Off road light wiring

No, not all wire is the same... specially don't use speaker wire! Do you want a fire??

The wire for your lights is probably 12 or 14 gauge... try and match it or use better. Too small a wire will lose power to light up the lamps besides get hot. If you are using a relay, then the switch may use a lighter gauge wire than the wire from the battery to the lamps... Again use what the kit uses or better.

Good luck!

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/70787-my-new-brushguard-lights.html

Here is the link to my brush guard i just posted...

 

I'm not using a relay. I don't really even know what one is

Awesome, that's exactly how I did mine


Now the search for some wire begins....

 

A relay is a remote switch near the battery along the wire to the lights... activated by the switch in your truck cab, so all the amps to power your lights doesn't have to run from the battery to the inside of your truck and then back out to your lights. It allows you to run higher wattage lamps (like 100 watts each or more). HIDs that only need 35 watts each, can work without the relay.

 

Thanks! You will need a fuse/breaker for whatever wire is going to your battery to switch. My light kit came with one like this...

$11 Pico 0972PT 20 Amp Max Self-Stripping in-Line Fuse Holder for ATC/ATO Blade Type Fuses Blue 2 Per Package

http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0972PT-Self-Stripping-Holder-Package/dp/B00030CPUK

Just get a 20 amp fuse and your ready to go. It will help your truck so it doesn't mess up any electrical components.

 

Yeah the kit came with a fuse attached to the power wire. It didn't come with a relay, so I assume I don't need one. Thanks fellas!

 

Never assume! I missed where you said what kind, how many and wattage of your lights... That would tell us if you need a relay or at least should get one!

A pair of 35 watt HIDs don't need a relay, but a pair of 100 watt halogen Hellas sure do (70 watts total vs. 200 watts total)

 

55 watt bulb in each light, so 110 watts total.

 

Alright, I got them all wired up today after my exams. They worked great the first couple times I turned them on just to mess around, but then the fuse blew. So I replaced it with a 25 (had a 15 in it) so hopefully that won't happen again. My dad showed me where he had some extra wire so I used that to splice into the kit wire to make them longer. Got the switch mounted and it works great

 

Awesome take some pics! Glad you got it working. On a side note I see your from ohio. I was back and forth between the west and east side and noticed there are hardly any tacomas in that area. I was like ?!?!?!

 

Pics will certainly happen tomorrow or maybe even tonight.


And I know, I rarely see a tacoma around here. I know I'm the only one at my school who drives one. Whenever I see one on the road, it's a 2nd gen 90% of the time, so I hardly ever see one like mine. But that's alright with me