im trying to wire up my aux. lights but im not really electronically inclined. ive got a red safety switch switch that only has 2 prongs an the combination that i was using with the wires was reversed from what i needed (off when switched on, on when switched off) but when i flip flopped the wires the wouldnt work. an when i try to turn them off the way that they actually worked they would blow the fuse

 

the combo that i was using was the ground on one prong an the power wire from the battery with the wire that sends power to the lights on another. that kinda sounds dumb now that i think about it. should the wire that sends power to the lights be with the ground? or vise versa?

 

The right way to wire aux lights is with a relay. That way, you have no high current carrying wires coming into the cab of your vehicle. What wattage are the lights? If you are going to choose to wire it without a relay, please make sure that your switch is rated for the current that your lights will be drawing, and make sure you use the proper size fuse on the wire going to the switch from the battery +, otherwise, you'll be posting a "my truck caught fire" thread for all to read in the near future.

If your switch is rated high enough, then here's what you do. Run a wire from battery + (through a fuse) directly to one prong on your switch. Take another wire from the second prong on your switch, and go directly to the + side of both lights (for this, you can run a single wire to the front of the truck, then split it to two wires - one to each light). Next, connect the - side of each light to a good grounding point on the frame of the vehicle somewhere. That's it.

 

i dont know what type of switch you are referring to, is it the type that lights up when on? if not, and you switch is a simple on/off couldnt you just leave the wiring and flip the switch? i mean as long as you can turn them on when you want them on and off when your not using them... right?

 

k thanks i already had all the wires right cause they were wired up before but it was a pretty bad job so i hid the wires better 2nd time around. the last switch came with a ground wire for the actual switch as well as the lights.?.

i dont even remember the wattage of the lights. their cheap 100,000 candle power lights from harbor freight

 

http://www.autotoys.com/pics/plsw26.jpg
The red cover wont spin around... convenient huh

 

The last switch... you mean the switch that was there before you installed this new one? If there was a ground at that switch, then that was because it was a switch with a light in it that lit up when you turned the switch on. It you are simply using a normal two prong switch, don't use that ground wire at all. Just connect the hot wire from the battery to one prong on the switch, and connect the hot wire to the lights to the other prong.

 

yep just figured that out. she's in now

 

sweet console!

 

if you have a power wire from the battery running to the switch and then from the switch to the lights you have it wired wrong, even though it may work. Go get a relay from an alarm/stereo shop, Best Buy(in back at install area), etc.

On the relay:
85 to ground
30 to battery (jump a wire out of here and run to one side of your switch)
86 to one side of the switch
87 to your lights

this way there is very little current running through the switch and instead through the relay. Anytime you run something with a lot of current (lights, fan, etc.) this is the way to do it soundly and safely.

 

Here's how you have your lights wired up:


Here they are wired up with a relay:


The relay can be placed anywhere on the car, usually under the hood. They allow a small current (the dash switch) to control a large current (your lights, motor, whatever you want to run). It also reduces the length of your wire because you don't have to run the wire into the cab, then back out of the cab, and then to the lights, which can reduce how much power gets to the lights. Relays are great.

 

Thanks built her myself

 

lets see some more pics

 

much better pic of how to wire up the relay

click to enlarge

 

I like that one, gonna steal it

 

That pic should be a sticky!!!! Replace lights with ANYTHING that requires large amounts of current fans, lights, compressors, etc.

HOW TO WIRE A RELAY FOR ACCESSORIES!!!

 

K i'll post a new thread in a bit so i dont thread jack myself