Roadrunner

I read Corey's write-up about adding an aux. fuse box to the 4Runner. Can someone answer a couple of quick, possibly dumb questions?

As I understand it, the aux. fuse box is mounted to the truck, usually on the firewall. A power line runs from the battery to the aux. fuse box with an inline fuse. Here's the question:

The purpose of the aux. fuse box is to provide any additional electrical accessories, such as lights, stereo, with a power source?? If I mount lights on my rack, I don't run power wires to the battery, only the aux. fuse box, right?

Corey

iTrader: (1)

You still need to run a fused wire to your battery for the lights.
The aux. box is only the power source that energizes your relay that the incab switch trips.

Most light setups require 3 wires to the switch.
https://www.yotatech.com/~corey/tech...ghts/corey.htm

Localmotion

hey roadrunner,

are you installing the 500s? I got mine on a while back. I wired them so i could turn them on and off whenever i wanted too. I dont recall ever using the fuse box. I know this doesnt help any but how about a bump?...or have ya already found the answer

Matt

Roadrunner

So all the power wires from say the light relays (excluding the grounds and wires to the switches) would terminate at the aux. fuse box, then you would run a single fused power line from the fuse box to the battery? The aux. fuse box eliminates the need to run mutiple power lines from the accessories to the battery?

Am I close? Thanks.

Roadrunner

Yup, I'm thinking about some rack mounted Hella 500s. I'm trying to find a way to power my lights and accessories without running multiple power lines all the way to the battery.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

No, the aux box is not to supply power to your lights.
It is the power for your switches only.

The aux box clears up the mess like I had when I tapped into my stock fuse panel in the cab for the switches.

You could add a 2nd aux. box for power only to do what you are thinking, but you would need to use a huge fuse that can handle the wattage of several lamp sets if you plan on tapping them all to the 2nd aux. box.

This is what I plan on doing some day, I just do not have the spare time now.
My battery has a ton of wires on it for horns, lamps, ext...
A 2nd aux. box would take care of that mess.

4Hummer

YOU can Mount a secondary Fuse block on the firewall and have it a dedicated source. Run some 8 Gauage Wire from the battery to this Fuse block. Now power to your AMP, Lights, and CB can be drawn from here.

However your still going to need a "SWITCHED" source, (Power comes on when the key is turned) This is what Corey's Setup is. The source is to activate things like the switch for your lights (relay), the remote wire to your amp, the switched line to your CB.

Im planning on installing TWO Fuse blocks in my firewall, One of each.

Roadrunner

Part of my confusion with the aux. fuse boxes and lights is that I don't have the lights yet to look over the wiring and i haven't done any auto electrical work before.

If I understand it correctly, not only do the lights need their own power source, but the switches operating the lights need a power source as well?

4Hummer

Yes. you take the lead of the battery and connect it to your relay. than a ground line aswell. The 3rd connector on the relay is to the "Switched" source in the fuse box (Usally the radio)

Do a search on relay wiring

Heres a diagram I found for you

Headlight switch or Switched Power


And another Image. Standard Relay pin-out showen

Roadrunner

Thanks for all the help. When I first started thinking about installing an aux. fuse box I had a different impression of how they're used. I thought you could use the aux. fuse boxes, and this may be a poor analogy, like plugging a powerstrip into your home wall outlet, bringing power over to your desk, and connecting all the PC accessories to the powerstrip for electricity.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Here is another pic, and the way Hella has you wire them up.
You will notice the wire going to the low beams.
That is the wire that energizes the relay, and turns on the lights.

I do not wire mine up that way though, as I want total control, and with the key off.
The wire they show going to the low beams is the wire that goes to my aux. box instead to get its juice.

4Wheeler

Hey Corey, Did you run a relay to your rear tractor lights?

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Yes I did.
Every set of lights and my Highway Blaster horns are relayed.

runnerboy97

hey Ian, if you want help one of these days with the wiring, let me know. i should be around for a while.

Roadrunner

Thanks for the offer Jon. I'll probably start pulling the parts together after the holidays.

dajabr

I jerry rigged a small one in the drivers kick panel two years ago, had an inverter in it before but now only my maplights. Has four spots to insert different fuses to match the devices, since I don't plan on having any high draw stuff I'm not too worried...