Driving Lights!

Macdaddy4738

Macdaddy4738

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
Just got a new XJ with a pair of these on them. Definitely a huge help on a long stretch of road with no one around!

Question though, I was always under the impression that these lights should only turn ON with the high beams, and turn OFF when you switch the main headlights to low...

These already have a kill switch installed in the cabin, so they wont turn on with the headlights unless I want them to, but Id like to set them up so they kill when I go down to the low beams. I am definitely NOT an expert at wiring, and really need some help to figure out how to do this!

Thanks!
 
after market or factory installed?
I am too much of a control freak so I tied the wire that is supposed go to either the high or low beam wire to the acc. spot. I can turn them on withiut the headlights on.
 
Use a stand Bosh relay off your high beam feed wire.
pin 85- ground out
pin 86- From high beams(12v)
pin 30- Heavy gauge 12v feed
pin 87- to the feed for your switch.
 
they are after market.

I can currently turn these on with or without the headlights on, but I want them to turn on when...

I turn the switch on, or when my high beams are on...
 
snappy said:
Then use the a relay and pin 87 would go to the output of the switch in the dash.
Click to expand...

Sounds good! Pin 30, is that 12v feed the one currently powering the lights?

I want to eventually run a separate fuse box for stuff like this (CB, Driving lights, anything else I think of..)
 
I dont want to rob the thread or anything, but I got a similar question. My kc's are wired right to the battery in a series as the instructions showed. But my problem is my switch is getting really hot if the lights are on more than a minute. I ran 10g. wire cause its all I had. So, is the problem with the switch, wire, lack of relay or something else.
 
I don't even have mine going to a switch. Just tapped the high beam wire then went to the relay so all of the wiring is in one spot. I'll have to look when I get home to see which one was the high beam wire.
 
take a volt meter and have someone turn the highbeams off on while you test voltage on the wires going into the head light...
 
mudder said:
I dont want to rob the thread or anything, but I got a similar question. My kc's are wired right to the battery in a series as the instructions showed. But my problem is my switch is getting really hot if the lights are on more than a minute. I ran 10g. wire cause its all I had. So, is the problem with the switch, wire, lack of relay or something else.
Click to expand...


YOu need a bosche type auto relay wired in. Basically you would be using the toggle to turn on the relay, and the relay will take the load off of the toggle.
 
jeepn-jason said:
YOu need a bosche type auto relay wired in. Basically you would be using the toggle to turn on the relay, and the relay will take the load off of the toggle.
Click to expand...

thanks for the tip man. all is well now that I wired a relay into the setup. this is my first time wiring a relay and I found a good diagram at painless wiring's website. I put the relay in my fuse box under the hood and Ill get some wire loom tomorrow to cover up my wires. I've also done a trick mount for my switch in the dash, maby if I can get my sisters camera tomorrow, Ill get some pics of my pro-wiring job.... :)
 
30 - high amperage, fused 12v+ from battery
87 - output to lights
85 - If the wire from your high beams shows 12v+ when turned on, wire it into terminal 85. If the high beam wire shows ground when the high beams are turned on, put a jumper wire to terminal 30.
86 - This goes to ground if the wire from your high beams shows 12v+ when turned on. If the high beam wire shows ground when the high beams are turned on, wire the high beams to this terminal.

8 gauge is rated for 75 amp of draw, which is 900 watts worth of lights. kinda overkill. 10 gauge is just fine, and is good to ~450 watts of light, assuming a normal length of wire being used.
 
allright, pics as promised. thanks to all you for the advice. I ran the lights for about an hour and the switch didnt get hot.

I wasnt sure where to put the relay, then I got an idea...
http://www.xoopit.com/s/212mvg3937cb1007sfdv

got the switch where I wanted it, looked better in my head, I may use a different switch later...
http://www.xoopit.com/s/212mvg3937cb1o1x8ipw

now you see it...
http://www.xoopit.com/s/212mvg3937cb1f840ymn

now you dont...
http://www.xoopit.com/s/212mvg3937cb1ra9il8q

I wanted full control of my lights so I wired the switch to straight 12v current. now I can use them with the driving lights on or off, and with the ignition on or off as well. to macdaddy: have you got yours straight yet. let me know if you need anything.
 
mudder said:
you mean "under the hood" right, the pics should be working...
Click to expand...

yea sorry under the hood. I work on cars all day that have had the wiring fubared so nice to see some good work that only took a little extra time to get there
 
Macdaddy4738 said:
but I want them to turn on when...
I turn the switch on, or when my high beams are on...
Click to expand...

Just FYI, NC law says "no more than 4 lights on at a time".

Now technically, NCDOT considered "high beams" to be 2 lights "on", therefore officially it is illegal to have the driving lights + high beams on simultaneously.

Now of course - one ONLY uses high beams when nobody else is around (right???) so... it'd be a real off-chance to get nabbed on that... just FYI.

And I assume you also mean you want them to switch OFF when you switch the high beams off IF that's how you turned them on...
 
RatLabGuy said:
Just FYI, NC law says "no more than 4 lights on at a time".

Now technically, NCDOT considered "high beams" to be 2 lights "on"
Click to expand...

Last time I checked, 2 + 2 = 4 :confused:
 
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