fog light power wire red hot HELP!

[tacoma man.]

guys i put an aftermarket set of fog lights on my truck, well i connected the power wire to where the main power cable bolts to the positive battery terminal. i put the grounds where they needed to be. when i turn on the lights the power wire gets red hot within minutes. it got so hot the rubber boot around the wire connector on the switch started smoking. so i disconnected them. is there something i done wrong or should i reconnect them somewheres else?

[big_john]

Did the lights come on--if they did, then the wire gauge (size) is too small.

If they didn't, then you have a short somewhere from the battery cable to the fog lights, or at the least the fog light assembly may be shorted.

Try disconnecting the lights and turning on the power again. This will tell you if it is the wiring or the fog lights themselves.

Let me know how it goes. Good luck.

[jsugay]

I would recommend using a relay ($4) to connect the larger power wires from the battery to the fog lamps. Then you can use a thinner wire (easier to run to the cabin) to turn on the relays. Most aftermarket fog lamp manufacturers use a thin gauged wire just so they can say it comes with all necessary wiring which can easily heat up and burn.

good luck!

[tacoma man.]

well i didnt use the wires that came with the fog lights i already had a set of lights on the truck before and i used the same wires.

[jsugay]

Like what big_john said, does the fog lamp light up, meaning, there is no short? What wattage bulbs do you have in the new fogs? Do you have a relay connected from the battery to the fog lamps? The way I see it, the fogs are asking for juice which either the wire or the switch cannot support. This is when a relay is required.

Let us know......

[tacoma man.]

yes they do light up. the wiring that was on my truck was aftermarket and thin wires too. also if it helps these lights are the halogen kind. like blue tinted.

[Flash75]

You need at least 12 gauge wiring to power the lights, perhaps heavier depending on the output of the lights. It's also best to wire the power through a relay as has been suggested and there should be a fuse in the circuit to prevent burning up the wiring in case you have a problem. With a relay you can use a small wire through the swith to power the relay. That also helps the switch last longer. For some information on wiring relays into lighting circuits see.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...ys/relays.html

Clifton