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Old 05-12-2002, 02:25 PM   #1
scroat
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1998 Civic Foglight install?

hey all,

new to the civic world, I am installing PIAA fog lamps onto my fiancee's
1998 Civic EX.

I bought a factory switch, but was wondering if anyone can offer any tips on the install. Are there already wires (or a close connection to factory wiring in the vicinity of the location for the factory fog lamps?

Any wiring plugs hear the switch to tie into the factory lighting?

Her car did not come with factory fog lamps. It looks like I'll have to cut away some matreial on her bumper where the factory lamps go.

can anyone answer my wiring questions or offer any advice before jumping into this?

Thanks

S
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Old 06-10-2002, 08:31 PM   #2
Shadowkahn
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PIAA's are great lights. I have a set of 1100X's and they're excellent both in light output and ease of install.

You shouldn't neet to cut anything out of the front bumper. What I did was to mount them in front of the radiator opening, real close to the outside edges of the opening. There's plenty of room there and it'll get 'em spread far enough apart to be useful. Easiest way is to stick them onto the bumper with that doublesided sticky tape they send, then sink the screw through the holes in the light brackets. Be sure you get the brackets lined up straight or your lights will point sideways and look and perform poorly.

Run the wiring harness from the lights over to the battery (it plugs directly into the battery - -that rectangular box inline of the harness is a circuit breaker, so you don't have to hook it into a fuse). Then if you look on the firewall in front of the passenger side you'll see a piece of rubber that you can poke the wires through to get them in the car.

Here's where it gets tricky because the only problem with the PIAA lights is that their switch looks great and is more durable than anything you can buy aftermarket, but they forgot to give you a way to mount it! What I wound up doing was drilling a hole the size of the switch, but slightly narrower, in the center console. Poke the switch through the hole sideways. Then turn it the right way and stick it to the plastic that you left in the narrower side with more of that sticky tape (my switch has survived two Minnesota winters and summers (temp changes of over 100 degrees) without coming loose at all. Works great!

You now have one final wire, coming off of the switch, that's supposed to be wired into the highbeam circuit to prevent you from using the lights when the highbeams are off. I personally hate that arrangement because I wanna be able to use the lights whenever I feel like it. Split the cigarette lighter wire and hook the switch's wire into the cig-lighter circuit with a tan wirenut. Wrap the bottom end of the wire nut and part of the wire with electrical tape to ensure it won't come loose.

That's the install in a nutshell.

One final tip: When you get 'em installed and turn 'em on for the first time, be VERY fast in your aiming of them - -those things get HOT -- you'll start burning your fingers if the lights are on for more than 45 seconds.
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Old 07-02-2002, 01:46 PM   #3
diesel_uk
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Hiya mat ei dont know if i wireing loom is the same as your's .I did mine as the factory and it looks stock.what you will have to do is tae the live from your battery and feed it into a relay standars relay ( for fog lamps) also you will need a relay for your switch ( i used the ford mondeo relay their fog lamp ones just as good as honda are robbing beeeeeeep) if you want to know how i did them and if your is the same could you please tell me the colour of your loom ( rear fog lamps) and i will see if its the same hense go into detail and mine )
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