High Beam to Light Bar switch

Just installed some Led lights (ditch lights and grill led Bar) and was wondering if anyone has done a 3 position switch that can tie into high beam control. I know, I know this wouldn't be street legal and safe when driving on roads but I would like to just be able to turn on all the front lights at once.


Here is what the switch looks like
I - would be on straight from relay
II - would be turned on when high beams are activated

Is there a wire going from the steering column to the junction box I could splice into in the dash?

I also have retrofit led headlights from Morimoto and could splice into that but would have to run through the firewall.

 

I don't think you're going to have much luck modifying the OEM stock with a custom switch... Probably not impossible, but impractical.

 

I have my lightbar setup the way you want, where I flip a switch which makes the lightbar come on with the high beams.

Use the high beam wire at one of your headlights to trigger the relay you have installed for the light bar, it will be low side switched so you might have to modify your relay harness. Then you can install one switch in the cab to also pull that relay to ground, so you can switch the light bar on whenever you choose.

 

Did you do it off with the stock head light bulbs or with HIDs? If so what color was the cable you tapped into?

 

This is totally doable, and is the way I have my offroad lights (Hella 700s, and now Diode Dynamics SS5s) setup. I have my fogs setup this way with my low beams as well.

The wiring needed to make this modification is contained in a combination of these three posts:

1. Hella Hi-Beams - this is the post where you'll see what wire you need to tap into in order to trigger the relay that will trigger your light bar when the hi beams are on.
2. *Fixing* My First Mod – Really Disabling the Daytime Running Lights - if you have Daytime Running Lights, they also use the same bulb filament as the hi beams (though at 6-9V instead of 12), so you'll need to disable them - if you don't, then when they are on, they will *sometimes* trigger the relay for the light bar.
3. In #1 above, I just used a wire tap to tap into the hi beam wire. This works and is easy, but isn't the cleanest thing (and some people say wire taps are evil). A better way to do it is to use a custom wiring harness that joins the two wires in the connector, as I later did here: Out with the LEDs, Back to Halogen Headlights. To do that, you need to get some of these:
   • H4 Ceramic Plug (female) - five in the pack, only two needed for the harness. Used to connect the heavier gauge wire to each of the headlights.
   • H4/9003 plug (male) - two in the pack, only one needed for the harness. Plugs into the existing female H4 connector to trigger the relays for the heavier gauge wires that power the lights.

Electrical stuff can be confusing, please don't hesitate to ask questions!

 

As a temporary/test setup as well, you can sort of fold a section of wire over the pin on the bulb, then slide the connecter on over the wire holding it in place.

 

So I tried tapping into my passenger side head light harness (couldn’t get driver out far enough to tap in) but had no luck. I did try tapping into cable into high beam for the retro fit lights but the current from switch would Mess with high beam switch.
After that I went tapping into each of the cables on passenger side assembly and two under the dash. Now the headlight won’t even turn on but when I pull column toward steering wheel, high beams turn on and headlights. What can I do fix not Turing on headlights? Maybe I cut through one of
Cables from Column with wire tap?

 

remember our head lights are switched ground!

The circuit is completed by the switch grounding not like most other circuits.

Check your fuses most likely they are open

 

So you want to control the light bar and ditch lights with the highbeam switch, but also have the switch(es) turn them on independently?

Seems like extra steps.

Given how easy it would be to forget the switch is in the "high beam" position, you're almost guaranteed to blind people driving down the road with the highly illegal ditch and light bar lights when all you need is the high beams.

IMO, easier, better, safer, legaler to just have independent switches for "off road stuff" and "on road stuff". Don't mix them.

 

I can agree 100%


In some states off road lights wired into the head light switch would not pass inspection.

You also could have a failure like now no headlights at all .

 

Yes, I've come to my own faults trying to wire them up.

I checked my fuses and they are all good. Do you think it could be a relay? the 3 position switch doesn't need a ground/have one for me to use.

 

Since the headlights are low side switched, you can connect the common of the 3 position switch to a ground under the dash somewhere, and tie the coil side of the relay to the hot wire feeding the relay power input. So switching the switch "on" will energize the coil to make the light bar to come on, then the high beam wire at either headlight can also energize the coil as well.

This will have the light bar come on automatically with the high beams, and also let you switch it on whenever.

The way I have mine set up is the switch in my console just interrupts the ground from the high beam wire that runs to the relay coil. When the switch is flipped on, then my light bar comes on with the high beams, and when its flipped off, the light bar does not come on.

Since you have a 3 position switch, you can make yours function like mine as well as have an override on function as well.

 

Don't suppose you have pics of where you tapped into those wires at?

 

I have a separate pair of relays for my headlights, since I have a projector retrofit and HIDs. I cut the stock wiring harness off and shortened the wires to trigger the highs and lows via the relays.

I'm actually in the process of replacing my mess of relays under the hood with one of these:

$30 True Mods 12V DC Auto Waterproof Fuse 5-Pin Relay Box Block Kit [6 Bosch Style Relay Holder] [6 ATC/ATO Fusible Holder] [Relays & Fuses Included] Universal Relay for Vehicles Cars Marine Boat Jeep

https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-I...e-Vehicles/dp/B08KHVHLL5?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

 

here’s where I tapped into headlight wire.

What kind of relays do you have? Send me an Amazon link. I need to figure out what I screwed up by the end of the month for inspection. I’m just going to take off my lights for it so that will be a problem for the summer.

 

The kit I bought came with relays. I'm not connecting anything that has a high load so the cheap chinese relays should be adequate.

I used 2 waterproof heavy duty relays for the harness for the projectors.

 

How did you wire the relays to the column in the Cab? or did you just have them on a switch?

Which were the waterproof relays you used? I'm not great at wiring so if you have a guide or something that would be great.

 

This is the current setup with Carling rocker switches and single din mounting panel. I only have the fogs and led light bar switches connected to the relays under the hood, but after I rebuild the whole thing I'll have each one high side switching the relays under the hood, so simplify the wiring, which like I said, is a mess under the hood as well as under the dash.

I'm almost done with the distribution block, I'll post pictures when I'm ready for install. I will wiring each fuse the same except for my LED light bar, which will be getting swapped for driving lights. That relay will not have a common ground on the coil side, I'll use the high beam wire as the coil ground, so the relay won't actuate unless the high beams and the dash switch is on.



This is how I wired the switches, not the cleanest but I am redoing the whole thing using the proper terminals and blocks, see below.



I have 6 waterproof relays and a small fused distribution block under the hood at the moment, but it's a mess and takes up too much room. I think I used these relays:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192740288619?epid=15026498901

Comes with a mounting tab and the harness. If you're going to be adding just a couple relays then these are great, but if you need more like I did, then it gets messy fast. I have a couple more near the battery for my projector retrofit, which I will be leaving in place.

I got one of these to replace that mess and give me an extra fused relay for future use:

https://www.amazon.com/ONLINE-LED-S...ix=waterproof+fused+relay,aps,118&sr=8-3&th=1

Makes the wiring much easier.

 

So I just got the distribution block, here's how it is coming so far

Would I just use pin 87 to run where the red and yellow runs into HID harness for one relay and the red and green cable for the other relay?



What Would I use for the common wire? is that a ground?

 

OMG are you using CAT5 for the coil triggers?

I guess it would work, but its not going to last long in the heat of the engine bay.