[LMStone510]

The fog lights on my 2013 ST1 were getting tired. The lenses were cloudy from several Maine winters and the beam projection was very scattered. My wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I first thought "Strano bar!" but quickly realized I'd get more use out of the Morimotos. (I double checked my rear end links for any deformation, but they were totally straight and the bushings were in great shape too... next year maybe!)

Here are my stock fog lights removed, next to one of the Morimotos, to show how cloudy my existing lenses are:



Which Model?
The XB line has several current production models, Type U being the latest with an allegedly better focussing lens. But the Type S is what fits our Fords with no mess no fuss so be sure that if you do this you get that model.

There are lots of other choices for fog lights, each with their own sets of benefits/tradeoffs.

I chose the Morimotos because they install easily, are both DOT-approved and E-coded, and based on others who have been running them for some time, seem to be pretty reliable versus some of the less expensive choices we see on ebay.

WARNING! Do NOT open your new fog light box and assemble the connectors right away! You need to confirm polarity because these LEDs only work with the polarity set one way! (And if you do, and you get it wrong, believe me you'll never get the connector apart!)


Needed Parts & Tools
The kit comes with everything, but I find the black plastic pin clips holding the FMIC undertray to the bumper are often one-time use, so in the picture below you'll see the part number for some spares. Similarly, I found the splash pan wing bolts and the FMIC undertray side screws that both screw into those very expensive stainless steel speed nuts were rusting. Not just surface rust, but the threads contacting the speed nuts when the screw is tightened up had rusted. The result was that you couldn't tighten the screw; it would screw in almost all the way and then just spin. So I got replacements of those too. You'll need six of each of the pin clips and the screws; they come in packs of four so best to order either 8 or 12 of each depending on how long you expect to keep the car.

Here's the tool list, and the bags for the push pins and screws, so you can see the part numbers:

• 10mm socket and long extension(s) for removing the horn bracket assembly
• Shorty #2 Phillips Screwdriver (if you have strong wrists) or a ratchet assembly for aiming the lights
• Needle Nose for connector pin insertion assembly
• ***** (or razor blade) for trimming cable ties
• Cable ties to hold the connectors in place
• Torx T-27, extension and ratchet for removing engine and FMIC undertrays
• Torx T-25 for removing/installing fog light housings
• Thin flat blade screwdriver and flat spudge for removing black plastic fog light decorative bumper covers
• U-shaped spudge for removing FMIC undertray clips

Step One - Remove The Undertrays
Well, really Step One is to put the front of the car up on a set of ramps. You'll want to use ramps because after you get the lights installed -- but before you put the undertrays back in place -- you'll want to go outside and check the aim when it's dark. Much easier to drive on and off ramps than jacking the car up, putting on jack stands etc., especially because it may take you a few tries at aiming until you get it right.

After the car is up on ramps, use the T-27 to remove the front L-angle deflector and the engine undertray, just like you would to change the oil.

To remove the FMIC undertray, first use the U-shaped spudge first to pull up the locking portion of the pin (do not try to remove the whole pin all at once):






You can then use the same spudge to remove the pin assembly by inserting the spudge between the pin assembly and the bumper:




Next, use the T-27 to remove the three Torx screws on the rearward edge of the FMIC undertray, after which you can just gently pull the tray towards the rear of the car and downward at the same time, and it will slide out and fall down no problem.

Unplug The Existing Fog Light Connectors
The connectors are held in place by two clip arms, which must be spread out (gently) before you can unplug the connector. In the picture below, my index finger is on one of those clip arms. You can use your fingernails or a spudge to spread these, just be very careful not to spread them too far and break them.




Remove The Black Plastic Decorative Fog Light Covers
CJ Pony Parts (Spool Tuning) has a You-Tube video showing how to remove these. The process I used is identical, but in the CJ Pony Parts video the tech is IMHO a little rough and in one shot you can see he cracks the bumper a little.

If you've got a really strong grip, you can just squeeze the cover tabs towards the center of the cover, with one of the spudges on the front of the bumper pulling the cover forward. Otherwise, use the screwdriver or thin spudge to start with the clips towards the middle of the car, working outwards.

If you try and pull the cover forward anymore than a smidge after you get the first clip released, it will just make unclipping the next clips that much harder.

Surprisingly, I found not as much force as you would think is needed; it's really about technique. After you finish the first one the second one will be much easier.

For that reason, I suggest starting on the driver's side where there is a lot of room. On the passenger, you'll need to unbolt the horn bracket:



Note that once you've released the three top and two bottom clips, you can (gently) pull the black housing off; the clip on the outermost edge will pop free no problem.

At this point, you can use the T-25 Torx to unbolt the existing fog light housings and set them aside.


Test Connections and Document Polarity and Plug Orientation
By this point you've figured out you need to assemble your own connector. There are two tricks to this process: First, you need to get the polarity right because the connector has a bar inside of it that mates to a slot on the Ford harness connector. IOW, you can't rotate the connector 180 degrees; it only connects one way.

The second trick is that the electrical pins really only insert in the supplied plastic connector oriented one way. The instructions didn't mention this, and you can jam the pins in the other way and it will work, but, I've done a lot of electrical work for many years and the pin/connector manufatcurers I can tell you have preference for how these things are aligned, and when you do it "their way", the pins just slide right in with a satisfying "click".

To test polarity, plug the new fog light into the harness, using just the already wired pins. Turn on the fog lights and see if the assembly illuminates. If it does, great. Note to which wire color on the Ford harness matches up against each of the red and black wires on the fog light assembly:



In the photo above note that the visible side of Ford harness connector edge is smooth; the slot is on the other side. Locate one of the Morimoto plastic harness connectors, and look inside to find which side has the bar that aligns with the Ford slot. If you are nervous, just mark on the Morimoto connector into which hole you are going to insert the red wire. It doesn't hurt to double/triple check this!

(Also, note in the above photo the white plastic Philips/hex screw on one corner of the back of the Morimoto assembly. That's the adjusting screw you'll need to use later.)

Before you insert the pins into the Morimoto connector, line them up so that the double ridges are pointing inwards towards each other:



Now you can insert the wires into the plastic connector:



Note that in the photo above, the wires are not yet fully inserted into the connector. You can use your needle nose pliers to pull up each of the pins from the open end of the connector gently, until the weather seal rings are fully inside the connector and you hear that satisfying little "click" of the pins locking in place inside the connector.

After you've finished one side, you can do the next side, being sure to test polarity on both sides!

(Installation Continues on Next Post...)

 

[LMStone510]

(Installation Continued From Previous Post...)

Install The New Fog Lights
Use the T-25 Torx to bolt the new fog lights in place, then connect the electrical connectors and test by turning on the fog lights. Hopefully, both light up OK.

Assuming so, the next step is to use the cable ties to tie up the connectors. On the Ford factory lights, the harness connects right to the bulb, but on the Morimotos, the connector can flop around quite a bit. I was nervous about long-term damage to the wiring, so I wanted to tie up the connectors. Here's how I did that on the passenger's side (the cable tie is not fully tightened to better show it's routing):



And here's the driver's side all snugged up and trimmed off using the *****:




Test again to make sure both lights actually do light up, and if so, then you can snap the black plastic fog light protectors/decorative trim pieces back on to the bumper.

Last step in this section is to reattach the horn bracket assembly on the passenger side.

Leave both undertrays OFF the bottom of the car until we get the lamps aimed!


Aim The New Fog Lights
Before you roll the car off the ramps, get back up underneath there and look for a white plastic Phillips/hex screw head on each of the fog lights; these are the adjusting screws.

While the car is up on ramps, try turning the screws with a #2 Philips shorty screwdriver, or a ratchet if you need more leverage; the adjusters do not turn easily.

Drive the car off the ramps and find a nice level, deserted dark road (industrial park parking lot would be better!) to do the aiming. Adjustments are made with the car on the road and you laying on the road to reach up underneath with the screwdriver to do the aiming, so (do I really need to say this?) please please please be careful where you do this. Having a friend to watch out for traffic is a good idea.

This will be a trial and error exercise until you get each side just right.

There are different approaches to this, but my personal view is that the farthest edge of the beam should hit the road about 150 feet in front of the car. Beyond that distance, the low beams are plenty effective.

Some people who want to drive in, for example, driving snow and thick fog just using their fog lights to avoid glare, will want the fog lights aimed with only a slight downward angle of ~2 degrees or so. The farthest edge of the beam on a level road will extend out more like 300 feet.

Once you've got the fogs aimed to your satisfaction, drive back to your garage, put the car back up on ramps and reattach the FMIC undertray first, then the engine undertray, then the L-shaped windbreaker.

Enjoy!

I hope that's helpful.

Best regards to all,
Mark