fog lights !!
fog lights !!
I installed some fog lights on my 92 240sx, and hooked them up to my positive battery terminal and grounded the grounding wires to the frame. The lights worked good but the next day the battery was dead. What should I do?
When installing fog lights be sure to include an alternate power switch and a fused relay, as most fog lights have a high current draw you want to use a relay so as not to start a fire from a low current switch. A 30 amp relay should do the trick. Also if you connect the switching power from your low beams to the relay your fog lights will cut on when you flip your cornering and/or low beams but shut of when you switch your high beams on.
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96_S14_SE
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- Car: 96 S14 SE - 05 VW GTI 1.8t - 89 S13 coupe "gold on brown"
So you want to run them all the time as in car off - ignition off - lights off - but fogs can come on, or do you want to run them car off - ignition on - lights off - fogs can come on, or car off - ignition off - lights on - fogs can come on?
It would help to make this clear, as I could give a simple run through of how to do each, but I dont feel like writing each.
If I where you I would only allow them to come on when the lights where on, as it sounds like YOU need to have an indicator chirp offered when the lights are on.
I would wire in a new blue 4 wire relay (cant rem the proper relay name right now but if you pulled it from a yard it would be this one) with the positive in comming from the main fusebox power then into a 30 amp fusable link (could pull off a preexisting 30 amp fusables power out if you know it wont blow it) and the positive out going to the fog lights. Run one of the two signal wires to a switch mounted within drivers reach then ground it out. I would tap the second signal wire into the low beam circuit.
Basically what rivers said only the switch I added is going to ground and is there to trip the relay not pass the current. Switch off, but lights on = no fogs, switch on with the light on low = fogs on, switch on lights on high = no fogs, and switch on with lights off = no fogs as well and switch on car off = no fogs no drain.
This way would be best in my eyes and would only drain out (there is always drain with acc's on and the engine off) if you left your lights on which would happen anyway.
I would never hard wire always on, as there is always a chance of leaving it on and never knowing it. At the least I would ground one of the 2 signal wires from the new relay, pull an ignition signal to the other signal wire, then pull the positive in from the battery through a fusable link to the relay, then put the output directly to the fog / switch cutting off the inline fuseholder as I dont like them much (but you could leave it on, inline, for redundancy). This way you will only need the ignition to be turned to "acc" for the lights to operate. When you take your keys with you youll have to turn it off thus killing the lights. Plus itll work with no lights, parking lights, low and high beams, whatever.
How exactly is the switch wired out, as I am curious....
It would help to make this clear, as I could give a simple run through of how to do each, but I dont feel like writing each.
If I where you I would only allow them to come on when the lights where on, as it sounds like YOU need to have an indicator chirp offered when the lights are on.
I would wire in a new blue 4 wire relay (cant rem the proper relay name right now but if you pulled it from a yard it would be this one) with the positive in comming from the main fusebox power then into a 30 amp fusable link (could pull off a preexisting 30 amp fusables power out if you know it wont blow it) and the positive out going to the fog lights. Run one of the two signal wires to a switch mounted within drivers reach then ground it out. I would tap the second signal wire into the low beam circuit.
Basically what rivers said only the switch I added is going to ground and is there to trip the relay not pass the current. Switch off, but lights on = no fogs, switch on with the light on low = fogs on, switch on lights on high = no fogs, and switch on with lights off = no fogs as well and switch on car off = no fogs no drain.
This way would be best in my eyes and would only drain out (there is always drain with acc's on and the engine off) if you left your lights on which would happen anyway.
I would never hard wire always on, as there is always a chance of leaving it on and never knowing it. At the least I would ground one of the 2 signal wires from the new relay, pull an ignition signal to the other signal wire, then pull the positive in from the battery through a fusable link to the relay, then put the output directly to the fog / switch cutting off the inline fuseholder as I dont like them much (but you could leave it on, inline, for redundancy). This way you will only need the ignition to be turned to "acc" for the lights to operate. When you take your keys with you youll have to turn it off thus killing the lights. Plus itll work with no lights, parking lights, low and high beams, whatever.
How exactly is the switch wired out, as I am curious....
I would like to run the fog lights with car off - ignition off - lights off - fogs on. Using the remote switch. It's wired like this, There's a main reciever box with a blue wire antenna stretched out for the remote switch. the receiver box connects to wires that connect to the fog lights. the reciever box has a red wire that connects to a fuse holder with #15 fuse in it and then connects to the positive battery terminal. the receiver box has one single grounding wire with one connection and one double wire grounding wire with one connection, both wires are connected to bolts on the frame of the car. The lights worked fine but the next day the battery was dead.
ok. . . here's a question for you. . . if you have your fogs lights on while your car is off, how do you suppose to power the lights without draining the battery? obviously your alternator is not on without the engine running. . . how long do you want to run the fogs without the engine running? just curious. . .
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Holisticbeatz
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