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Off-road Lights Factory Wiring and Connector Help


Bgunner

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I would use a switched power to be sure when the key is off all lights are off so no dead battery. In fact I used the power wires at the light switch, two tied together brown wires, that run the parking lights to power the relay. This circuit already has a chime if left on. The relay doesn't need much juice to trigger the high voltage side so this works well.

If you are asking what wires the factory pig tail connected to, I can't tell you. All I can do is say how I connected my toggle switch for my fogs.


Edit: factory relay actually has 5 poles on the bottom and not the four shown in your diagram.
 


projectRanger93

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I would use a switched power to be sure when the key is off all lights are off so no dead battery. In fact I used the power wires at the light switch, two tied together brown wires, that run the parking lights to power the relay. This circuit already has a chime if left on. The relay doesn't need much juice to trigger the high voltage side so this works well.

If you are asking what wires the factory pig tail connected to, I can't tell you. All I can do is say how I connected my toggle switch for my fogs.


Edit: factory relay actually has 5 poles on the bottom and not the four shown in your diagram.
My question was directed towards whether the diagram i showed is correct and which supply power i should use, so either ignition, parking, high or low beams. I might just do ignition, so then the off road lights can power independent of hi/low or park, just when the key is turned. Also i think i read that in CA, the law requires aux lights be run independently from the headlights anyway, so it works out. My fogs are powered by the park lights, just like the factory.

My fogs used the factory 4 pin switch: ground, load, supply, and for dim. I'm also using the factory off-road switch, but it only has 3 pins (missing dimming). I don't know which pin is for what, but I'll test them out.

The general relays are 5 poles, but 4 of the 5 are really used, so the diagram is still valid.
 

Bgunner

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Factory Lighting for off road use is usually wired to high beams. This means that the only time they are able to be switched on is when the high beams are active. I found this a problem on my 90 S-10 Baja when off road so a stand alone Acc power to trigger the relay would be how I would personally wire them. M y issue was when cresting hills, high beams shoot really high and sometime turning on the low beams helped see the trail better but I lost all the extra top light when I did so. Yes that diagram will work if you are wiring a whole new circuit and not planing on using the factory relay's or wiring for them. As for main power for the lights heaver gauge wiring is needed to hold the amperage the lights will draw so if it is difficult to find a pre-wired heavy enough circuit in the underhood fuse box then do a wire from the battery with a fuse.

It all depends on how close you want to keep it to factory install and what you are going to use them for. IF you plan on using them off road often then I recommend a stand alone acc. trigger circuit (snag it from the fuse block under the dash) so you can have light on demand and not be limited to needing high beams or other lights on.
 
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projectRanger93

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Thanks for the insight. I was planning on running all 12 gauge wire throughout to complete the circuit (my lights are 55 W each), also using the empty spaces in the fuse box for the relay and fuse. Other than using the ignition as the supply power, everything would be independent. I would like to have kept everything original from the factory, but the way you describe the hi beam issue I'll definitely pass on that. Thanks for the advice!
 

4x4junkie

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Also i think i read that in CA, the law requires aux lights be run independently from the headlights anyway, so it works out. My fogs are powered by the park lights, just like the factory.
Two auxiliary FOG lamps mounted below the headlights and tied in with a switch to the low beam circuit is 100% legal nationwide (it's how most, if not all OEMs do it factory). There are height restrictions though... I'd have to look it up again, but the lights need to be within something like 10-24" above the road surface (so ones mounted overhead like in the pics shown earlier would legally have to be covered while on the street).

Similarly, a pair of aux DRIVING lights tied to your high beam circuit is also legal. However (in California anyway) you cannot have more than four forward-facing headlights all on at the same time (so, it's either-or, depending on whether high or low beams are operating). Driving lights must be mounted at the same level or below the factory headlights (so again overheads would need to be covered).

I don't care for overhead lighting anyway, so for me that is a non-issue.
 

Bgunner

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Ford/Ranger XLT
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225/70/R15
My credo
If it's not broken Don't Fix It!
Two auxiliary FOG lamps mounted below the headlights and tied in with a switch to the low beam circuit is 100% legal nationwide (it's how most, if not all OEMs do it factory). There are height restrictions though... I'd have to look it up again, but the lights need to be within something like 10-24" above the road surface (so ones mounted overhead like in the pics shown earlier would legally have to be covered while on the street).

Similarly, a pair of aux DRIVING lights tied to your high beam circuit is also legal. However (in California anyway) you cannot have more than four forward-facing headlights all on at the same time (so, it's either-or, depending on whether high or low beams are operating). Driving lights must be mounted at the same level or below the factory headlights (so again overheads would need to be covered).

I don't care for overhead lighting anyway, so for me that is a non-issue.
Do they really need to be "covered" or just off in Cali? Over and up here in Mass you can have over heads and them not be covered but they are not legal to have lit up on the road at all. Over heads are strictly off road use only here.
 

4x4junkie

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Yes, in Ca they legally have to be covered if they are above the factory headlights (many states require this, so is why most off road lights you buy come with full covers, not just stone guards). Now like in a lot of locales, enforcement seems pretty lax (especially when it comes to illegal headlight bulb conversions). I've even occasionally seen dips#!ts running around on the street here with full LED bars illuminated (these people often get a little treat that is my Hella 4000s, which are at headlight-level & 55W, so technically legal, though they are WAAAY brighter than any dumb LED bar).
 
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