 55 watt bulb. Even if I add in the coil resistance of 80ohms, this would be a combined load of 5.58 ohms, thus a ~28.5 watt load. Even with the vehicle running and the voltage raised to 14 volts, this parallel resistance leads to a current draw of 35 watts. I am questioning if this is too low. I may try a 4 ohm load resistor, for an effective resistance of 3.81 ohms, drawing ~41.7 watts with the vehicle off and 51.4 watts with the engine running.

I just wanted to add that this retrofit is definitely not worth it without fixing the HID issue. I will keep working at it.

Well, that was all very unsuccessful. I tried load resistors on both fog light connectors, no luck. I tried capacitors ahead of the ballasts, no luck. I tried both together, no luck. I measured the voltage to the relay and it is definitely going between 0V and 12V every time the lights attempt to turn on. For now i put a set of regular H11 bulbs in and buttoned it back up. Time for more research.

Don, I am guessing these are similar to many of the anti-flicker products out there. They use capacitors to level out the voltage. I think this is a module control issue, so i am going to try the resistors first. I have them prepped with leads, I just need to get back under the car. Maybe tonight, although it is pouring out right now so i may wait a day so I am not dealing with wet panels.

Don, I understand the issue with the turn signal. My plan was to leave the projectors on with the low beams. This should avoid them turning on and off quickly. I will report back on the effectiveness of using load resistors. Also, I am already using a relay harness to avoid issues there.

Tiller - Based on these posts, it sounds like you have the Panoramic glass. I have been considering putting the LED light strips on the black edges around the glass but above the shade. Then they are hidden from view, but could add some nice lighting at night, which is when i typically have the shade open. I keep it closed during the day, too much sun and heat...

To better answer your question, the HIDs always attempt to ignite for the same duration of time (a little over a second), no matter which signal seems to be triggering them.

The function of the lights is identical for all three conditions that would turn the lights on: 1) Turning on the Fog Light switch 2) Fog light switch off, and turning on the turn signal 3) Fog light and turn signal off, but turning the wheel. Additionally, the count of attempts to start the light is held in memory. So, if I turn on the fog lights and it attempts to start 3 times before turning off the switch, when i turn the switch on again, it will attempt 2 more times. For certain the control module has all of the intelligence in it. I am guessing the HS-CAN message is simply a switch activated signal, but I am also sure that Ford (like most manufacturers I have dealt with in the big rig world) uses some type of proprietary messaging which would make it difficult to figure out exactly what the communications are. However, going back to the behavior, I am guessing the HCM (or ALCM, depending on the drawing you look at) is checking the current draw and controlling the application of voltage to the lights. I am going to play around with the circuit with some resistors later this week to see if my hunch is correct.

Don, Thanks for the schematics. I am fairly certain at this point that the system sees the lower current as a light being out and therefore doesn't continue to attempt to turn the bulb on. I really need to gt under there with a millimeter and some spare wires. I also noticed that the 5 attempts also occurs with the fog lights off but the turn signal on. Based on this, I am certain the AFLM is sending the same signal to the lights. The question that i would like to answer is if it is a PWM signal. I have seen that many of the CAN bus controlled lighting systems utilize PWM drivers. If that is the case, the CAN cancellers devices may work. There are basically two "fixes" out there. 1) Resistors - These are used to make the system believe the lights are drawing current. 2) Capacitors - These are used as a means of leveling out the voltage of the PWM signal. I am guessing that the resistors may be necessary since the TC obviously makes a correction (stopping any attempts at lighting the fog lamps). This means the AFLM senses a problem (low current draw) and adjusts. Resetting the module (power cycling) resets the system to an unknown state and the vehicle attempts again. I will be giving some attention to this tomorrow hopefully.

I do have the cornering lamps. I just figured they overrode the fog light switch. I will try the canbus canceller and see if that works. I am just guessing it is computer related since it always behaves identically: 5 attempts to start, shut down til ignition reset.

So, after a few quick searches, I am guessing that the TC needs the HID warning cancellers (capacitors). This sounds like a PWM problem. Does anyone know, are these PWM controlled? it would make sense that the vehicle tries to pulse them but senses a low current. After trying a few times, it assumes they are bad and stops pulsing. One other note, in spite of the TC having lots of technology in it, the car provides me no warning that the lights aren't working.

Step 7 - Mounting the housings: So I started with the passenger side because I had easier access. When installing the light, you may need to finagle the posts past the opening of the bumper. It is a tight fit and took a little twisting and bending, but they will fit. I used the original mounting hardware and turned on the fogs to check the height aim. This is not easy to do as the car is up on jack stands. So, I measured the distance from the center of the headlight to the center of the projector. Then, i measured the distance between the cut-offs on the wall. The projectors were quite low. So I began adding washers. It took 4 washers on each side on the top of the projector (yes, I put washers over the plastic post that the housing slides over), but this gave me the proper aim. This is why i said you can probably move the hole and slot down slightly on the back of the housings when mounting the projectors. Next, I went to the driver's side and did the same process. However, on the driver's side, I replaced the stripped torx screws with #8 x 3/4" Stainless Steel Hex Head Sheet metal screws. This made it so I could use a ratchet in the tight clearance area behind the fog light opening. Once again, finagling is necessary. I also began the process of aiming. However, this is when i started to notice odd functionality in the lights. The driver's side light would work, but the passenger side light would try to ignite 5 times and then shut off. So, now it is 10:30 PM and I need to get this wrapped up so I can be on the road at 7:30 AM. Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures from here on out. But I can tell you what happened. Step 8 - Debugging: So once the lights were mounted, I shut the ignition off. I turn the ignition on and the driver's side fog light comes on. Only one problem... The fog light switch is off... Turn on the fog light switch and the passenger side side fog light attempts to ignite 5 times and shuts off... I try this a few more times and the operation is consistent. Consistently screwed up, but consistent. So, I just happen to have a relay harness sitting around from another vehicle that I never installed it on. I quickly install the relay harness and test again. Turn on the ignition (fog light switch off). No fog lights, good. Turn on the headlight switch, no fog lights, Even better. Turn on the fog light switch, and both sides try to ignite 5 times and shut off. I turn off the fog light switch and try it again, nothing. Turn of the ignition, turn it back on, and try again. Once again, the lights try to ignite 5 times and turn off. this is very consistent. The lights will only try to ignite 5 times after an ignition reset. So, my next thoughts jump to the fact that everything in the car in Canbus. At this point, it is 12:30 AM. Time to button up and come back to it later. So I go about putting all the underbody panels back on, reinstalling the torx screws and trim panel clips. So, here I am with a TC with nice lights installed and I believe I need to trick the Canbus into thinking the lights are working to get them to operate normally. Time to research. I'll post more when i fix the problem. But for now, here is the front view of the TC with the projectors installed.

Step 6 - Epoxying the projectors into the housings: I chose to use JB Kwik for the project as I was attempting to complete this all in one day (attempting is the operative term, but more on that later). First, I applied epoxy to the projector where it would contact the rear of the housing. After inserting the projector, I applied more to the joint on the outside of the housing. Then, I used tape to hold the projector steady while the epoxy set (6 minutes per the package). Once the epoxy set, I mixed more epoxy and applied it around where the posts meet the sides of the housings on each side. Then comes the waiting game... I gave the housings 4 hours before trying to install them in the TC. Meanwhile Step 7 - Test the ballasts and bulbs and install them in the TC: So I bought 55W ballasts and 5000K HID bulbs for the install. I am hoping this will provide some decent down road lighting. So I started on the passenger side and connected the ballast to the vehicle wiring and a bulb to the ballast. I left the light dangling and turned on the fog lights. Voila, bright light... I disconnected the ballast and bulb and set them aside. I went to the driver's side and did the same thing with the other ballast and bulb. Voila, bright light... So at this point I determined it was safe to install the ballasts. On the passenger side, I zip-tied the ballast to the bumper bracket above the fog light. Please excuse the multiple zip ties, I didn't have any long ones on hand. this view is looking from below the vehicle up at the bracket. On the driver' side, with the limited clearance, I zip tied the ballast to the plastic bracket that the fog light housings screw into. Once again, this picture looks from below the vehicle up toward the bracket. Next step - Mount the lights and then the real fun begins...

Step 4 - Destroying the old lights: This first step in dismantling the housings was to cut out the glass. I chose to cut with a dremel rather than heat and pry because the extra bit of plastic I would remove was not going to make much difference. Here is the housing after it was cut. Then all of the internal parts need to be removed. I used pliers to pull out the reflector, the cup that aims the reflector, and the metal bulb holder plate. Step 5 - Fitting the projector - So the goal here is to get the projector to fit nicely inside the remnants of the fog light housing. The key things to pay attention to when doing this: 1) Keep the projector level from side to side. Once you assemble (epoxy) the projector into the housing, there is no going back. So to keep a clean cut-off, keep the projector level. Fortunately, the projector has the metal tab which can be used to line up with a slot that you cut into the housing. 2) Try to keep the whole in the back of the housing as tight as possible to the projector. This will make it easier to assemble with the epoxy. Now I centered the projectors by eye and once assembled, I used to spacers (washers) to adjust the height of the projectors. After finishing the project, I can say that maybe I should have put the holes that I cut into the back of the housings a little lower to adjust the beam upward. When I installed them in the car, it took 4 washers to tip the lights enough to get a good height. That is about as many as you can use without replacing the mounting screws. So, you need to trim a hole and a slot (make sure to orient the projector properly to the housing) in the rear of the housing. You also need to notch the sides for the posts that stick off each side of the projector. I didn't get a good side shot after trimming, but you can see in this picture that those posts sit below the lip of the housing. And a quick test fit in the TC. Next step is to epoxy the projectors into the housings...

Ok, retrofit time.... Yes, I am the same person who started the thread. Somehow I accidentally got logged in through Facebook, even though I never asked to be. Nonetheless, here goes my write-up. Step 1 - Fog light assembly access: This was a pain in the butt. I started out by putting the front end up on jack stands so I could swivel the tire and access under the car. To get the most access, you will need to pull the shield under the engine (6 torx bolts). Then I removed the plastic panel just below the bumper (3 more torx and a bunch of trim panel retainers). I also removed a few torx bolts and trim panel retainers in each wheeel well to make it easier to access the lights through the wheel well. Step 2 - Fog light Assembly removal: Once you get access, you will see the passenger side fog light is extremely easy to reach from the wheel well. Disconnect the plug and remove the two torx screws and you are done. The driver's side was different story on mine. Behind the driver's side fog light is a severe lack of clearance. I am unsure what the component is that is in the way, but you have maybe 3 inches of clearance. And unfortunately for me, someone else had messed around with the lights and almost completely stripped the screw heads. So after 30 minutes, I finally got the screws removed. This image shows the lack of clearance from the light to the other component in a view from under the vehicle. Step 3 - Dismantle the Ford Fusion projectors: I had to remove the the adjusting mechanisms form the ford fusion projectors to get them down to just the projector. I used cutters to remove the plastic around the adjusting screw, then pulled the sides apart and slid the plastic carrier off the light. Next step, make the projector fit into the housings...

I should have taken some pictures while I had mine apart. But, I followed the instructions above and things went smoothly. I did have to pull up quite hard on the brake to allow the console to come out. I replaced the cigarette lighter on the back of the console with a 4.2 amp dual USB socket. The replacement was easy as the new socket fit directly into the hole from the old socket. One note: when removing the cigarette plug, you need to push in the two tabs inside the metal tube to slide the metal tube out, then push the tab on the backside of the plastic ring to remove it from the console. I also added another 4.2 amp dual USB socket to the bottom of the inside of the console. Plenty of USB charging capability now. Thanks again zalienz...

Zalienz - Thanks for posting the instructions. I figured it was that easy, but I am always afraid they will use some stupid clips and I will break something. I really should buy the service manual. Thanks again.

Don - I think he simply wants to rotate the rectangular panel so the outlet is on the right and the blanks for the seat heaters are on the left. You wouldn't happen to know how to remove the center console, would you? I have been wanting to remove it to add powered USB charging ports inside the center console. I can probably figure it out, but haven't tried. If you know any tricks, it would be appreciated. Thanks.

Don, Thanks for the quick response. That is what I was thinking, you could tap the +12 for the positive and run a new ground to the nearest grounding location. Too bad the lights are gone, they look pretty slick. I only got my TC yesterday, but it has the panoramic roof and I need to decide how best to add some additional lighting.

Don, If the lights already have +12 to them, couldn't you simply tap that and run a ground terminal to the nearest screw to provide push button functionality? Thinking I may want to do this or something like and what is the best way to do so...