On the way home from my son's ball practice, started smelling a strange burning smell. Got home, as we're pulling into driveway, headlights flash on and off several times. Pulled the switch out, and it's a melted mess inside... Sucks, the cheapest I can find is $130...But the real question is, what caused it?!? I
m assuming since it's an enclosed unit, and the wiring harness appears fine, it was an internal problem and shouldn't happen again... Thoughts??

 

Your truck is almost 15 years old and you live in a salty climate. I wouldn't be surprised if the corrosion inside the connectors just gave in enough to short out.

 

Any modifications to the switch ?
- i.e. the fog lamp mod.

Any other modifications to the factory lighting system ?

Also, any of the lighting fuses not stock size. This would be something installed as a 20A fuse instead of a 10A.

 

No mods, no incorrect fuses...I do have a tap into the reverse light wire that operates a relay to power back up lights, but I can't see that affecting anything...

Raptor, I do live in a very humid climate, and thats a good possibility...

Been trying to find just the inside white piece, all I really need to change, not the whole damn assembly...

 

Go hit up a junkyard, you should be able to find your gen truck everywhere and just swap the switch out

 

You do need to replace the whole main headlamp switch, you had a high resistance short to ground on a large fuse that was basically a resistive heater element. This action is similar to recall 05S28.

If the wiring is fine, it had to be inside the switch and using the power from the engine compartment fuse #8 to drive it, that is the only fuse large enough to operate a resistive heater circuit. Slight chance it was fuse #7, but that is only 15A.

I would not mess with trying to find someone with a broken switch to get a part from it to repair your switch, but that is only an opinion not a fact.

If you can find a new 1998 main headlamp switch for 130.00 take it. Ford dealers are going to have the 00-03 MY switches, which are slightly different, depending on the switch options.

 

Sscully, thanks for your help... Autozone has it for $136, so if I can't find it @ a junkyard, that's where I'll head... Mine has the automatic headlights, which I don't use (keep the headlights on anytime I'm driving), so would an assembly w/fog lights w/o auto lights work?

 

Don't trust Autozone to give you the correct one.
The Fog lamps are the major change in the 97-98 MY, if you have them look up the application, probability is, it will be listed as 97-03 and 04 heritage.

The non autolamp one should work but I have not seen that tried myself. It will just not have the turn to left switch selection, which means the wires in the harness will be connected to nothing in the switch. This is supposition on my part, I have yet to see it tried.

If you go to a breaker, make sure of the MY. 97 & 98 are the same.
99 is a iffy one, most were the same as the 97&98, but I have seen a new style switch ( 00-03 ) in a late build date 99 for some reason. Don't know if someone else changed it out to the new one, or if it came that way from the factory. 99 is a half in half out MY build. Bit of 97-98 stuff and some of the 00-03 stuff.

 

OP, I can't see very well from your siggy, but do you have fog lights?

 

Raptor, yes, I have factory fog lights. I did run to a junk yard and found a switch out of a 01 Expy, seems to work fine so far...

 

Great to hear!