This post show a step-by-step guide on how to install headlights for Ford Focus ST170.

 

What You Need?

1Jack/jack stands, optional, but helpful if your car is lowered
26mm Socket
313mm Socket
410mm Socket
510mm Wrench (a couple places are too tight a squeeze for the socket)
6Wire Strippers (or utility knife, but trust me these are easier!)
7Flat-head Screwdriver
8Electrical Tape
9Soldering gun OR no-crimp/no-solder wire connectors

 

Step 1
Assemble your headlights with the bulbs provided. No pics of this, but look at the back of the light and you’ll probably understand what needs to be done. I’d never so much as replaced a bulb in my headlight before and I figured it out, so you’ll do fine!

 

Step2
Open the hood and locate the 3 plastic bolts holding on your radiator cover… See the 2 over my yellow sticker and one on the far right: (Picture 1)

Remove those with a flat bladed screwdriver, pliers or a tool which can be found at most auto parts stores for removing car fasteners. When you lift off the cover you see this:

 

Step 3
Twist the bulb holders behind the turn signals and then remove the 4- 10mm bolts holding on your grille, 2 are down lower. Here’s a driver’s side pic showing the 2 on that side and the turn sig thing still plugged in

Step 4
Now you take off the headlights. There are 4- 10mm bolts holding each one in. One is small and rubber, located at the corner of each light, towards the grille area, this can be twisted off with your fingers. Another is almost in the middle on top of the light and a third is at the upper corner and is bolted in sideways

 

This is where the rubber bolt was… it won’t be used with the new lights, it’s in the dark region, sorry! =P It’s not that large black knob thing up top, I’m not sure what that is.

 

Step 5
The fourth bolt is located below your headlight, and here’s where you might need a little “boost”. My car’s not lowered but for convenience I hopped it up on a hydraulic jack (no stands, etc)… I’ve heard this is bad safety technique so Do So At Your Own Risk. The bolt is also 10mm and located a bit north of the sidemarker, under a little metal “roof”. It heads from the fender side into the bottom of the headlight.

Beware, there is another 10mm bolt that looks directly down at you and that’s Not it! This bolt is a sideways one and a bit cramped, if you want, use the wrench here. Also, you can look at the bottom of the new headlight to get an idea of where to look, that helped me. Left arrow shows the sidemarker bulb holder (a little below it you can see Wrong Bolt, its blue and I think helps hold on the bumper?), the right arrow indicates the direction and placement of the bolt (this is my driver side from down below, see the blue metal “roof” I was talking about?)

 

Step 6
Once your headlights are freed, unplug the wiring harness to them. You will see a triad of wires and they are 4, 7, 6, from the top then left-right, these numbers are also stamped on the black plastic

Step 7
Cut the wires from each headlight harness with scissors/wire snips, but only once you know which are what color. Mine: 4= black (ground), 6= green/orange (high beams) and 7= green/white (low beams). Do the same with your turn signal harnesses, but note that if you snip the wires close to the harness you may not be able to use your stock grille with signals again. Each of my sides were different but here’s what I had, left to right have the same functions. Driver: Black (ground), Orange w/ blue stripe (parking/city lights), Blue w/ orange stripe (blinker). Passenger: Black, Green/orange, Blue.

 

You have 2 options for turn signals, either way you won’t use the black wires. If you want to have no orange when parking lights are on, only work as the blinker then also leave out the middle wire on each side. If you want the orange in the headlight whenever lights are on, and flash when blinker goes on, splice the middle and 3rd (non-black) wire.

 

Whichever wires you don’t use for the turn signals, cut so the copper isn’t exposed, wrap in electrical tape and tuck them back into the plastic tubing. (Later on, tuck the used wires in the signals and headlights also into their respective tubings and wrap a bit of tape around the plastic to keep it shut and clean-looking.)

 

Step 8
Turn your attention to the harness kit you bought, you will need 8 yellow wires with clips on them and 2 black VW adaptors. Notice the numbers on the holder, the side which the snap-holding tab is on and the little purple plastic piece you see from the side. Now put wires into slots 1, 2, 3 and 6. You want to put them in from the bigger side (round, not + shaped holes), clip end first. If they go in nice and straight you hear/feel a light snapping which indicates the wire is secured in place. Here’s what you don’t want

You see too much of the wire head here, they were put in backwards, by putting the cut ends in through the + holes. Here’s the right way

 

See how you can just see the metal clip part shining there? Good. Now push the adaptor onto its place on the headlight, but NOT all the way yet, just enough so you think they made contact. Go turn your key to Accessory and CHECK all your lights’ functions!

 

Now take something (a small flathead works) and push on the purple thing in the VW adaptor from the side opening. It will slide over and lock your yellow wires in place. Be sure you have them in the right slots before doing so (if the check worked, you’re cool) because unlocking it again is annoying and requires prodding with a small screwdriver and some swearing. Then plug the adaptors into the place in back of your headlights until you hear the snap of the plastic clip catching on.

 

Step 9
Now for which wire goes where. Starting from the headlight: Connect VW (yellow) wire 1 to original wire 6 (green/orange- high beam). Then VW wire 2 to Ford wire 7 (green/white- low beam). Lastly hook up your Ground by connecting headlight wire 4 (black) to VW wire 6.

 

If you only want orange for your blinker, now you only have one wire left! If not, you have 2 wires spliced into one, so close enough! Take that wire(s) and connect it with VW wire 3 so you have turn signals. Now all 4 VW wires are attached to something that runs into your Focus.

 

Note: I didn’t shorten any of the yellow wires, but I did add about 3″ or so to VW wire 3 since I couldn’t put my new headlights into position without an extension since the turn sig wires are quite short. My wiring harness came with 10 yellow wires (only used eight) so I stripped one into two pieces, both ends of each with exposed wire, and used my last 2 red connectors (Pack of 10).

 

Step 10
You are effectively DONE! Now, position the lights back into their spaces.

 

*Duratec owners (and maybe others?), my passenger one was resistant because I had some hoses that pressed against the back of the VW adaptor. Push them out of the way with one hand as you settle the light in, it fits with some wiggling (also, verbally insult the hoses’ placement, I found that helped too). I believe these are A/C wires, so maybe if you don’t have A/C you’re fine.*

 

Step 11
Put back on your stock grille, or the signal-less Euro model that you bought to go with these headlights, and replace your radiator cover. End note: Have a good memory or organize your bolts so you know which goes back where. I kept my headlight bolts separate from the rest since I thought they were most important. *If you have the Duratec, you’ll have a lot more bolts lying around from pulling out your intake- don’t forget to put that back, or an aftermarket one!*

 

Lastly, step back and look at the result of all your hard work!!! Feel free to PM me or post any questions you may have about the install!

 

Personal Note: Although he’ll never read this, I need to leave a HUGE thank you to my Dad who came over on his Day Off to help me when I realized the wiring was wrong and I didn’t know why or have the tools to figure out which was right. Without him I’d probably still be experimenting with each terminal on the back.

Article From:https://www.focusfanatics.com/howtos/st170_headlight/index.html