Thread: Soundoff select-a-pattern HLF

http://www.soundoffsignal.com/warnam.../ETHFSS-SP.pdf

So, let me get this straight. I only cut the positive wire on the drivers side high beam light and connect the yellow wire to the wire going to the light and connect the blue wire to the other end of the positive wire that I just cut? So, I don't cut anything on the passenger side?

Originally Posted by dcfrmp255

http://www.soundoffsignal.com/warnam.../ETHFSS-SP.pdf

So, let me get this straight. I only cut the positive wire on the drivers side high beam light and connect the yellow wire to the wire going to the light and connect the blue wire to the other end of the positive wire that I just cut? So, I don't cut anything on the passenger side?

Correct. Your headlights are both ran off of 1 wire for highbeam and 1 for low beam. It was on my Crown Vic anyway. They come into the drivers side and jump to the passenger side.

Originally Posted by fireman658

Correct. Your headlights are both ran off of 1 wire for highbeam and 1 for low beam. It was on my Crown Vic anyway. They come into the drivers side and jump to the passenger side.

No, my high beams and low beams have separate wires. I have an 02 Chevy Silverado...

follow this tips and don't cut you wire... "No-Splice" HLF

Originally Posted by pingfung

follow this tips and don't cut you wire... "No-Splice" HLF

That is how my current HLF is installed, I just need to know where to connect the wires...

Make sure your headlights are not ground switched. I know they are on my 2003 Sierra. At least I think they are. Hell I cant remember now.

Originally Posted by twodogs603

Make sure your headlights are not ground switched. I know they are on my 2003 Sierra. At least I think they are. Hell I cant remember now.

I tested them earlier today and they are positive switched.

Originally Posted by dcfrmp255

http://www.soundoffsignal.com/warnam.../ETHFSS-SP.pdf

So, let me get this straight. I only cut the positive wire on the drivers side high beam light and connect the yellow wire to the wire going to the light and connect the blue wire to the other end of the positive wire that I just cut? So, I don't cut anything on the passenger side?

On a single fuse supply, your vehicle provides power to both headlights through one fuse. What you are doing is severing the right headlight from the left headlight.

When your high beams are turned on, power flows to the left headlight and down the blue wire and out to the right headlight through the yellow wire. When your flasher is on, power is pulsed to the left and right headlights through the blue and yellow wires respectively. The flasher monitors the blue wire in the off state to see if you turned your high beam switch on in order to turn off the flasher. When the high beams switch is turned off and while the flasher switch is activated, the flasher resumes operation.

If you connect it to a dual fuse system, follow the same steps, however, when you cut the supply to the right side, that supply will be left alone and taped off.

This flasher will ONLY work in a positive switched system. Another way you can install this flasher, which is the way I have installed this many times in Chevy positive switched vehicles, is to simply use a fuse tap in the fuse block under the hood. Blue taps onto the output side of the driver's side high beam and yellow taps onto the output side of the passenger's side high beam. In order to make this work though, you must replace the pax side fuse with a blown fuse to prevent backflow. This setup works every time and no wires get cut.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Tony

Originally Posted by ERM

On a single fuse supply, your vehicle provides power to both headlights through one fuse. What you are doing is severing the right headlight from the left headlight.

When your high beams are turned on, power flows to the left headlight and down the blue wire and out to the right headlight through the yellow wire. When your flasher is on, power is pulsed to the left and right headlights through the blue and yellow wires respectively. The flasher monitors the blue wire in the off state to see if you turned your high beam switch on in order to turn off the flasher. When the high beams switch is turned off and while the flasher switch is activated, the flasher resumes operation.

If you connect it to a dual fuse system, follow the same steps, however, when you cut the supply to the right side, that supply will be left alone and taped off.

This flasher will ONLY work in a positive switched system. Another way you can install this flasher, which is the way I have installed this many times in Chevy positive switched vehicles, is to simply use a fuse tap in the fuse block under the hood. Blue taps onto the output side of the driver's side high beam and yellow taps onto the output side of the passenger's side high beam. In order to make this work though, you must replace the pax side fuse with a blown fuse to prevent backflow. This setup works every time and no wires get cut.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Tony

Ahhhh, Thanks!! This helps a lot!!!! The flasher is supposed to come this Friday, so I will let you know. Thanks everybody for your replies!

OMG I've followed the instructions and it is not working!!!! PLEASE, if anybody has installed this flasher on an 2002 Chevy Silverado, PLEASE help me!!! Do I cut the orange wire on the high beams? PLEASE HELP.

Originally Posted by ERM

On a single fuse supply, your vehicle provides power to both headlights through one fuse. What you are doing is severing the right headlight from the left headlight.

When your high beams are turned on, power flows to the left headlight and down the blue wire and out to the right headlight through the yellow wire. When your flasher is on, power is pulsed to the left and right headlights through the blue and yellow wires respectively. The flasher monitors the blue wire in the off state to see if you turned your high beam switch on in order to turn off the flasher. When the high beams switch is turned off and while the flasher switch is activated, the flasher resumes operation.

If you connect it to a dual fuse system, follow the same steps, however, when you cut the supply to the right side, that supply will be left alone and taped off.

This flasher will ONLY work in a positive switched system. Another way you can install this flasher, which is the way I have installed this many times in Chevy positive switched vehicles, is to simply use a fuse tap in the fuse block under the hood. Blue taps onto the output side of the driver's side high beam and yellow taps onto the output side of the passenger's side high beam. In order to make this work though, you must replace the pax side fuse with a blown fuse to prevent backflow. This setup works every time and no wires get cut.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Tony

My truck has a fuse for the left headlamps and a fuse for the right headlamps...

Originally Posted by dcfrmp255

OMG I've followed the instructions and it is not working!!!! PLEASE, if anybody has installed this flasher on an 2002 Chevy Silverado, PLEASE help me!!! Do I cut the orange wire on the high beams? PLEASE HELP.

Does anything happen? From what I read so far, you made the mistake of cutting the DRIVER side light instead of the PASSENGER light. To verify that you cut the right wire, try turning the high beam on with the wire cut. If you have, the light wont light. Ground the green. Connect yellow and blue to either side of the cut wire. If you do that wrong only one would flash. White to battery, red to switch. All other wires can be cut to a reasonable length and zip tied out of the way. What is the orange wire you are talking about? Im not seeing that in the diagram.

Originally Posted by theroofable

Does anything happen? From what I read so far, you made the mistake of cutting the DRIVER side light instead of the PASSENGER light. To verify that you cut the right wire, try turning the high beam on with the wire cut. If you have, the light wont light. Ground the green. Connect yellow and blue to either side of the cut wire. If you do that wrong only one would flash. White to battery, red to switch. All other wires can be cut to a reasonable length and zip tied out of the way. What is the orange wire you are talking about? Im not seeing that in the diagram.

The orange wire is the OEM positive wire going to my high beams. This is what I did, I cut the orange wire(positive high beams) on the passenger side and connected the yellow wire to the orange wire going directly to the high beam and connected the blue wire to the other end of the orange wire. To get the highbeams to flash, I have to have the headlights turned off, and have the dimmer switch selected to highbeams.

was this unit new or used? Did you check the fuse in the white wire, sounds like the flasher isnt getting the power to flash the lights, requiring the high beams to be on to flash them.

Originally Posted by theroofable

was this unit new or used? Did you check the fuse in the white wire, sounds like the flasher isnt getting the power to flash the lights, requiring the high beams to be on to flash them.

Bought flasher NIB, checked all fuses and connections and they are in working order. Flasher still requires the headlights off and dimmer switch on highbeams...

Originally Posted by dcfrmp255

I tested them earlier today and they are positive switched.

How sure are you? SOS says they are ground switched.

Remove your high beam connector. Using a test probe (looks like an ice pick with a bulb in the handle and a wire coming out the handle), connect the tester wire to a reliable ground and test each pin inside the wire harness you just took off of the bulb. With the headlights switch off, the tester won't light. Turn on the high beams and repeat the test. One of the wires in the harness will light the tester. This is a positive switched system. However, run the test one more time by connecting the tester wire to a positive source. Repeat the above test. Verify the ground is constant with the high beam switch in either the on or off position and that the other wire does not go to ground. Let us know your results.

Tony

Originally Posted by ERM

How sure are you? SOS says they are ground switched.

Remove your high beam connector. Using a test probe (looks like an ice pick with a bulb in the handle and a wire coming out the handle), connect the tester wire to a reliable ground and test each pin inside the wire harness you just took off of the bulb. With the headlights switch off, the tester won't light. Turn on the high beams and repeat the test. One of the wires in the harness will light the tester. This is a positive switched system. However, run the test one more time by connecting the tester wire to a positive source. Repeat the above test. Verify the ground is constant with the high beam switch in either the on or off position and that the other wire does not go to ground. Let us know your results.

Tony

This is another reason that I am confused. I am aware that SOS says that they are ground, but I have tested them multiple times using the method that you stated and they are in fact POSITIVE.

Edit: It made sense in my head but I flubbed it when I typed it out.

My 02 Silverado was GROUND switched. I'm pretty sure that is your problem. I know this because I had a trigger wire for fog lights coming off the power wire to the driver's side headlight. If I switched to high beams, my fogs stayed on because that wire was always powered (ground switched).

If your headlights are positive switched you will have three wires going into the back of the bulb. Two will be positive wires and one will be a ground. The ground will be constant. The low beam wire will be powered when the low beams are on and will shut off when the high beams are activated. The opposite is true as well. The high beam wire will not be powered when the low beams are on and will be when the high beams are activated.

On a ground switched system (I'm trying to remember my Silverado) there are still three wires going into the back of the bulb but one is positive (constant) and the two others were grounds. The system switches which ground is connected to activate the low/high beam lights. If you turn on your low beams and find one wire being powered, if when you switch to high beams that wire stays powered, you are ground switched. If you have two wires that are powered at different times (one with low beams and one with high beams) that is positive switched.

Originally Posted by bigcat

My 02 Silverado was GROUND switched. I'm pretty sure that is your problem. I know this because I had a trigger wire for fog lights coming off my low beam wire. If I switched to high beams, my fogs stayed on because the low beam wire was always powered.

How did you test them? If you put a test light on the high beam wire (with the low beams on) and the test light comes on, they are ground switched. If the test light stays off until you activate high beams, then it is positive switched.

I'll check them again.

Originally Posted by bigcat

Edit: It made sense in my head but I flubbed it when I typed it out.

My 02 Silverado was GROUND switched. I'm pretty sure that is your problem. I know this because I had a trigger wire for fog lights coming off the power wire to the driver's side headlight. If I switched to high beams, my fogs stayed on because that wire was always powered (ground switched).

If your headlights are positive switched you will have three wires going into the back of the bulb. Two will be positive wires and one will be a ground. The ground will be constant. The low beam wire will be powered when the low beams are on and will shut off when the high beams are activated. The opposite is true as well. The high beam wire will not be powered when the low beams are on and will be when the high beams are activated.

On a ground switched system (I'm trying to remember my Silverado) there are still three wires going into the back of the bulb but one is positive (constant) and the two others were grounds. The system switches which ground is connected to activate the low/high beam lights. If you turn on your low beams and find one wire being powered, if when you switch to high beams that wire stays powered, you are ground switched. If you have two wires that are powered at different times (one with low beams and one with high beams) that is positive switched.

Did you have a HLF connected to your headlights? I have removed the select-a-pattern and hooked up my Whelen UHF-2150A and wired it according to the negative switched instructions and it still does not work!

According to the SOS flasher chart, your vehicle is a ground-switched system (as has been mentioned above) and the proper high-beam wire will be purple. It further indicates that the flasher you have is not compatible, as it is not listed as a recommended flasher. I suggest you punt and try again. I am unfamiliar with the Whelen flasher you mentioned.

FWIW, I have installed more SOS HL flashers than I care to count, and I've never had one not work when installed IAW their chart and instructions.

SoundOff Tech - Technical Service Bulletins

Looks like I am SOL when comes to having a HLF on my truck. I talked to the folks a Whelen and they said that their UHF-2150A will not work with my truck. I DO have a NEGATIVE switched system which means that the SOS select-a-pattern will not work either. Thanks for all of your help and replies. If you do know of a flasher that will work properly on a 2002 chevy silverado then let me know. Thanks!

Originally Posted by dcfrmp255

Looks like I am SOL when comes to having a HLF on my truck. I talked to the folks a Whelen and they said that their UHF-2150A will not work with my truck. I DO have a NEGATIVE switched system which means that the SOS select-a-pattern will not work either. Thanks for all of your help and replies. If you do know of a flasher that will work properly on a 2002 chevy silverado then let me know. Thanks!

Did you get my PM?

Would it be possible to hook the solid state select-a-pattern to 2 Feniex Titan 200's?

Why not just buy the correct flasher? SOS offers what you need. Alternately, you could add a couple of relays to make the flasher work with your headlights.

Originally Posted by C2Installs

Why not just buy the correct flasher? SOS offers what you need. Alternately, you could add a couple of relays to make the flasher work with your headlights.

Yea, you're right. It would be a PITA to hook up the Titans to the HLF. I have contacted two SOS dealer on the board to give me a quote on the relay select-a-pattern that is supposed to work with my truck.

Ok, I bought the SOS ETHF00-SP relay flasher, the chart said that it would work with my truck....I have determined that I have a ground switched system, so I hooked the flasher up according to the ground switched diagram. STILL DOES NOT WORK!!! It does not even make a clicking sound!!! After this weather passes over, I will go back and double check everything. I will be making a call to SOS in the morning...

Originally Posted by dcfrmp255

Ok, I bought the SOS ETHF00-SP relay flasher, the chart said that it would work with my truck....I have determined that I have a ground switched system, so I hooked the flasher up according to the ground switched diagram. STILL DOES NOT WORK!!! It does not even make a clicking sound!!! After this weather passes over, I will go back and double check everything. I will be making a call to SOS in the morning...

Uhh, you're doing it wrong. I'm sure it's something simple, hang in there. One common mistake is not grounding the green wire, instead many mistakenly assume the black is the ground. Not sure why SOS does it that way, but they do. Another common mistake is cutting the circuit on the wrong side.

Anyway, I'm sure it can be worked out. Are your highbeams working w/out the flasher?

Originally Posted by C2Installs

Uhh, you're doing it wrong. I'm sure it's something simple, hang in there. One common mistake is not grounding the green wire, instead many mistakenly assume the black is the ground. Not sure why SOS does it that way, but they do. Another common mistake is cutting the circuit on the wrong side.

Anyway, I'm sure it can be worked out. Are your highbeams working w/out the flasher?

This flasher does not have the green wire for the ground. Yes, the highbeams work without the flasher. The wires are as follows:

Black=Ground
White= Fused ground
Red= Connected to +12v control switch
Blue= To other end of cut passenger side wire
Yellow=To passenger side highbeam light

http://www.soundoffsignal.com/warnam.../ETHF00-SP.pdf

Did you try to turn on the low beams? The instructions say: "Note: Some vehicles may require that the low beam headlights are turned
ON before the high beam headlights will flash." And SOS does say the headlights must be ON for your vehicle.