Okay, got the light bar on this morning and now looking at lights.

Would like to install them myself and from what I read does not seem OVERLY complicated BUT the install directions that I have found online are not much more than a schematics which look more like Egyptian hieroglyphics than plans to me.

Found a couple of YouTube videos that were a little more helpful, but not with the detail I would feel comfortable working from.

Does anyone know of a good step-by-step document?

Thanks, Angelo

 

What wattage are each light, and how many of them are there? If they are not too big, then there are several ways to go, some of them simple. And;

Do you want them to work with the key off or only with the key on?

Do you want them to only work with the truck headlights or want them to work at anytime?

 

Hi Dave,

I am thinking of getting two sets, both 55w so they would be street legal.

One driving set and one amber fog set. I was thinking of the fog lights to go on with the low beam only and the driving lights to go on with the high beams only. It is my understanding that this would be 100% legal here in California.

I would also want to have a "kill" switch in the cabin so these auxiliary lights don't always go on and for my own piece of mind, making them only work with a key in the ignition so I do not drain them by accident in the middle of no where.

If it makes a difference. I have a diesel Excursion that has two batteries.

Thanks for your help.

Angelo

 

ok, sounds simple enough. to start with, you'll need a couple relays. here's the wiring schematic for the most common style

and now i'll work you through how to do this...

each set of lights will have its own relay, but will be wired pretty much the same:
30 - through a fuse to battery power (preferably not at the battery) - a 15a fuse and 14ga wire would be best.
87 - to the lights themselves. again, 14ga wire.
87a - not used
86 - connect to existing headlight wire - low or high depending on which set of lights you're working on at the moment
85 - through dashboard to kill switch - other side of kill switch goes to a local ground.

as i've described it here, the hot side of the relay coil circuit is switched by the headlights, and the ground side of the coil is only grounded when your kill switch is on. so your big lights only come on when headlights are on and the switch is on.
if we wanted to wire it so it was also disconnected when the key is off and whatever, that would get a little more involved, and might not be a good choice for someone who looks at wiring schematics and sees Egyptian hieroglyphs

 

Why not at the battery? That's what I would do, run a fuse or circuit breaker right off the battery or the starter solenoid and use that to power the relays for the lights.

Just make sure you mount the lights at the same height or lower than the factory headlights. I am assuming California is like Va, no lights above the headlights except for snowplows. Everything else above the headlights have to be covered when driving on the road.

Someone can probably make a simpler diagram if you don't get it and need more help.

 

Thanks for the help fella's. I think with your advice I can "get 'er done."
Yes, Calif sounds like VA. I am sticking to 55w lights to avoid any problems as they will all be on the front grill light bar. Yeah, wiring to me is a different language altogether. I am going to still hunt for a step-by-step (yes, with pictures if possible) fool proof way of doing this. THAT, I can follow. Even a caveman could do it . . .

 

right at the battery will give you corrosion problems, and generally looks messy. connecting at the starter solenoid or another distribution point like that will keep the new wires away from corrosion and generally keep things looking cleaner under the hood.

FWIW, the diagram i used there came from a google search - it was the cleanest one i found.