Putco Excalibur light bar - DON'T BUY???

[oneinch]

I've ordered an Excalibur rear light bar, but I'm thinking about refusing delivery to send it back. Why? My '22 Platinum has amber rear turn signals. I don't think the Excalibur light bar does. It uses red turn signals (I think). Dummy me but this realization just came to me tonight. I think the flashy red signals and the ordinary flashing amber lights working together will just look goofy.

I'm seeking any knowledge to confirm this fear or some correcting information like the light bar can do amber signals.

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[Venom4ever4em]

Watched a Youtube video on the install, there is no amber turn signal since that light bar itself is red. Was going to purchase but the light bar does not even line up to the lights in the tail lamps which makes it look off.

 

[oneinch]

The Excalibur light arrived today. I've decided to keep it and install it. Putco got back to me and confirmed only red, no amber.

I'm curious. Do all 2021+ F150s have amber rear turn signals, do some trims have red?

 

[MJG44]

The Excalibur light arrived today. I've decided to keep it and install it. Putco got back to me and confirmed only red, no amber.

I'm curious. Do all 2021+ F150s have amber rear turn signals, do some trims have red?

Raptor lights are red.
Halogen lights are red.
Trim levels with LED such as yours and Lariat are Amber.
Believe Ebay sells decent quality Raptor knockoff.

 

[kamdigital]

The Excalibur light arrived today. I've decided to keep it and install it. Putco got back to me and confirmed only red, no amber.

I'm curious. Do all 2021+ F150s have amber rear turn signals, do some trims have red?

Hey, did you ever have the Excalibur installed? I got one for my 24 Raptor and can’t figure out where to plug in the extra female spade connector (pink wire) that’s on the other end of the fuse box wire. Is that even used?

 

[oneinch]

...pink wire...

I did call Putco about that pink wire. You only use it if you install the remote. Otherwise just bundle it up. I did install the remote and that pink wire attached to its wiring.

The remote is kinda sorta a waste. Imagine having to get up out of your chair and flip a switch on your TV in order to use the remote. Then after selecting your channel you had to flip that switch off to watch your TV. This is how the Putco remote works.

Without the remote you need to crawl under, reach up and grab your wiring to program the light. You'd think you wouldn't have to do that with the remote. But au contraire, you still have to connect the INST (programming) wire to ground to enter programming mode. Only then can you use the remote. Afterwards you need to disconnect the INST wire and tuck it back away. Not really a remote is it?

There is a work around though. I permanently grounded the INST wire with an inline switch conveniently located where I can blindly and easily push it. When I'm done programming I just push the button again. Putco should include a switch for this purpose.

Here's another thing I'd like to hear your opinion on. I feel this Excalibur light bar has practically ruined my backup vision at night. What?! you may ask. How so with those bright white lights? Those bright lights look great!, but they add glare in the backup camera effectively darkening the image on the monitor. I'm not happy about this. I'm curious what your finding will be.

I don't drive much at night so I haven't done much testing. I'm going to test taping off (blacking out) the reverse lights from the center out at different distances to include just disconnecting them.

 

[kamdigital]

I did call Putco about that pink wire. You only use it if you install the remote. Otherwise just bundle it up. I did install the remote and that pink wire attached to its wiring.

The remote is kinda sorta a waste. Imagine having to get up out of your chair and flip a switch on your TV in order to use the remote. Then after selecting your channel you had to flip that switch off to watch your TV. This is how the Putco remote works.

Without the remote you need to crawl under, reach up and grab your wiring to program the light. You'd think you wouldn't have to do that with the remote. But au contraire, you still have to connect the INST (programming) wire to ground to enter programming mode. Only then can you use the remote. Afterwards you need to disconnect the INST wire and tuck it back away. Not really a remote is it?

There is a work around though. I permanently grounded the INST wire with an inline switch conveniently located where I can blindly and easily push it. When I'm done programming I just push the button again. Putco should include a switch for this purpose.

Here's another thing I'd like to hear your opinion on. I feel this Excalibur light bar has practically ruined my backup vision at night. What?! you may ask. How so with those bright white lights? Those bright lights look great!, but they add glare in the backup camera effectively darkening the image on the monitor. I'm not happy about this. I'm curious what your finding will be.

I don't drive much at night so I haven't done much testing. I'm going to test taping off (blacking out) the reverse lights from the center out at different distances to include just disconnecting them.

Thanks for the info on the pink wire, I should’ve guessed it had a specific purpose. With regard to the back up camera while driving at night, I’m 100% with your comments, the white reverse camera and brake lights add a tremendous glare that makes that camera view almost useless. Like you I don’t do too much driving at night but will definitely be looking for a workaround, thinking maybe having those lights tinted might help. Otherwise I love the look of it and have gotten a TON of compliments about the lightbar.

 

[oneinch]

@kamdigital , I did some nighttime testing tonight. This is in a parking lot that wasn't pitch black. There was ambient light, but no direct light from overhead lights. You can see for yourself that the Excalibur Light Bar all but ruins the light the driver uses for backing up. What you see is much, much darker using the light bar. This is really evident in the 360° view. This view makes it seem like the backup lights have been turned off.

This first picture is with the light bar turned on.

This second picture is with the light bar turned off.

The 360° view really tells the story. While this light bar makes your truck look great to others, it nearly obliterates your nighttime back up light.

* How did I turn the light bar off? I pulled it's inline fuse.

 

[kamdigital]

@kamdigital , I did some nighttime testing tonight. This is in a parking lot that wasn't pitch black. There was ambient light, but no direct light from overhead lights. You can see for yourself that the Excalibur Light Bar all but ruins the light the driver uses for backing up. What you see is much, much darker using the light bar. This is really evident in the 360° view. This view makes it seem like the backup lights have been turned off.

This first picture is with the light bar turned on.

This second picture is with the light bar turned off.

The 360° view really tells the story. While this light bar makes your truck look great to others, it nearly obliterates your nighttime back up light.

* How did I turn the light bar off? I pulled it's inline fuse.

@kamdigital , I did some nighttime testing tonight. This is in a parking lot that wasn't pitch black. There was ambient light, but no direct light from overhead lights. You can see for yourself that the Excalibur Light Bar all but ruins the light the driver uses for backing up. What you see is much, much darker using the light bar. This is really evident in the 360° view. This view makes it seem like the backup lights have been turned off.

This first picture is with the light bar turned on.

This second picture is with the light bar turned off.

The 360° view really tells the story. While this light bar makes your truck look great to others, it nearly obliterates your nighttime back up light.

* How did I turn the light bar off? I pulled it's inline fuse.

Yeah the first image you shared is pretty much my identical view when reversing in a night time/low light setting. I ordered some smoked tailight vinyl that I’m going to apply to the reverse and brake lights in the next couple of days and test it out. If it makes any marked improvement I’ll definitely let you know.

 

[oneinch]

@kamdigital , the solution I'm going to try is adding a normally closed switch on the 12v constant wire. The light bar should work normally until I flip the switch which will cut all power to the light bar.

I've chosen a remote controlled switch so I don't need to run wires into the cab. Most of the time this issue won't be a problem. When it becomes a problem I should be able to easily and quickly turn the light bar off with a push of a button.

I will conduct one more test by either blacking out or unplugging the reverse lights. I'll expect some improvement, but will the taillights also blind the camera? If just the taillights adversely effect back up vision then that'll settle it. The light bar will need to be turned off for maximum reverse vision.

 

[kamdigital]

@kamdigital , the solution I'm going to try is adding a normally closed switch on the 12v constant wire. The light bar should work normally until I flip the switch which will cut all power to the light bar.

I've chosen a remote controlled switch so I don't need to run wires into the cab. Most of the time this issue won't be a problem. When it becomes a problem I should be able to easily and quickly turn the light bar off with a push of a button.

I will conduct one more test by either blacking out or unplugging the reverse lights. I'll expect some improvement, but will the taillights also blind the camera? If just the taillights adversely effect back up vision then that'll settle it. The light bar will need to be turned off for maximum reverse vision.

@oneinch Niice, once you wire the switch up, if you wouldn’t mind sharing the instructions and the switch type, I’d like to do the same. That seems more practical and more effective than the film.

 

[oneinch]

...switch type...

This is the switch I am going to try. I should receive it tomorrow.

 

[kamdigital]

This is the switch I am going to try. I should receive it tomorrow.

@oneinch Great, thanks for the heads up, I just ordered the same on Amazon now as well.

 

[oneinch]

@kamdigital, That switch isn't going to do what I want it to do. I should have realized this. I'm returning the switch.

What I want is a normally closed momentary switch. When I push and hold the button the circuit opens turning off the light bar. When I release the button the circuit closes and the light bar is functional again. I don't want to have to remember to turn the light bar back on. Finding this switch might prove fruitless. A momentary switch usually is used to turn something on, not off.

I'm going to have to run wires to the cab. I'm hoping I can mount the switch right behind the shifter, right at my finger tips. This is my new plan.

Edit: I believe this wiring is going to be relatively simple. I think I can wire in a 5 pin relay normally closed. This will power the light always until.... I can control the relay with a momentary switch normally open.

Press the momentary switch to close the circuit, this will power the coil in the relay and open its circuit cutting power to the light bar. Yes, this should work....I think.

 

[Buyer2021]

What I want is a normally closed momentary switch.

Add a standard 5-pin relay, available cheap at most auto supply stares, to make any normally open remote switch function as normally closed; it can be a very low-amp rated relay for this application (but higher amp is OK, too).

Use the normally-open remote switch to power the relay coil (pins 85 / 86) only when the switch button is pushed

• Connect the light feed power wire to relay pin 30
• Connect the power wire to the light to pin 87a
• Clip-off / insulate the exposed pin 87

When the remote normally open switch button is not pushed, the light will function as normal through the relay (30 > 87a)

When the remote normally open switch button is pushed, the power to the light will be directed to the not-used pin (30 > 87), interrupting the circuit and turning off the light

Just for your consideration, have fun!

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