KC ERA4 Ditch Lights Installed

If you are using the powered AUX cables, then you need to cut the relay and the switches away. You should have one set of White/Red/Black from each light.

Run them to the powered AUX cables behind the battery.

Pair the blacks up and ground them to a single ground somewhere near the battery. I used the ground toward the front of the truck by the battery.

Pair the two White cables with the powered violet/green (This is the amber and AUX1)

Pair the two Red cabled with the powered green/brown (this is the main light and AUX 2)

Then just enjoy the midnight sun!
I just did this exact same install, same lights and harness. I'm having an issue though.

I did everything you outlined, removing the relay, fuses, extra wiring and joined the like-colored wires together. I then set the switches up backward from how you have it. I noticed both AUX 1 and AUX 2 had 15a fuses installed so I figured it didn't matter.

Once I put it all back together everything worked great up until I went to switch AUX 1 (the main light) on for a fourth or fifth time. It flickered and then shut off. Now it won't come back on. I swapped AUX 1 and AUX 2 fuses and it had no effect. The little orange light on AUX 2 works just fine with either fuse installed.

Looking at the wiring as best as I can see nothing looks wrong. Is it possible I fried out AUX 1 switch by not having a relay/fuse inline ahead of the switch? The switch appears to work normally (blue when off, amber when "on" ...I clearly have no idea what I'm doing :cool:

1081BEAA-B6E8-4581-97C9-E5CF19DAD5F6.jpeg
 
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I just did this exact same install, same lights and harness. I'm having an issue though.

I did everything you outlined, removing the relay, fuses, extra wiring and joined the like-colored wires together. I then set the switches up backward from how you have it. I noticed both AUX 1 and AUX 2 had 15a fuses installed so I figured it didn't matter.

Once I put it all back together everything worked great up until I went to switch AUX 1 (the main light) on for a fourth or fifth time. It flickered and then shut off. Now it won't come back on. I swapped AUX 1 and AUX 2 fuses and it had no effect. The little orange light on AUX 2 works just fine with either fuse installed.

Looking at the wiring as best as I can see nothing looks wrong. Is it possible I fried out AUX 1 switch by not having a relay/fuse inline ahead of the switch? The switch appears to work normally (blue when off, amber when "on" ...I clearly have no idea what I'm doing :cool:

View attachment 7038
Are you sure you are looking at the right fuses and relays? Aux 1 is a 10 amp. Aux 2 and 3 are the 15 amp.
 
Are you sure you are looking at the right fuses and relays? Aux 1 is a 10 amp. Aux 2 and 3 are the 15 amp.

I opened the fuse box and located fuse number 60 (AUX 1) and it was indeed a 15a fuse. I swapped it with fuse 61 (AUX 2) which was also a 15a fuse and either way AUX 2 kept working.

Yesterday I spent the morning checking connections and fuses. Everything was fine yet AUX 1 still no longer triggered the main lights. I then just swapped it to AUX 3 and now everything works great (so far at least!) the manual says it’s only a 10a fuse on that switch so I’ll be double checking it today to see if that’s the case and perhaps try swapping in AUX 1’s fuse to that location just to test.

At this point I’m assuming my AUX 1 switch is toast. I need to take a multimeter to the cable and check to verify though. It sounds like everyone on here with this same setup had no issues bypassing the fuses/relays that came with the original harness and the lights so I guess it was just luck of the draw (pun intended) on the switch issue if that’s indeed the issue 🤷‍♂️
 

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I opened the fuse box and located fuse number 60 (AUX 1) and it was indeed a 15a fuse. I swapped it with fuse 61 (AUX 2) which was also a 15a fuse and either way AUX 2 kept working.

Yesterday I spent the morning checking connections and fuses. Everything was fine yet AUX 1 still no longer triggered the main lights. I then just swapped it to AUX 3 and now everything works great (so far at least!) the manual says it’s only a 10a fuse on that switch so I’ll be double checking it today to see if that’s the case and perhaps try swapping in AUX 1’s fuse to that location just to test.

At this point I’m assuming my AUX 1 switch is toast. I need to take a multimeter to the cable and check to verify though. It sounds like everyone on here with this same setup had no issues bypassing the fuses/relays that came with the original harness and the lights so I guess it was just luck of the draw (pun intended) on the switch issue if that’s indeed the issue 🤷‍♂️
That's weird that the fuse layout does not match the switch layout in the owners manual.

IMG_0017.jpeg
 
I opened the fuse box and located fuse number 60 (AUX 1) and it was indeed a 15a fuse. I swapped it with fuse 61 (AUX 2) which was also a 15a fuse and either way AUX 2 kept working.

Yesterday I spent the morning checking connections and fuses. Everything was fine yet AUX 1 still no longer triggered the main lights. I then just swapped it to AUX 3 and now everything works great (so far at least!) the manual says it’s only a 10a fuse on that switch so I’ll be double checking it today to see if that’s the case and perhaps try swapping in AUX 1’s fuse to that location just to test.

At this point I’m assuming my AUX 1 switch is toast. I need to take a multimeter to the cable and check to verify though. It sounds like everyone on here with this same setup had no issues bypassing the fuses/relays that came with the original harness and the lights so I guess it was just luck of the draw (pun intended) on the switch issue if that’s indeed the issue 🤷‍♂️
Which ground are you using?
Running 6.7A@12V x2 on a 15A circuit can be ok but the length of the complete circuit will create a voltage drop and that drop can cause a critical failure (increased amp draw)

What I do with my circuits is:
1. Join the lights, etc as soon as possible if you're using manufacture wiring (it's generally undersized).
2. Make your light runs before you join the the same length as each other. This makes for more circuit length but you should have the same provided power to each light.
3. Bump up your long run awg at least one size and sometimes much more.
4. Split your Ground to the closest common ground (except huge loads like winches). This may effectively make your circuit length longer to the battery ground but the quality of the grounding becomes substantially more capable.


For my front winch lights I used the bd harness (maybe 16awg?) to make a joined wiring harness of about 2 feet long (each leg). Then used a solid oxygen free copper wire (14 awg) from that junction to the battery area (pos and neg). In this case, the closest ground was the aux ground near the battery. The tied into my aux4 10A 16 awg to power it. Total circuit length is equivalent to 12.4 feet@ 14 awg.

This is what mine looks like for 6.8A total @12V for 12.4 feet using 14 awg
IMG_20221016_143932.png
 
Which ground are you using?
Running 6.7A@12V x2 on a 15A circuit can be ok but the length of the complete circuit will create a voltage drop and that drop can cause a critical failure (increased amp draw)

What I do with my circuits is:
1. Join the lights, etc as soon as possible if you're using manufacture wiring (it's generally undersized).
2. Make your light runs before you join the the same length as each other. This makes for more circuit length but you should have the same provided power to each light.
3. Bump up your long run awg at least one size and sometimes much more.
4. Split your Ground to the closest common ground (except huge loads like winches). This may effectively make your circuit length longer to the battery ground but the quality of the grounding becomes substantially more capable.


For my front winch lights I used the bd harness (maybe 16awg?) to make a joined wiring harness of about 2 feet long (each leg). Then used a solid oxygen free copper wire (14 awg) from that junction to the battery area (pos and neg). In this case, the closest ground was the aux ground near the battery. The tied into my aux4 10A 16 awg to power it. Total circuit length is equivalent to 12.4 feet@ 14 awg.

This is what mine looks like for 6.8A total @12V for 12.4 feet using 14 awg
View attachment 7060
Nice writup sir! 👍👌
 
Installed a pair of KC ERA4s on A-pillars today. A shout out to Robert from the KC sales team, who insisted I call him after the lights arrived so he can walk me through the install process. I was very pleased with the results. The harness had to be modified slightly to use our upfitter switches, the modifications made the install much simpler tbh. Day time photos to follow once the sun comes up.

View attachment 5771View attachment 5772View attachment 5773View attachment 5774View attachment 5775
Do you have any information on the harness modifications you had to make to get these connect to the uplifter swithces?
 
I'm currently looking into purchasing the KC FlexEra4. Did any of you who installed as ditch lights consider installing them into the space in the front bumper and perform a license plate relocation? I think it would be a tight fit vertically, but was curious if anyone else looked into it.
 
So, I've asked a dumb question on ditch lights without any response. I'm guess everyone is simply just smacking their heads! But, here we go again!!

Had anyone run these through a carwash (with cloth brushes) and how do they hold up? TIA
 
I’ve seen em take out antennas, fold mirrors, and knock fenders off my mini (easy feat) so at best they’re prob gonna move the lights.
 
So, I've asked a dumb question on ditch lights without any response. I'm guess everyone is simply just smacking their heads! But, here we go again!!

Had anyone run these through a carwash (with cloth brushes) and how do they hold up? TIA

The brackets you need to install them are bolted steel to steel, so those aren't going anywhere. The KC ERA4 lights have a tilt function and you'll probably need to check their positioning after coming out of a car wash that use spinners. The lights come with opaque covers and transparent covers are also available that can help protect the business end of the lights.
 
Would love 2 of those mounted to the grill with a Diode Dynamics bracket! Crazy bright!
I used both the ditch light and the bumper bracket from Diode Dynamics. The amber lights are hooked to my parking lights and the white light is setup for Aux 2 and 3. I wired directly to my Aux switches and they have been running fine. I did not run them on Aux 1 as I blew that fuse same as someone else on the forum. The fuses are not labeled correctly in the manual. I forget the fuse number I had to replace but it was a 10Amp fuse and I pulled them all and checked them.

Flex3and4.jpg
 
I used both the ditch light and the bumper bracket from Diode Dynamics. The amber lights are hooked to my parking lights and the white light is setup for Aux 2 and 3. I wired directly to my Aux switches and they have been running fine. I did not run them on Aux 1 as I blew that fuse same as someone else on the forum. The fuses are not labeled correctly in the manual. I forget the fuse number I had to replace but it was a 10Amp fuse and I pulled them all and checked them.

View attachment 22297
Thanks for posting this photo. I have been wondering if those through slots with rubber seals could be used to mount a sturdy lightbar to the frame. do you have the Diode Dynamics part number for the mounts? Thanks again!
 
Here is the item name on the Diode Dynamics website SS5 Grille CrossLink Lightbar Kit for 2021-2023 Ford F-150. You can select bracket only or buy the whole light bar from them. I imagine they would be sturdy enough but you would want to make sure the mounting holes line up. I did have to modify the bracket a bit as I had a bolt on the passenger side that interfered with mounting the brackets, but it did not weaken the mount point at all. I did have to trim the rubber seal a bit to make sure there was enough clearance but not too much of a gap when installed. One thing to note is you may end up with camera faults if you have a front facing camera. I had to take mine back into Ford to have everything recalibrated. Part of the install is removing the grill and the camera connector. I did disconnect my battery and I think thats what caused the fault. Many have reported the same issues when getting the bed lined and taking the tailgate off. All in it was not a hard install, but it did require removing much of the front end of the truck and some modifications to the bracket.
 
I used both the ditch light and the bumper bracket from Diode Dynamics. The amber lights are hooked to my parking lights and the white light is setup for Aux 2 and 3. I wired directly to my Aux switches and they have been running fine. I did not run them on Aux 1 as I blew that fuse same as someone else on the forum. The fuses are not labeled correctly in the manual. I forget the fuse number I had to replace but it was a 10Amp fuse and I pulled them all and checked them.

View attachment 22297
Do you mind if I ask which lights you went with on the DD bracket? I am looking at doing the flood/ spot combo from them with the little CR1 also pointed down toward the front wheel (similar to their picture on their site). Curious if you had any hood clearance issues with the bracket &/or lights? Appreciate it from a fellow PNW Tremor. - Rob
 
Do you mind if I ask which lights you went with on the DD bracket? I am looking at doing the flood/ spot combo from them with the little CR1 also pointed down toward the front wheel (similar to their picture on their site). Curious if you had any hood clearance issues with the bracket &/or lights? Appreciate it from a fellow PNW Tremor. - Rob
The lights on my grill are KC Flex Era 4s and the ditch lights are Flex Era 3's. no clearance issues for the ditch light brackets or lights. I am trying to stay with kc lights and if they made a small one like the CR1 I would consider doing doing the same thing having one pointed down toward my front wheels.
 

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