# Had Western Pro Plus Plow Installed now dim lights and popping sound in speakers



## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

Had Western Pro Plus Plow Installed (9 foot ultramount) at a reputable dealer/installer in illinois (regonal truck equipment) now dim lights and popping sound in speakers when the plow is in motion (when buttons are pressed on remote).

Truck is a 2011 F250 6.2L (gas) Lariat fully loaded with navigation and snow plow package. Varified upgraded alternator to 150 amps. Standard factory battery with 650 CCA.

Ford is baffled, as is the installer.


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## no lead (Dec 10, 2008)

sounds like switched power is hooked to the wrong source in the truck.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

no lead;1137671 said:


> sounds like switched power is hooked to the wrong source in the truck.


thats what i was thinking but the installer double checked it and showed me where that is under the drivers side dash and they claim its right, if it did nto change from 2010 then i highly dought they would get the wrong wire, if it did change for the 2011, then maybe, my question here would be wetehr i can hook the switched power up to one of the auxillary switeches instead to test to see if that makes a difference.


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## no lead (Dec 10, 2008)

i would try switching it.


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## ddb maine (Dec 4, 2009)

i would be more surprised to find its the same as 10. they change things every year. little things, to keep the masses on their toes. 

"Oh you completely melted your cpu? oh the manual is from 10? oh yeah we moved the aux power, and switched it with the cpu... dang, thats going to cost alot..... credit, check or cash?

seriously though, does your sound system have a factory amp. it could be the amp fighting for power. Thats why they install capacitors in aftermarket low amp systems, to handle the additional draw.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

ddb maine;1137826 said:


> i would be more surprised to find its the same as 10. they change things every year. little things, to keep the masses on their toes.
> 
> "Oh you completely melted your cpu? oh the manual is from 10? oh yeah we moved the aux power, and switched it with the cpu... dang, thats going to cost alot..... credit, check or cash?
> 
> seriously though, does your sound system have a factory amp. it could be the amp fighting for power. Thats why they install capacitors in aftermarket low amp systems, to handle the additional draw.


yes my truck has the upgraded sound system with amp and subwoofer. but the noise happens weather the system is on or not.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

no lead;1137802 said:


> i would try switching it.


ok, i switched it to the auxillary (upfitter switch). Got same problem. Could it be the western module they installed?


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## ddb maine (Dec 4, 2009)

was it installed at a western dealer? or a small shop?


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## no lead (Dec 10, 2008)

lets start with the dim lights. you mean the headlights are dim? if so something is hooked up wrong. the dealer should not have given you the truck if it isn't right. my bet is the lights are hooked up wrong and it is feeding back through the harness.

take it back and have them fix it.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

ddb maine;1139260 said:


> was it installed at a western dealer? or a small shop?


at regonal truck equipment, a authorized western dealer and installer.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

no lead;1139356 said:


> lets start with the dim lights. you mean the headlights are dim? if so something is hooked up wrong. the dealer should not have given you the truck if it isn't right. my bet is the lights are hooked up wrong and it is feeding back through the harness.
> 
> take it back and have them fix it.


not just headlights, any and all lights in the vehicle including dash, and it only goes dim when the plow is in motion(when it is drawing power), meaning i am pressign a button on the remote, otherwise it is fine. i did go back to them, they went over and double checked all the wiring.


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## no lead (Dec 10, 2008)

the only other thing i could think of would be a pinched wire. is it possible to try a different plow on your truck? that would rule out a bad wire in the plow side. we just put a 8' pro plow on that same truck last week. no issues at all.


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## ddb maine (Dec 4, 2009)

2011F250Lariat;1139388 said:


> not just headlights, any and all lights in the vehicle including dash, and it only goes dim when the plow is in motion(when it is drawing power), meaning i am pressign a button on the remote, otherwise it is fine. i did go back to them, they went over and double checked all the wiring.


And they witnessed the popping through the speakers and let you walk back out the door? you are somehow getting an electrical current into your truck that wasn't there before.....

call western.. thats b.s. sorry man I hope they fix this for you. 
My dealer took the truckside wiring out of mine and replaced it with a new one because THEY were having an issue with it before I even picked it up. This was after they had finished and were testing it.... they finished at 9pm. long after close.

p.s. my lights do fade a touch when my plow is in motion. I have a 950cca battery I believe... bigger battery or a twin system is definately in order for you. but back feeding your speakers is absolutely on them..


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

no lead;1139405 said:


> the only other thing i could think of would be a pinched wire. is it possible to try a different plow on your truck? that would rule out a bad wire in the plow side. we just put a 8' pro plow on that same truck last week. no issues at all.


when i came back to the installer with my issues they tried different plow as i left myine at home and same problems.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

ddb maine;1139561 said:


> And they witnessed the popping through the speakers and let you walk back out the door? you are somehow getting an electrical current into your truck that wasn't there before.....
> 
> call western.. thats b.s. sorry man I hope they fix this for you.
> My dealer took the truckside wiring out of mine and replaced it with a new one because THEY were having an issue with it before I even picked it up. This was after they had finished and were testing it.... they finished at 9pm. long after close.
> ...


yes they witnessed the problem, they called western and western claims they have known issues in the latest ford superduties, meaning last few years, with the trucks that are fully loaded with navigation system.

as for the battery upgrade, everyone seems to tell me that a bigger battery wont necessarily help, that its the alternator upgrade that is more important (and i have the plow package with 150amp alt), as that is what puts out the power the plow needs.


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## CLIFF A (Dec 9, 2010)

Hello, I work for a Chevrolet dealer and we are experiencing the exact same symptoms your describing on a recent Western plow install. We installed a 7.5' Poly Pro plow on a 2011 Ford Lariat with the Nav radio. Getting a popping sound in the speakers w/radio on or off, and also dimming lights. We've been in contact with Western...they recommended a reflash of the trucks computer. Local Ford dealer did the reflash, no help. We tried changing all the power and ground locations, and cannot get rid of the noise. I, too have suspected the 650 CCA battery to be a bit small for a plow prep package. Any idea's would be appreciated. 
P.S. we have installed Western plows for years and have never had any issues like this!!


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

CLIFF A;1145743 said:


> Hello, I work for a Chevrolet dealer and we are experiencing the exact same symptoms your describing on a recent Western plow install. We installed a 7.5' Poly Pro plow on a 2011 Ford Lariat with the Nav radio. Getting a popping sound in the speakers w/radio on or off, and also dimming lights. We've been in contact with Western...they recommended a reflash of the trucks computer. Local Ford dealer did the reflash, no help. We tried changing all the power and ground locations, and cannot get rid of the noise. I, too have suspected the 650 CCA battery to be a bit small for a plow prep package. Any idea's would be appreciated.
> P.S. we have installed Western plows for years and have never had any issues like this!!


Is that 2011 gas or diesel? and does it have the plow package (upgraded alternator)?

So sounds like western told you to reprogram the PCM, same here, mine is outdated and there is a PCM calibration TSB out there for it, there is also a reprogram for how the fan cools the engine with a plow package installed, but i highly dought that it has anything to do with the plow install or my issues, but i am having this redone monday at the dealer, will update after they do this, after that i will tackle upgrading battery if i still have the same issues.

After thinking about this and talking with several people it might just be the lack of power becuase of the highly amplified navigation/sound system, and maybe when plow draws the power, the sound system doesnt get what it needs and makes popping noise through speakers, ill know more on monday night, I am ready to install second battery if neccessary.


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## hitachiman 200 (Jan 17, 2010)

Definetly toss that battery, the alternator is good but the battery acts like a giant capacitor, it supplies the initial power surge when your pump kicks in, the 150 amp alternator will then ramp up its output to match the draw but there is always a lag from the alternator at the initial pump start.electric motors can require 2 to 3 times their rated usage at initial start. So a 30 amp motor can initially require 60 to 90 amps to get going, a 60 amp 120 to 180 and so forth. the current Battery cannot handle such a large draw that is why your lights dim, watch your volt gauge ( a must on a plow truck) voltage should not go below 12 and never below 10.if it does your sysem needs an upgrade as something is going to fail and usually at 3 AM. All of our trucks have dual 850's or better, no exception. the big current draw and undersized battery is the most likely source of your problem this will cause a profound voltage drop that your computer nav system does not like one bit, hence the pop.
should this not be the problem I can assure you that it will be in the future. And there's nothing worse than a dead rig than one at 3 AM and a foot of unplowed snow in front of it.


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## bsieb (Dec 19, 2010)

My brother has the SAME truck with a boss plow... SAME exact problem. The boss dealer ended up installing a second battery with harness in a plastic marine box on the frame under the passenger side towards the front of the truck. cleared up the popping noise. He was baffeled and so was the dealer, but he was way more MAD!!! 

Good luck, I hope all of the plows dealer pick up on this one... He even got Boss engineering on this and they had no clue!


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

The simple test..... put another vehicle beside yours (not running). Jumper cables from second vehicle to yours and retest. Problem goes away it is a current issue. Here are two links that all of you should look at. While they are car audio related, insert plow for car stereo device as a draw is a draw no matter what the device is. I guess having a car audio background for 20 years can come in handy still. I wrote the one sticky on the site 6 years back and it is still there to this day and is used across the entire car audio industry.

The importance of a proper ground.
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~49445~PN~1
The importance of a proper electrical system.
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~73496~PN~1


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## Andrew010 (Dec 7, 2010)

Did this ever get fixed?


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

I have 2011 Ford with Power Stroke and snow plow package. No problem with my Western Plow but I have 2 batteries under the hood and heavy duty alternator. I also believe that you are underpowered in the electrical department.
One other thing to consider >>> The hand held remotes for the western Plows do not last forever. I bought a new spare on ebay where I got the best price. I wonder if you have a bad remote. Maybe the dealer will let you try another to see if your problem goes away. Good luck


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## bsieb (Dec 19, 2010)

The plow dealer added a battery on the frame in a marine box to keep it from the elements. It is a gas motor so it only had one battery and uses a lot of electric to keep everything running. I had a feeling it was a lack of electicity problem, but again not my truck, my brothers. I got the 7.3 diesel ford, not a 2011 gas... tried to change his mind, but he just wouldn't listen


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

Andrew010;1297895 said:


> Did this ever get fixed?


Let me update this, so after last years reprogram of pcm, the popping noise went away.

The ford dealer also put in a program change for how my fan works to cool engine with the plow. He was able to do this after talking with the engineering people at ford. Not that this has anything to do with my initial problem, but was nice to get this. Was noticed right away.

Went all winter last year with the dimming of the lights issue. But plow worked just fine, never ran out of juice or had it go weak.

I tried to get ford to upgrade my battery to a little higher CCA for free, but they would not do it because a hicher CCA battery isnt supposed to go in my truck, they would not even let me do it if i paid for it! bunch of BS, it can't hurt anything, so I had them make a note of this when on the phone with corporate and at the dealer, this is something I was willing to try yet keeping the truck with a stock/ford approved battery.

Over the summer (no plow oviously) I did notice that everytime i push my window button to roll window up or down in the car ALL lights dim just the same as with the plow, I have not been at the dealer since, however this si CLEARLY a FORD issue, their electrical system is TOO weak on the GAS engine, that battery needed to be better/stronger, or better yet, TWO batteries like the DIESEL engines have, after all its a $50K SUPERDUTY heavy duty truck, and IT needs more battery power to run things. MAJOR screwup on fords part if you ask me, or they were too cheap to do it right. When I have time after snow season I will be back at ford to continue my battle with this issue. I hope that anyone with the same problem, takes the time to call, inquire and push for a battery upgrade or better yet a second battery, show the dealer your dimming lights. I want them to fix it, and I should not have to pay for their mistake, I bought this truck for one reason, to put it to WORK.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

After having dimming light and other battery related issues last year after installing a brand new plow and salt spreader, I designed and manufactured my own battery box that fits in the empty space on the front right hand side (passanger side) of the engine compartment, behind the headlight. So far so good, great improvement, and all my friends say that my second battery setup looks nice and professional. I put a lot of time and effort into designing this kit to be perfect, took me a long time to get this done, but its done now, not much snow this year in Chicago, but I have been able to take advantage of it already this year, and I will be offering the first ones for sale shortly. Here is a picture of my setup. Right under the hood, right next to the factory battery. Super short cable runs. Rubberized mounts and battery liner for shock absorbtion, no drilling required, factory mounting points are used, Ford battery wrap, just like the stock battery has. I wanted it to look almost factory installed and it does.


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## rjfetz1 (Dec 2, 2006)

2011F250Lariat;1443561 said:


> After having dimming light and other battery related issues last year after installing a brand new plow and salt spreader, I designed and manufactured my own battery box that fits in the empty space on the front right hand side (passanger side) of the engine compartment, behind the headlight. So far so good, great improvement, and all my friends say that my second battery setup looks nice and professional. I put a lot of time and effort into designing this kit to be perfect, took me a long time to get this done, but its done now, not much snow this year in Chicago, but I have been able to take advantage of it already this year, and I will be offering the first ones for sale shortly. Here is a picture of my setup. Right under the hood, right next to the factory battery. Super short cable runs. Rubberized mounts and battery liner for shock absorbtion, no drilling required, factory mounting points are used, Ford battery wrap, just like the stock battery has. I wanted it to look almost factory installed and it does.


Nice install. Is that where the air filter was? What aftermarket air filter did you get? My second battery is mounted on frame rail and I do not wish to keep it there.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

rjfetz1;1448450 said:


> Nice install. Is that where the air filter was? What aftermarket air filter did you get? My second battery is mounted on frame rail and I do not wish to keep it there.


Thanks! and NO it is not where the air intake was/is, in the 2011-2012 GASSER the air intake is on the drivers side, unlike the diesel. So the passanger side, engine compartment has NOTHING there, it is wide open for SECOND battery install. I hear you on the frame mounting, I have so many issues with that, that I would not be able to sleep at night. You can't really see in my pic, but i have a rubber mat under the battery, with grooves for water drainage, and factory oem battery wrap (just like on the stock battery), which insulates, and protects the battery.

1. Too close to street/ground, damage could easily occur.
2. Too long cable runs, so you have to use heavier guage wiring and longer cables potentially create more problems/things that can go wrong.
3. Don't like the looks of this frame type install, not factory looking.
4. Frame mounted desn't seem that heavy duty to me, mounting to frame with lower quality bracket then what about battery protection, how about shock absorbtion? although I am sure there are some descent ones out there.

I am sure there is some other draw backs of a frame battery install but I can't think of them right now, and those I listed are enough for me.


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## 2011F250Lariat (Oct 28, 2010)

*update*

Wow, its been almost a year and both 2011 and 2012 models have been out for a while now and not too many others with the issues I had?

Im not even going to get into my transmission issues, reprogrammed several times, new solenoids, and now complete tear down and replacement of broken spring in valve body or somethign like that, and whatever else, im surprised i don't hear more about the electrical issues though, as thousands are having the transmission issues liek me, but maybe because fo the weak winter last year some owners didn't notice their electrical issues.


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