Intermittent power to light bar

Hey guys,
Figured I would throw this out here before I just go buy a new harness and start from the beginning. Whenever I switch my light bar to the on position I get very intermittent power to my light bar. It could stay at 24 VDC for a second or 2 then drop down to 0, then back up to 4 but very rarely back to 24. To my knowledge I have checked everything in between the switch and my light bar. I have a cali raised light bar switch and a mictuning harness. The relay appears to work as advertised, the relay clicks when power is applied and the resistance drops to 0 in the other two pins. I have changed the relay and installed a larger fuse (25 amp). Anyone seen this before?

 

Probably stop doing your own work.

 

Maybe my original didn't come out a smoothly as I would have liked. Don't be a douche bag though, its not flattering.

 

Usually if it’s a fuse or something similar the light bar won’t work at all. But the fact that it’s working intermittently is pretty confusing. If I have to take a wild uneducated guess, I would say it’s a Nic in the wiring or you may have a faulty light bar

 

Use a drill battery to bench test the light bar. That'll tell you if it's the bar itself or the harness. Very easy to do.

 

Im thinking it may be a nic in the wiring at this point as well. I dont believe its the light bar though because its fine on direct battery power. I will probably just run a new harness to it, its gotten a bit of wear and tear.

 

Yeah if the light works on direct power, it’s gotta be the harness.

 

Sounds like loose connections in the light bar itself.

Hard wire it directly to the battery with a simple inline fuse. If it holds well while driving then add back the relay and other fuses. Something is loose.

The 24 volt comment is a bit disconcerting. Look for a short if your connections prove out. I’m guessing the light bar is defective.

 

Thats likely the route I will go for a bit. Its pretty crazy watching the power fluctuations, Ive worked on aircraft for quite some time so Im not usually surprised by things like this but this one stumped me. Ive used an additional light bar to see if it acts the same and sure enough it does. Fortunately a relay harness is cheap and easy to replace.

 

Its the only thing I have on that harness. As far as ground goes I am sharing its location with my ditch lights. Ill try to give it its own ground and see what happens.

 

Just saying... I mean, you’re a hack plain and simple. Installing a bigger fuse is the fastest way to torch your truck. I regret even talking to you. But for real, check wire routing (chafed wire), check all connectors (pin fit), and check all grounds.

 

Installing a 25 amp fuse vs a 3 Amp is just fine if the wiring can handle it. My mechanic skills are just fine and I only make the decisions I make for specific reasons. People like you bring down our community.

 

He’s a bit of an ass who thinks he’s superior to everyone else because he’s a mechanic at Toyota. Pay him no mind

 

1) I’m not a mechanic. I’m a Master Tehnician.
2) I don’t feel superior at all, I just feel very strongly about the decisions people make on here about the work the do themselves.
3) A 25A fuse vs 3A is fucking HUGE! Quite frankly, it’s dangerous and stupid! So sure, “pay me no mind”, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

It’s not necessarily what you’re saying but how you’re saying it. Calling someone a hack is just rude. Offer something constructive or just stay silent.

 

Yeeeah... You’re right. My bad, man.

 

So it’s usually not us that installs them (Can’t speak for EVERY Toyota dealer). In over 10 years, I’ve seen maybe ONE Toyota Tech install a remote start or an alarm. Most dealerships sublet to a third party company. We also prefer not to sell used cars with aftermarket remote start or alarm systems because we don’t know the quality of the install. Personally, I am 50/50 on those connectors. 1) They aren’t perfect. 2) They make it easy for me to remove.