WxNerd2015's Hot Pepper Red FX4

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WxNerd2015

WxNerd2015

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The Ranger had a very nice Christmas holiday for sure this year! Took the Ranger out and saw the Holiday lights at Michigan International Speedway! 5 miles of lights, and even got to go on the track! And yes, that is a moose pit crew working on the cars! Haha!

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Then the Ranger put on a good bit of wintry mileage on Christmas! As you can see, a lot of slush all built up on the truck! Very sure footed though and did very well!

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But, best of all! A new project coming soon! The Ranger was very good this year and got a kit Baja Designs Squadron Sport Grille Light Kit from @Stage3Motorsports! I am so excited to get this kit on! Though thinking I might need some yellow covers for the winter months for the lights to help with all the snow visibility! Either way, I am so excited to get them on the truck as I think they look so cool!

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So I will post once I get a chance to install them, but planning to use the switch in my Lightforce switch fascia to control em, and obviously, the bumper install is super straight forward!
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WxNerd2015

WxNerd2015

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Well, small sneak preview on the truck so far! Got the @Baja Designs lights installed in the front bumper, but still am working on the wiring! Got way too cold and snowy around here for the last few weeks for me to get stuff done, so I finally got a chance to finish attaching the last light in the front yesterday! Wiring is run from the lights, up into the engine bay, but the main harness and cab wiring still need to be done! More detailed write-up to come, but in the meantime, enjoy the sneak peek of pictures!

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WxNerd2015

WxNerd2015

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Looks like someone is tired of you taking pictures of the Ranger. ??
Hahaha! Yeah, she photobombed me there and really wanted me to throw her toy! She got her time after the pictures, and while I working! Lol!
 


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WxNerd2015

WxNerd2015

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Finally got a nice day with some time here in Michigan to finish up the wiring on my @Baja Designs lights from @Stage3Motorsports! Was initially delayed by a couple issues with the kit, including bolt for one of the lights coming rounded off and a missing/in correct harness that wouldn't allow me to connect all 4 lights. (Needed an additional splitter) But Jason@Stage3 and the stage3 and Baja Designs team took care of both of the issues and got me everything I needed for installation.

The lights themselves were very straight forward to install as you just remove 4 plastic clips in the lower grill opening, insert the bolts and tighten down the nuts! Though as a tip, the directions say to leave the screws holding the actual light to the u bracket lose so you can adjust after installation, however, the outboard lights did not have space to get to the outer screw after installation on the truck, so you have to tighten those down first.

As for wiring, I initially started with just the two splitters attached to the 4 lights, and then I ran the harnesses to the driver's side and up behind the fog light and into the big cavern behind the driver's side headlight where there is plenty of space to work and then I took a break there as I was missing the last splitter for my harness. That is where I remained in my progress as of post 123.

Then this weekend, with all the remaining pieces, I went back to tackle the rest of the wiring from the end of the splitter harnesses in the front to the LightForce Switch inside the cab! I utilized the Lightforce Switch Fascia and Wiring Thru Firewall thread heavily to finish the wiring, and specifically posts 10 and 24. A big thanks to @RangerRaptor for the tips in those steps as they worked out perfect and it was exactly what I needed! As suggested, I only ended up running the blue wire from the Baja Designs harness through the firewall and connected to the yellow wire on the LightForce switch harness. The rest I connected inside the cab. I used my multimeter to test the fuses to see which was constant power and which was switched and found that Fuse 29 is constant power (and went to the blue LightForce harness wire) and fuse 22 is switched power (and went to the red LightForce harness wire) and then I used the same ground wire location as the posts above. This simplified the installation greatly! I did however need to file the casing down to get the fuse tap in fuse 22 to work as the 3 blade was hitting some additional plastic fins in the fuse panel and not allowing the fuse to go all the way in. But some careful work with the file and it's no issue at all!

Once those were all hooked up, it was mainly just zip tieing and connecting the remaining wires under the hood which was a no brainer! I am super happy to have these working now and with how clean the install came out!

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Additionally, I also got 4 of the yellow snap on covers from Baja Designs too, so depending on the weather and driving conditions, I can run the lights in the yellow color too! I will probably run them mostly yellow in the winter and mostly white in the summer!

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RangerRaptor

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Finally got a nice day with some time here in Michigan to finish up the wiring on my @Baja Designs lights from @Stage3Motorsports! Was initially delayed by a couple issues with the kit, including bolt for one of the lights coming rounded off and a missing/in correct harness that wouldn't allow me to connect all 4 lights. (Needed an additional splitter) But Jason@Stage3 and the stage3 and Baja Designs team took care of both of the issues and got me everything I needed for installation.

The lights themselves were very straight forward to install as you just remove 4 plastic clips in the lower grill opening, insert the bolts and tighten down the nuts! Though as a tip, the directions say to leave the screws holding the actual light to the u bracket lose so you can adjust after installation, however, the outboard lights did not have space to get to the outer screw after installation on the truck, so you have to tighten those down first.

As for wiring, I initially started with just the two splitters attached to the 4 lights, and then I ran the harnesses to the driver's side and up behind the fog light and into the big cavern behind the driver's side headlight where there is plenty of space to work and then I took a break there as I was missing the last splitter for my harness. That is where I remained in my progress as of post 123.

Then this weekend, with all the remaining pieces, I went back to tackle the rest of the wiring from the end of the splitter harnesses in the front to the LightForce Switch inside the cab! I utilized the Lightforce Switch Fascia and Wiring Thru Firewall thread heavily to finish the wiring, and specifically posts 10 and 24. A big thanks to @RangerRaptor for the tips in those steps as they worked out perfect and it was exactly what I needed! As suggested, I only ended up running the blue wire from the Baja Designs harness through the firewall and connected to the yellow wire on the LightForce switch harness. The rest I connected inside the cab. I used my multimeter to test the fuses to see which was constant power and which was switched and found that Fuse 29 is constant power (and went to the blue LightForce harness wire) and fuse 22 is switched power (and went to the red LightForce harness wire) and then I used the same ground wire location as the posts above. This simplified the installation greatly! I did however need to file the casing down to get the fuse tap in fuse 22 to work as the 3 blade was hitting some additional plastic fins in the fuse panel and not allowing the fuse to go all the way in. But some careful work with the file and it's no issue at all!

Once those were all hooked up, it was mainly just zip tieing and connecting the remaining wires under the hood which was a no brainer! I am super happy to have these working now and with how clean the install came out!

20210313_180529.jpg


20210313_180607.jpg


20210313_180631.jpg


20210313_180642.jpg


Additionally, I also got 4 of the yellow snap on covers from Baja Designs too, so depending on the weather and driving conditions, I can run the lights in the yellow color too! I will probably run them mostly yellow in the winter and mostly white in the summer!

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Looks great! Glad our posts were helpful. It’s very satisfying when everything is installed and you flick the switch and it all works.
 
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WxNerd2015

WxNerd2015

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Looks great! Glad our posts were helpful. It’s very satisfying when everything is installed and you flick the switch and it all works.
Absolutely! So satisfying!
 
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Also got around to finally installing my key cylinder trim bezel that I got a while back that @Dean has made here! I opted for the glow in the dark one! Took 10 seconds to install and fits like a glove! Now I will stop missing the key opening and getting my key between the plastic and key cylinder!

Dean's 3D Printed Ignition Trim Ring Bezel (Build/Buy Thread)

Before:
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After:
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WxNerd2015

WxNerd2015

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Happy Gotcha Day Ranger! Exactly two years ago today I picked ya up from the dealer and brought ya home! And 2 years and 25k later on the odometer, still absolutely loving it and still going strong! Looking forward to many more and new adventures!

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WxNerd2015

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Did some towing this weekend and pushing 26000 miles now on the truck! Towed probably 300-400 miles in the last week or so with this little 4'x6' v nose! Borrowed from the in-laws! Even fully loaded, the truck doesn't even know it's back there! Nice and smooth and great help as we are slowly starting our move to a new house and getting stuff out of our current house to get it listed!

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WxNerd2015

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Haven't done a lot to the Ranger lately, but it definitely has been putting in the work! Almost up to 35000 miles now, but she's still going good! 5000+ miles of towing, another recently 1500 mile trip, and doing a good bit of truck work! Still so happy to have this truck! Did just get some new wipers finally, but in the near future, might be getting a few more goodies as I believe brakes are probably going to be needed soon, will be adding on the yellow lens covers to the off road lights as the seasons are changing here now, and maybe on the horizon, some new tires!

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WxNerd2015

WxNerd2015

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Been missing for a little while as I now have a little one at home (whose already 4 months old now!) and just been loving spending time with him! But truck is still going strong and passed the 40k mark in mileage now!

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Though, a few issues to report on lately and not sure of any solution for the one yet! I do have cupping that has occurred on the inside tread lug of both of my front tires. I had a realignment done not too long ago when I noticed the issue, and my camber had slipped a bit out of spec, but I think at this point at 42K miles, I will probably be looking into some new tires soon!

The other issue I have had for the last few months now is something in the electronics. When I get into the truck, no matter how I have left the radio (off, on satellite, on bluetooth, etc.) it will always come on when I start the truck and be on either the lowest or highest frequency of AM radio and play static. Additionally, the truck will no longer download/sync my phone contacts, so I can no longer use the hands free to dial someone. Once the call starts, it goes through the truck, however I can't just say "Call insert name here on cell" and have it execute. And lastly, all my favorites are still saved in my navigation, but my recently navigated menu will never log any of my last locations. Once I arrive, it is automatically erased. Seems almost as though voltage in the battery is dropping too low and the computers are resetting themselves, however, the battery has seemed fine so far, so I am not completely sure. I will take it in to the dealer soon when I get the chance, but has anyone else had this issue?
 
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WxNerd2015

WxNerd2015

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And I have definitely been using the truck for towing! Hauling my Jeep, pallets, and even a few new toys I picked up recently of a jon boat and a 1948 Ford 8N! I still can't believe how well this midsized truck tows!

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