Help with Wiring Diagram for Noob

Hey all,

****updated diagram in post #7******

First, I'm sorry if this is the wrong place for this and feel free to move it, admins. Anyways, I've never really wired anything in the automotive world, so the learning curve has been pretty dang steep. That said, I've put together a simple diagram to try and help myself understand. The diagram includes circuit breaker (green), fuse block (blue), relays (red), switches (Black), and auxiliary devices represented as lights here (yellow). black wires are grounds and red are positive. Please let me know how to correct any problems and thanks in advance!

 

Could you please share a little more details on the application or what you're trying to learn?

 

That hurts my eyeballs bad. Keep them neat like this:

 

Your diagram is a little rough. Knowing what components you plan on using should help. For instance you are putting all the grounds to the fuse block but the block itself doesn't ground. You have what look to be relays but there is no ground and it's tough to tell if you are sending power to the switch or the relay. Use a different colour for signals this helps when wiring too. So when you are doing any diagnostic work you can look at your schematics and know what wire you are looking for. Nothing worse than looking for the white wire in a system that only used white wires for assembly ease.

 

Yep, use a different colour for the two different circuits across the relay. one is the trigger, and one is the main. It will help keep you from having 12 red wires going through your relays..

Also diagram shows all three switches wired in series (or crudely daisy chained at best) from the fuse tap. I'm guessing you don't want that.

 

You're going to be grounding those switches somewhere in the cab -- probably the shared ground of the dash light circuit. So you can remove the connection to the battery for those.

To clean things up a bit you can get a terminal block and run the power out of your relay + the switch trigger wire to it in an alternating fashion. That way you can connect the trigger switch wire + the power out of the corresponding accessory right next to each other. Use different color wires for your switches so you remember which one is which.

You'll also (most likely) be grounding your accessories to the chassis somewhere or a factory ground. You're going to waste wire running ground wires all over your truck to get to the battery.

My example:



Although vague, you can see that, on the terminal block, position 1 and 2 are married to each other. Position 2 is the switch that controls the accessory attached to position 1.

 

Okay, so first of all, thank you to those that have responded. Secondly, my apologies for the poor diagram lol. I tried making a better one that may be easier to follow (see attached image).

Now let me explain what I'm thinking, and this is just hypothetical. I did just buy some fogs from cali raised, but am, for the time being, going to be using their wire harness. In the future I'll be adding at least some ditch lights and a winch. This diagram is more so for when I get more accessories as I'm just going to keep it easy for now.

So as I understand it I'll connect the positive and negative terminals of the truck battery to the Blue Sea fuse box/block.The positive wire from the battery to the fuse block will be interrupted by a circuit breaker (not sure which size as I've seen people using anywhere from 100amp to 300amp). The relays will each receive a positive/hot wire from the fuse box (each with it's own fuse). The relays will be pigtailed to each other's ground and then run to the fuse block for grounding. A hot/load wire will run from each relay to each of the devices as well as one to each switch. Each switch will be pigtailed to each other for ground and the ground will terminate at the fuse block for grounding. Additional power to light the LED in the switches will be pigtailed from each switch terminating at an add-a-fuse which connects to the dash light fuse.

Okay, I think I've explained that alright and hopefully given more perspective on my ideas. I am really truly a noob to this and researching it has been super frustrating because each person that posts content about it seems to expect that you have some basic knowledge of at least one component. You mix that with poorly explained videos and posts alongside contradicting information and you have a very confused guy sitting here. So please, Tacoma World, set me straight and if I need to explain what I'm doing or redo a diagram to get some straight answers, I will. Thanks all in advance!
Now

 

drawing out the diagrams is a lot of fun and you can learn a lot about the theory (if you want to) also, if you do it right, you can bench build everything and test it before putting it in the truck. Doing so saves a lot of time on the truck troubleshooting.

I got myself occupied this winter with an auxilary power system controllable from both the bed and dash. doing the diagram allowed me to tackle a few electrical projects at once and combine them.

 

No. You need to coordinate your switching and relay terminals to not have additive currents.

I suggest you simplify your diagram slightly and include the current draw from your loads.

 

Going by the diagram on first post at the time of posting this, two things. You need a fuse between “ignition tap” and “switches”, and do not ground to battery, ground to chassis. Below link explains why
http://www.w8ji.com/negative_lead_to_battery.htm

 

Thanks for the response. The tap in the first diagram has a fuse - I was planning an add a fuse tap. Also, thanks for the link. I've seen people say to ground to the chassis, but others say that you should ground to the battery. I'll certainly be reading the link. Thanks again.

 

Yep...was just about to post the same link.

 

These seem to be old posts about something I am interested in...comments and suggestions requested... I want my amber light bar to burn only with the daytime running lights.... the same bulbs are also the blinker bulbs...I can only imagine that the blinkers have something else controlling them, the computer is my best guess since when they are burning and you apply the blinker the other one stays bright while the one blinking blinks bright.... I can't wire the light bar directly to those bulb wires as it would bridge the two bulbs and have the three blinking together.... My solution; tap the wire for the daytime running lights where coming out of the steering column, install a one-way 7.5amp diode at that point preventing back-feed back up the wire to the computer, run a wire from the upstream end of the diode to the relay as the trigger, and then from there to the light bar, key accessory to a second relay connecting the battery to the light bar relay so it is only powered by accessory key position or running engine, tap into dash light for switch illumination.... The light bar will work white light too so I would wire the white side to work with any position of the key including off position, the white side really isn't an issue to me as much as the amber side, I live in Virginia where state inspection will require this to be totally controllable and cannot burn with the headlights burning at the same time. If there is an easier or more efficient way to make this work like I want it to I welcome the advice

 

The wires from the Main Body ECU at C11 (steering column light stalk switch connector) are enabled to ground via the light stalk switch.

 

thanks, I'm still puzzled, what is a "stalk Switch"? finding the right wiring diagram online seems to be impossible. I think I'm going to have to trace the DRL wire from the switch down the column...... 21 SR-SX pack with some SR5 wiring

 

The above is for Taco's with AUTO or DRL OFF feature.

Which combination switch does your Taco have?


P.S. The SR has the DRL control (-) at connector 1F, position 30. You could add the missing terminal, crimped to a wire then to a relay in the engine bay to actuate it, thus having the added lights ON parallel to the DRL circuit. Just know that the DRL circuit turns OFF once the low beams are selected. If you require the light bar to be ON after this then by adding an additional wire from C11_20 (Low Beam circuit) and 2 diodes to separate the circuits to the relay coil, you achieve what you require.


Missing terminal are the part numbers choices.

 

Thank you, Thank you, this is a very enlightening diagram. My Taco has the following positions , "off", "DRL", " Running Lights(Marker Lights)" then "headlights". As for the circuit turning off when the low beams come on, that is exactly what I want, just to work seamlessly with the DRL, though the DRL circuit breaks on either side when the blinker is applied, this is what I want to circumvent, I want the amber light bar only to work with the DRL , not blink when those bulbs are transfered to the blinker and to cut off when the parking lights come on. The light bar has a separate wire for the white LED lights but wiring that isn't a problem. Your diagram and photo are most helpful, I appreciate that. My SR, 2021 came with a lot of unused connections under the hood and dash, so far I have added just about everything a SR5 or TRD off Road would have except the lock up rear (not equiped), the b_tch mirrors and vanity lights (No wire present), the third brake light mounted cargo lights(only two wires going to the third brake light). I had a Supercharger installed on my 2,7L and a very crispy ECU/TCU tune. Now it feels like driving a V-8 only with good gas millage. My average was 17.1, after the Tune and Charger (URD sells the advanced supercharger system for the 2005 and later Tacoma with the 2.7L 2TR-FE 4 cylinder engine....$7,800 is what I wound up spending.....worth every penny to me) the average MPG is now 23.2. This is the 1st Tacoma I bought since my 2003 Prerunner, before that I drove Toyota Pickups since I bought the 1st one in '85, it was a standard 2wd SR5, 1976 model. I have always had at least one toyota pickup ever since, sold my last old one, a '89 just after buying this one.... wow, things have changed since then. Thanks again

 

Then this is what you require:

Switch is for state inspection...(maybe)