Accessory wiring cleanup (so many ground wires)

Long story short my wiring for accessories has gotten way out of control and I need to clean it up.

Some background I have lots of accessories hooked up to my battery sdhq terminals. I have all factory banks filled with switches, hook road 6 gang switch panel, 8 gang switch panel that runs through my apline ilx-207 accessory screen (all require relays still for each accessory).

Plus coms, compressor air lockers,amps,sub,winch the list goes on.

My biggest complaint is how many ground wires I have running to factory bolts its insane and looks super messy

I should have done it all with a massive switch pro or something from the start but things moved faster than expected. I am happy with the switches,switch panel and accessory control but the crazy amount of wires, relays and grounds needs to be cleaned up even though it's wired safely its out of control.

What are my options to hide the relays and clean up grounds and power wires going to battery at this point?

Some sort of tray with blue seas/breaker/bus bars/relay box hidden underneath possibly? Please share your setups of clean wiring, I am not an expert but know what I have done so far is safe just messy.

Thanks,

 

Can you post some pics of your current spaghetti? There are plenty of options but the best combination will depend on your preferences and current situation.

 

As far as just the grounds, you could consider a ground bus like this blue sea:

https://www.waytekwire.com/product/blue-sea-systems-2301-common-busbar


There’s also a 2-sided one so you can run ground and power buses. Post some pics. I love wiring

 

Before I post these remember I know it's a mess and that's why I'm asking for advice to fix it.

The only things wired directly to ground terminal is winch and compressor because that's how they say to do it in instructions.

There is a ton of extra wires from compressor harness stuffed in top corner away from engine and the switch panel itself is screwed where I used to have a relay holder on factory bolts.

I'm upgrading to a group 31 battery with battery booster soon and also need to clean up the area to do my sequoia master cylinder upgrade to match my big brake kit soon.

 

I know.

 

I'd pull it all and get it safe and squared away from scratch. I use an Auxbeam and it is a good way to manage wiring.

 

Fuse block is your friend. Top pic the one in in my taco. Just dont have a good pic. I have more accessory's then you. I also have a Aux beam switch controller which you can see in pic as well. Cleans everything up nice. One of the first things i did to my Tundra was add the fuse block to clean up future wires.

 

+1. Have a look over at this thread to give you ideas. But I would personally tear that all up and start fresh with an adequate fuse block to meet your needs.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/show-off-your-aux-fuse-panels.308677/

 

Thanks for link I will have a look, I will be tearing it out but was looking for setup advice this is great.

I currently have 12 switched accessories not including the projectors, winch, bed lights, hood lights, ham radio and such. 6 of those are through a switch panel with built in Fuses and relays.

When I started adding lights it was just a few wires I didn't know how far it was going to go n with a couple years of fantastic income the truck has progressed further than expected and it's time to go back and clean up what I should have done in the first place.

 

Anxiety: increases

 

Honestly you’re going to be best served by looking at clean wiring installs and then emulating them.

Think anoint ways to consolidate and simplify. if you have some money, things like the MSD relay packs or a switch pro style relay box will make it a lot better. Plan first, then execute.

 

While it looks like a rats nest it’s really not too hard to clean it up like everyone has been saying with a fuse panel, since you are saying your switch panel you are running has relays built in? What switch panel is it?

I would get yourself a fuse block, and for the lighter accessories just run them through that. Can easily cut each wire at the fuse holder and add terminals and connect to fuse panel and fuse appropriately. You could also cut all your wires to clean up the excess lengths and loom them as best as allowed to clean up the look, zip tie along the existing OEM harness and whatnot.

grounds are easy, just mount a ground bus and terminate all your grounds to that, then run a single appropriate gauge wire to the negative battery terminal. Same deal, trim the excess, loom them as cleanly as possible and terminate them to the ground bus.

the heavier connections like the arb compressor, etc you could leave run to the pos terminal or terminate them to a higher ampacity fuse block. Blue sea also makes a safety hub which allows larger fuses.

edit: the main thing I would also focus on is mounting your fuse panel and ground bus in a spot that would allow you to cut your lines back so you can eliminate all the unnecessary butt connectors where it looks like you extended your wires.

 

Ive got all the same stuff. You can clean it up nicely. Id honestly get you a aux beam controller or something like that for the light bars and stuff to clean up relays and stuff as theres no need for them with the switch controller then get you a fuse block for the other stuff like added outlets and stuff.

 

I just came across a guy who might be able to help you out: @Yossarian
I think a few buss bars and a good relay set up will get you where you need to be. I will grab some pics of what I’ve done, and maybe give you a few ideas. I’m not positive, but I am willing to bet I am in at least in the top 10 for “most relays added” for sure. Also, learning how to crimp terminals will prove invaluable to you if you want to clean it up. Then you can really get a finished, watertight connection and customize your wire lengths.

 

So I do have a small 6 gang switch panel with built in relays similar to the auxbeam but it's full and 3 of the lights are on individual oem style push buttons in the cab that have relays built into the harness.

Most of the other wiring is not switched.

I'll get it cleaned up just gotta figure out best route and keep in mind expansion.

 

8 gang. I have my lockers and compressor wired directly too the battery and fuse tapped under the dash. I got rid of all the relays when i added the switch panel. Relays add way too much clutter. Think i have 13 total switched

 

They've got a 12 now too. They didnt have this when i bought mine a while back.

$340 Auxbeam 12 Gang Switch Panel Bluetooth RGB AC-1200 with APP&Remote Control Toggle Momentary Pulsed Switch Pod Off Backlight for Truck Offroad UTV ATV Car Marine 12-24V Waterproof 2 Years Warranty

https://www.amazon.com/Auxbeam-Blue...mzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685

 

You’re not alone.
Bussman makes Fuse/relay panels that can help. The RTMR has 5 relays and 10 fuse slots and is smaller than a 3 x 5 file card box and the RFMR has 10 relays and 20 fuse slots, both are completely sealed. Blue Seas panels are nice but don’t include relays so you’ll need to keep yours or get a separate relay panel but would be ideal for any circuits without relays. Your compressor will likely have to stay independently fused since anything over 30A exceeds the single circuit rating on most of these panels including Blue Seas. So in general the rats nest at the battery gets reduced to a few heavy cables going to the main breakers that supply your panels so to work on any of your stuff you simply kill the breaker. Another idea to consider is using more than one panel to reduce the density of wires to one location. I have a Bussman and 2-40A fuses/relays + ground bar in the engine bay, an 8-fuse panel and ground buss under the center console, and another Bussman for the bed fitted into an early second gen bed cubby. My 2 go-to threads on this stuff are the one mentioned above and this one, probably the best and most informative thread out there.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-build-and-install-a-bussmann-rtmr-fuse-relay-block.399454/
There are trays made for some of these as well though many diy one from a variety of materials.

 

I was gifted this https://www.crutchfield.ca/S-GohCpn...pinD84GOnRN1FMvOPtWLIPQ7dLpFk_ZhoCBQoQAvD_BwE its awesome that allows me to use my head unit as an 8 gang switch panel but each accessory needs a relay still so a bussman style box will help with the relay clutter there for sure.