Fog light wiring

[Diceman83]

I don't know if this is in the right area, but it seemed to make sense.

I bought a relatively cheap pair of fog lights at Wally World the other day, and was trying to figure out a way to have them tied to the low beams so they're only on when the low beams are on, and turn off automatically when I switch to high beams and when I turn off the head lights. I'm basically worried about overloading the 20 amp fuse that runs the head lights. The lights are 55 watts each at 12 volts (according to the back of the lights).

My car is a 1993 Honda Accord EX, with the leather and moon roof package, 5 speed. I can take pictures of fuse boxes or whatever if needed too.

Thanks!

[kcg795]

Why would you want them to turn off when you flip on the high beams? That doesn't make any sense. I'd hook it up to your parking light circuit instead so that they'll come on with one click, then stay on when you flip the headlights on at any beam.

Anyway, you need a relay switch. You can get them at Schucks for $6. Run a wire straight from the battery and connect it to terminal 30. Then splice a wire into your low beam circuit, in your case. Then run that wire to Terminal 86. Then ground Terminal 85 to the body. Test it out and make sure you hear the relay click when you flip on the lights. Then run terminal 87 to the lights.

Do NOT hook the lights to the same circuit as your regular lights. Please use a relay instead.

I got the Optronics Pro Burners Serios QH-79BT from Wal-Mart for my 84 Toyota Van. So far, they're doing great. The box says it's not legal for street use. But I haven't had one cop bother me about them. They sure do add extra light to the road. During the day, I use them as daytime running lights by turning the switch to the parking light setting. Then they stay on when I need to use the headlights and do NOT shut off when I flip on the high beams.

[Diceman83]

Originally Posted by kcg795

Why would you want them to turn off when you flip on the high beams? That doesn't make any sense. I'd hook it up to your parking light circuit instead so that they'll come on with one click, then stay on when you flip the headlights on at any beam.

Well, that's how fog lights I've had on other cars worked, and how I thought they were supposed to function.

Originally Posted by kcg795

Anyway, you need a relay switch. You can get them at Schucks for $6. Run a wire straight from the battery and connect it to terminal 30. Then splice a wire into your low beam circuit, in your case. Then run that wire to Terminal 86. Then ground Terminal 85 to the body. Test it out and make sure you hear the relay click when you flip on the lights. Then run terminal 87 to the lights.

Do NOT hook the lights to the same circuit as your regular lights. Please use a relay instead.

What's Schucks? I haven't heard of a company named that before. If you mean Radio Shack, I'm gonna try there after work today. Are the "terminals" you're referring to on the switch?

[kcg795]

Schucks is the same as Checker and Kragen. They're the same store, but with different names depending where you live. It's an autoparts store.

I am referring to the terminals on the switch. The numbers are the same on just about every universal relay.

Here's the relay for my auxilery lights. It's the little black box on the left.



A lot of manufactures configure the lights to turn off when the high beams are set. I think most people on here would agree that this is a stupid idea. I mean, you want as much light as possible, right? I've been searching around on this forum and it seems like a lot of people are rewiring their factory fog lights to stay on with the high beams. I'm pretty anal about lighting myself. I want as much light as possible when driving at night.

I will draw up a wiring diagram for you later so you can get an idea how to wire them up.

[kcg795]

Alright, here ya go.



18 gauge wire, which you'll also have to buy, will be plenty to power the relay from the parking/low-beam circuit. You should be ok with the wiring that came with the lights. Some of the terminals on the Wal-Mart lights aren't all that great, especially the connectors that connect from the Y-cable to each light. I cut some of them off and trimmed the wire down to the right size, and respliced them with a crimping tool.

[Diceman83]

Awesome... I think I'll hook into the parking lights then. The wire going to the parking light line doesn't have to be that heavy does it? I've got some 22 gauge stuff that I could double up, and that would work, right? I'm gonna put the relay right behind the switch in my dash. Hondas are insane as far as finding free places to put things. They were kind enough to put a hole in firewall for me, on the passenger side, with a nice little rubber cap that I drilled through for the power going to my amp. I have some really stiff 14 gauge wire that I'm gonna use to thread all these wires, and make the connections as necessary.

Thanks so much for the help, kcg!

[kcg795]

I used 18 gauge from the parking lights to the relay. 22 should be fine. The relay switch only needs a few hundred milliamps. You shouldn't have to double it up. That's the beauty of a relay switch. Allows you to use one circuit to switch on power from a stronger source.

[Diceman83]

I got them all wired up, and tested them this evening. Nice and bright . I couldn't figure out which wire went to the running/parking lights, or how to get them out so I could splice the wire into the wire right behind the light. So I figured I could just stuff a wire into the fuse that runs the light, right? I don't know what it is with those Jap Engineers, but they apparently don't have a word for "parking light" or "running light". I finally found it in a fuse labeled "small light"..... so stupid.

Thanks again for the diagram kcg! I did notice that the 85 and 86 terminals are mirrored on my relay. I should go by the numbers and not the positions, right?

[Diceman83]

... yeah, so that didn't work. I should have known that the relay for the lights was after the fuses. I guess I'm just delaying the inevitable. I have a perfectly good way to turn them on right in the cabin (the power line that used to power the lights in the stock head unit), I just wanted to avoid pulling my head unit out of the dash again. It's so freaking annoying get back in with all the wires in the way. I think I'm going to try to organize them for good with some electrical tape. I tried before with zip ties, but it just made it worse.

Ah well, live and learn, and let others know of your mistakes.

[kcg795]

You can't get to the parking light wires underneath the front bumper? My parking lights have a plug. I disconnected the plug and used a test light to find out which wire is the positive wire for the parking light. There's probably another wire that's activated with the blinkers. It wasn't that easy getting under my front bumper and getting to that wire. But I got it done.

[Diceman83]

Heh, that's the annoying part. I DID have a wire attatched to the little flat thin lights right under the head lights, but they turn on ONLY for the turn signals. The running lights are the ones directly to the sides of the head lights. I'm just going to tap into the interior dash illumination line, that's on for running, low beams and high beams, so I should be good.

Thanks!

[kcg795]

Hey, that should work. Just as long as you don't mess with the dial that dims the lights on your gauge cluster.

[jeep20]

I have jeep grand cherokee 1994 and i was wondering if i could hook my fog lights up to the ones i already have on it now. Does anybody know how much this would cost or if i could even do it or how hard would it be. Thanx