Off-Road Light help

I have no idea what I did, but apparently it was wrong...

I bought a pair of 150W Sealed Beam "Daylighter"-type off-road lights from J.C. Whitney a while back. The install was pretty easy. I have the lights, the switch, and a 25W in-line fuse. I'm pretty sure I'm getting good ground on the lights and the switch, but the first time I really used the lights for a while the in-line fuse holder melted. The fuse itself was fine, but the holder actually melted itself onto the inside of the fender.

I haven't taken the time to diagnose the problem, but I noticed also that the switch has lost its "clickiness" - it moves easily to on or off position without a solid "click". Any thoughts? I don't have a relay - do I need one? I should be terribly ashamed, as my dad is an electrician by trade. Shows how much I listened as a kid. Thanks in advance.

You should have had a relay with that much juice. It sounds like the switch melted also, just not to the point of dripping on the floor. Go get a 25 AMP relay, a new switch and some good 25-30 AMP wire and re-wire everything.

Ben

300 Watts is 25 amps at 12 Volts. You are at the maximum amperage. Make sure the switch is rated for 30 Amps (most cheap ones are rated for 20 Amps). I agree with tree_hugger :) makes sure everything is set up for 30 Amps and use a relay.

KC actually makes a special kit for wiring dual lights to a roof rack of front bumper mount.
It comes with the relay and switch and all the wiring is pre-terminated and already wrapped in convoluted tubing.

I only know the Part number of it here at work (Napa) is BK.735-2384 and the cost is around $58. I don't know what the KC manufaturer number is though.

Wire size is vital based on current flow and wire length. You should be running at least a 12 gauge wire to flow that much current to the roof. The standard to use in fusing is double the full current draw of the accessories in question. A 25 amp circuit would have a 40 - 50 amp fuse recommendation according to GM standards. To flow that much current, you must have a relay as previously stated. I recommend a visit to a local NAPA store where you can get a Megafuse that uses bolts that will hold any size wire you need and flows current up to 150 amps. J.C. Whitney carries a 70 amp relay that is ample for what you need. That is what is running on Project X powering my compressor and 4 100 watt lights. This setup has been used on Project X for two years now without failure.

Thanks ya'll. I have 10 GA wire throughout, so I guess I'll go grab a relay and new fuse holder and do it right this time. I appreciate the help. I'll let you know what turns up.

2 relays, 1 in-line fuse holder, 1 switch and several swear words later, my lights work. These things rock! Just thought I'd share.

That took you over a month!

it took me about 6 hours. I just didn't get around to doing it until this past weekend. It shouldn't have taken me that long to finish, but I found out my first relay was bad after doing most of the work. Oh well, at least it forced me to check and double check everything I did. Now I'm completely satisfied with the wiring, the connections, the grounds, and most importantly, the fact that I won't be melting anymore fuse holders and switches. :bloated:

You did the right thing using two relays and 10-ga wire. 12-ga wire will only handle 20 amps over 15 feet without starting to have a voltage drop. Even 1/2 a volt will cause significant loss of light output! It's not really a fire hazard until you get up to 30-40 amps :eek:

For anyone interested I sell basic reverse light kits a lot cheaper than $58.00! They use standard automotive style 30 amp relays (40 available for higher current lights) or I can custom build to any wattage you can come up with!
I use 12-ga wire for lights up to 110 watts total and 10-ga wire for anything bigger.
Everything is included except the lights. These kits are custom built for the Xterra! Full auto kits are also available. These allow you to switch the light(s) on manually, have them come on automatically anytime the truck is in reverse or never come on at all.

See My Pricing Page (http://www.globalsoftware-inc.com/coolerman/coolkitspricinglist.htm) for details of how the kits function. There are other kits now available also!
Also My Web Page (http://www.globalsoftware-inc.com/coolerman) shows more pics of these kits.

Any plans for a kit for offroad driving lights? Similar to your reverse light kit, but for forward mounted lights on the bumper, i.e. your Hellas?

Yes I do. If there is enough interest in it the same 'kit' for the reverse lights will also work for the driving lights, rock lights or any other lights! I would just need to know where you were mounting the lights, how much wattage they consumed, and how you wanted them to work.

If you have more than two things running off the battery I suggest the fuse block kit. This makes it so much easier to wire things and gives all your electrical accessories their own fuse. I have most of the problems resolved with this kit and it will be available soon. You can see my prototype on My Web Page (http://www.globalsoftware-inc.com/coolerman)

I wired my offroad lights on my ARB so that I can have them on, off, or come on with the hi beams. I plan on adding lights to my roofrack I just built (with help from Rich :D ), and when I do I'm going to set up a switch so that I can control the lights on the roof and the ARB lights off one switch. Sort of a main switch so that when I get out of the truck on the trail I only have to flip one switch to kill all the additional lighting.

Hey ereryone, I would like some help please. I have 4-100watt
lights to put on my rack. Could someone please tell me what size
wire to use and what size relay and how many to make this curcuit safe from melting? thanks allot