fog lights
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Lights, Neon, LEDs, HIDs
Forum Discription: Under Car Lighting, Strobe Lights, Fog Lights, Headlights, HIDs, DRL, Tail Lights, Brake Lights, Dashboard Lights, WigWag, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=137312
Printed Date: April 29, 2024 at 12:57 AM
Topic: fog lights
Posted By: chassis
Subject: fog lights
Date Posted: September 23, 2014 at 2:14 PM
What's the best way of installing fogs lights.some guys say hey connect their aftermarket fogs to their park lights,but isn't it risky to do it that way.they say they do it because they want to use the parks switch to put their fogs on.isn't it best to install a saperate switch for the fogs, aswell as a fuse and relay,then to put it on the parks where it might put more pressure on that circuit and maybe pop a fuse or burn the wire.
Replies:
Posted By: oldspark
Date Posted: September 23, 2014 at 4:41 PM
I interpret their advice to mean where to tap the signal power, not the foglight power - ie, as you said, you'd use a relay & separate fuse, and the (low current) switch to disable them.
BTW - such wiring should never burn - that's what the fuses should prevent.
Posted By: chassis
Date Posted: September 24, 2014 at 4:05 AM
Hi,thanks old spark.I thing I have an idea how to wire it now.tap into hot wire of the parks,that point going to 85,86-chassis,30-fog lights power wire,87-12volt supply via fuse,and fogs negative to chassis.is that right?
Posted By: oldspark
Date Posted: September 24, 2014 at 4:41 AM
Yes, that's correct (tho by convention, 85 to GND & 86 to the +ve - park hot wire).
And a switch between park hot and the relay coil (ie, 86 by convention; 85 to GND) if you want to switch off the fogs - eg, when actually "parked".
That's the methods for adding any big load to whatever "source" - use a relay. Hence the existing source like park lights only has the additional relay coil current (usually less than 1/4 of an Amp) to contend with, NOT the (say) 10A of the fogs.
Posted By: chassis
Date Posted: September 24, 2014 at 4:51 AM
Great,you a master.I really appreciate your help.thanks
Posted By: oldspark
Date Posted: September 24, 2014 at 8:32 AM
Thanks for the thanks. But thank You for asking & checking. I can't help but think you had the answer and knowledge all along - hence I/we are trivial - but that too is the "no harm in checking" or confirming opinions aspect which I (and I think we) recommend.
I am curious if your "guys" did mean the same thing, or if they were literally saying to add to the existing circuit?
If the latter, maybe they know your vehicle well enough to know that's no problem, mind you, that still leaves the switch which IMO is an essential requirement - else some simple way to disable the fogs when parkers only are desired.
But otherwise I'd be somewhat critical about people that give such advice. Of course maybe things there are like here - despite government rhetoric about making us "a smart country" we seem to have lost the expertise that once existed. Maybe that's due to casual employment replacing permanent employment, but I wonder if it is (also) a shift in attitudes - whether make a buck at any expense or education by the web in lieu of traditional methods.
Of course this is trivial - your issue has been solved (I hope!) - and I often find the ambiguities in our lovely English to be the root of many such issues. But I'd swear that advice given by those in industry has gone bad. Maybe it's me & age & accumulated knowledge, and there was that "not old" electrician I spoke to a few weeks back who was very much on the ball... he even understood the "correct" answers to things I used to argue with colleagues. That was so VERY refreshing!
Alas I ramble...
Best wishes for your fogs. And if your vehicle has provision for fog wiring and fuses etc...
Posted By: howie ll
Date Posted: October 22, 2014 at 8:29 AM
I think we might have legal problems here. If the SA rules/laws are anything like the UK you'll have to take that signal from the low beam headlights rather than parking/sidelights.
-------------
Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.
|