Need help finding high beam wire
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Need help finding high beam wire
I'm hooking up a set of Hella 500FF driving lights and I need help connecting the relay trigger wire.
They're going on a 2003 E-150
I want the driving lights to turn on when the high beams are turned on. I'm also putting a switch in the relay trigger wire so I can disable the driving lights, so I can go back to normal operation - i.e. no driving lights. The switch is included in the wiring package, and I've read the LAME instructions. It doesn't say anything about where to connect the relay trigger wire... the diagram shows it going to a headlight.
Can someone help me find the wire to tap into?
Thanks in advance!
They're going on a 2003 E-150
I want the driving lights to turn on when the high beams are turned on. I'm also putting a switch in the relay trigger wire so I can disable the driving lights, so I can go back to normal operation - i.e. no driving lights. The switch is included in the wiring package, and I've read the LAME instructions. It doesn't say anything about where to connect the relay trigger wire... the diagram shows it going to a headlight.
Can someone help me find the wire to tap into?
Thanks in advance!
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
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From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Not sure if you have sealed beam h/l's or the halogen bulb types but tapping into the high beam wire at the lamp connectors would probably be the easiest way. Keep in mind most E vans have the individual h/l's on fuses which is why the relay for auxilliary lighting is a good idea.
HTH
HTH
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,255
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From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
I wouldn't be poking around under the dash or in the fuse block--the most direct way is by tapping into one of the wires at the h/l itself---assuming it would just fire a relay that is.
I say this only because tapping into the wire at the h/l connection would be easy and easy to find if you need to trouble shoot the driving lights.
I say this only because tapping into the wire at the h/l connection would be easy and easy to find if you need to trouble shoot the driving lights.
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Thanks for your advice.
I took a look at the owners manual and it says that slot 30 (in the internal fuse box) is: "Headlamps (high beam indicator), DRL10A". It's a 15A mini fuse and easily accesible. So I bought a little 'add a fuse' thingy and tapped into it with that. It seems like that should work, but I haven't gotten everything wired up yet to find out.
Do you foresee any problems with my plan of attack?
I took a look at the owners manual and it says that slot 30 (in the internal fuse box) is: "Headlamps (high beam indicator), DRL10A". It's a 15A mini fuse and easily accesible. So I bought a little 'add a fuse' thingy and tapped into it with that. It seems like that should work, but I haven't gotten everything wired up yet to find out.
Do you foresee any problems with my plan of attack?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,255
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From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
If its a 15 amp fuse AND intended for the DRL's you should be okay using that port to power the relay-----where will the power for the actual driving lights come from though?
If you're using one of those fuses with the pigtail lead it should work just fine as along as you're not jeopardizing what else is protected by that fuse and extra load. I needed a hot only in run and found that the instrument cluster was best---didn't receive power in accessory key position. So as long as you have an unused postion it should be just fine.
You should show your installation after its completed---would be interesting to us here I'm sure.
If you're using one of those fuses with the pigtail lead it should work just fine as along as you're not jeopardizing what else is protected by that fuse and extra load. I needed a hot only in run and found that the instrument cluster was best---didn't receive power in accessory key position. So as long as you have an unused postion it should be just fine.
You should show your installation after its completed---would be interesting to us here I'm sure.
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I got everything wired and tested and everything seems to be working. I tapped the 15A fuse (high beam indicator) for the relay trigger and that appears to be working. The driving lights only go on when both the high beams are on AND when the driving light switch is on. Power for the lights comes directly from the battery and goes to the relay, and then to the driving lights. I grounded the driving lights to the mounting brackets, which are mounted on the bumper.
The Hella 500FF lights are fairly cheap... not sure how well they'll hold up in Wyoming where snow covers my van and sheds off down the windshield and over the hood. It's entirely possible that the lights will get ripped right off. The mounting brackets suck, and the light enclosures are plastic. But the hard part was all the wiring, so upgrading lights down the road will be easy.
Thanks for your help. I didn't think to take any pictures while I had everything apart, otherwise I would post some. It probably would have been a good idea!
The Hella 500FF lights are fairly cheap... not sure how well they'll hold up in Wyoming where snow covers my van and sheds off down the windshield and over the hood. It's entirely possible that the lights will get ripped right off. The mounting brackets suck, and the light enclosures are plastic. But the hard part was all the wiring, so upgrading lights down the road will be easy.
Thanks for your help. I didn't think to take any pictures while I had everything apart, otherwise I would post some. It probably would have been a good idea!
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