hey guys im really curious about something and thought i would ask... about 6 months ago i installed fog lights on my ford f-150 for the power i got it from a fuse slot not used on my truck i think its number 7... so anyways i pulled them there and they worked great no prob.. so now i installed 2 rear fog lights just for better lighting when i back or go camping for my campsite to light it up....i also got the power for those from that fuse slot ( i split the original cable into 2) and i can actually run all 4 lights at once no prob.... so tothe question.

what is the capacity that the empty fuse slot can provide power wise. since im planning on adding 2 more fog lights to the front for a total of 6 lights that would be connected to that one fuse slot for power

 

well your best bet would be to wire your rear ones in direct to your back up lights then u can hook your other set op to were the rear ones use to attatch

 

i was thinking about doing that but the only reason i didnt is because when i go camping i sometimes have to set up at night or fire gets rained out so i liked the idea of being able to turn on the rear lights at will...... as for connecting the new lights i would just split the cable again since that easy enough. because i have to provide the power to the switch instead of the lights and thats right on the dash.

so thats why i wonder if it could handle the aded load of all 6 not that i would really run all 6 at once but atleast the front 4...but what that be okay or would it cause probs

 

If you're going to be running that many accessories it would probably be in your best interest to install an extra power distribution block under the hood... I assume you are at least running relays with these fog lights?

 

Lol im thinking those are the inline fuses? hopefully sorry im not really sure. but other then the fuses all i have is the actual switch so should let you see if i have the relay.....

as for this power distributor would that be hard to install and what does it entail... hopefully not upgrading the wiring harness since i know originally i wanted to just get a bigger alternator but i would have had to upgrade my harness to handle the power


oh btw skandocious i think i had read one of your topics i think dealing with the fuel system.. i thinkg since i just read about 12 of them today....can you check out my other topic its on the first page and i think i figured it out by reading but want to be sure

 

Relays are an automatic switch that allow you to operate high power equipment at the command of a low power source. Translation: you can run the relatively low power from that fuse box to the inductive coil on a relay so that the lights turn on when that accessory gets power, BUT you're actually pulling power from +12v constant (battery). The idea here is circuit protection.

But thinking about it now, you said that you're operating your lights on a manual switch plus using the fuse panel so I'm assuming that you aren't using relays... Probably not a good idea. The correct way to wire your circuit would be to put in a relay, put +12v constant to the 30 pin, 87 pin out to the lights, and the switched fuse wire (your current wire) onto the 86 pin (ground to 85 pin). Here's how it works:



The 86-85 pin portion of the relay is called the inductive circuit. When you apply a voltage to that circuit it automatically actuates the switch that you see in the picture, closing the circuit from the 30 pin to the 87 pin (+12v constant coming from 30 pin gets sent to the 87 pin which is attached to your lights). You take the voltage off the inductive circuit, and it BREAKS power to the lights completely. Circuit protection. Let me know if you'd like a diagram for a way to wire up your lights, I could draw one up for you.


As for the power distribution block: its basically like adding another fuse panel under the hood. I supposed if you used some relay's with your current setup then it would really be necessary but if you're planning on running lots of accessories in the future (sounds like you want lots of lights) it might be a good idea to take the strain off of your main dist block. The wiring isn't too hard, basically just a wide gauge +12v and ground wire.

 

hmm i would like to see that diagram for setting up my lights. hmm im alos jumpin onto the discountauto website to check for the power distributor..

as for the wiring im using the 12 gauge wire already i figured i would need it since one day dont ask me why my wire on my cb radio literall melted.. nothing left ut the copper..it had been 16 gauge so ever since then im kept everything ive done at the 12 gauge.

would this be the relay i should put in

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...pe=844&PTSet=A

 

A melted wire indicates too much load which indicates the wire was too small for the load it was pulling. 12 gauge is a good size wire for most applications (pretty much the standard size) but when talking about the power distribution block you're talking about distributing power to MANY accessories, hence the gauge would have to be even large on that wire, maybe something like 2 or 4.

I'll draw up a diagram for you real quick.

 

lol i figured as much about the wire it was quite fun a ton of smoke came form my hood and my little bro freaked because he didnt know what was happening

 

hey it just occured to me.. would it be any better a set up to hoook up a dual battery system on my truck to have the lights drain a battery while in use and it would just get recharged when not used?

 

not pretty but it should give u the basics

 

Sorry, got tied up in a few other things. Here's the diagram, pretty much the same as fordguys but made with a circuits program



If you want to add more lights you can just more relays and lights in the same fashion, and then tie the 86 pin of any other relays back onto that same switched circuit on the bottom of the diagram there. The inductive circuit on the relay is relatively low load so its okay to run several inductive relay circuits from 1 source.

Also, it's okay to pull the power for the inductive circuit directly from the battery or any other +12v constant source for that matter, instead of using the fuse panel like you're doing.

 

hmm if im reading that right am i seeing 2 power sources?

one as
Relay>Switch>Fuse>Positive power source
Two
Relay>Fuse>Battery

is that right? since right now for me its simply
Battery>fuse>switch>Load

or
is the second power source meant as was said for circuit protection



...................... hmm just saw skan and i still see two which i gues its the way is set up and seems simple just to make sure is this the corect relay http://www.partsamerica.com/Product...ype=844&PTSet=A ..and guys btw thanks for all the help i really appreciate it

 

Yes you are seeing two power sources. A relay requires two sources for operation. One source is used to OPERATE the switch inside the relay (inductive circuit) and the other source is used to POWER your lights. Inductive circuit = low load, power circuit = high load.

 

No I wouldn't use that relay, looks like its meant for a more specific application with that harness connector on the end. You want a general purpose 30 or 40amp Bosch type relay; single pole single throw (SPST - 4 pins) or single pole double throw (SPDT - 5 pins), either one will work.

EDIT: Looks like this, and is much cheaper:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

You can most often pick these up at any local car parts store or car audio reseller.