Wiring Assistance-Portable (On Board Water)

Hey TW,

Purchased @ProForce OBW Kit a few years ago and am wanting to make it into the "portable" version. Post #1: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...or-the-2005-current-toyota-tacoma-obw.453005/

I am not good at all when it comes to wiring and this will be very easy for someone here. When I received the kit (Standard Kit), it came with a long wiring loom with three wires. Pic also in the long post #1. The H20 pump has two wires, the female 12V socket has two wires and the switch has three. Can anyone help me out with explaining how to wire these three things together (like you're explaining it to a 5th grader)? Pic below of what I'm trying to accomplish and more info in post #1 of the thread. Thanks in advance for the help as well as the witty diminishing comments!

 

it's getting far too late tonight, and i've got a really busy weekend ahead of me, but if no one else attempts something, i'll try to make a writeup later on here. consider this an "i see it, i can help, but it'll take more time than i have at the moment" post

 

Thanks @soundman98, I appreciate you knowing you can help and letting me know. I'm in no rush and understand being busy but wanting to help when you can. Much respect for your reply!

Ryan

 

ok, i (finally!) have some time to dig into this. i'm posting mostly Amazon links, as it's the new walmart of universal product listings, but many of these products are going to be available locally between auto parts stores, and hardware stores(harbor freight, ace, home depot). the main part i'm focusing on is the design of the products, not the specific brand/cost. most of the links are the first that pop up in my search, not the most cost effective, or best performing--research further at your own desire.

first, i would suggest a few small changes to the design, for easier operation, as well as trouble-free usage.

use a cigarette lighter-to-sae power cord. the reason for this is that we don't ever need to supply power out of the pump, and it allows for a smaller cutout in the box, as well as a less troublesome, more positive-contact connector. cigarette lighter plugs can be troublesome sometimes, allowing only a partial connection, which can make for more issues down the road while trying to use it.

https://www.amazon.com/SinLoon-Cigarette-Waterproof-Extension-Charging/dp/B09YR8V7J2/

that adapter will have an internal fuse to protect the pump, and takes care of getting power out of the truck up to 9 feet away, which should be enough for most situations

now we need the adapter to get power into the pump enclosure
https://www.amazon.com/CERRXIAN-Weatherproof-Sidewall-Disconnect-Harness/dp/B07TB7XH2H

the main advantage to this adapter is that it has a 'pigtail' of wiring coming off of it to connect to the devices within the enclosure.

we also need the switch wiring diagram, which is going to be the same as this switch


for the most part, we're going to be ignoring the wiring harness that came with the switch. it's perfectly acceptable to cut up that wiring for use between parts, but it's not needed in it's current form/function.

the picture in the first post you linked to, the creator covered all the wires in heat shrink tubing for a clean finished look. while i can agree with the idea, if you're not great with wiring, yours is far more likely to look less professional and more like a grade school science project. to fix that, i suggest cheating a little. use wire loom to hide some of the wire mess.
https://www.amazon.com/Alex-Tech-25ft-Protector-Sleeving/dp/B07FXF12HC/

the benefit to this stuff is that it wraps around the wires and can be done after everything is connected and tested to work properly, where the heat shrink method is going to be an 'over-confident professional' route, where someone that knows what they're doing would fully finish off each part of the harness before final assembly and testing.

i specifically linked the 1/2" diameter version. 1/4" is likely going to be a better fit for the wires needed, but the 1/2" will give some extra wiggle room for connections and/or loops of wire. in the 6th product page picture, it shows how to cut and singe the edge to prevent fraying. i've generally found that scissors doesn't work as well as using a sacrificial 2x4 or similar pine board as a cutting board, and a fresh razor blade.

as far as using a lighter to singe the edges to prevent fraying, i've found that a 'blue flame'/'windproof' lighter tends to offer a slightly more pinpoint flame, with less soot than the standard 'yellow flame' lighters, which can make it a little easier to finish the operation. any gas station is going to have that, or the lovely amazon does as well
https://www.amazon.com/Lighters-Windproof-Adjustable-Refillable-Fireplaces/dp/B0BJL7XGGG/

some of the fancier people like to heat up a butter knife with a torch and use the flat side of the knife to finish off the loom, i don't care for the lumps and strings of melted plastic it tends to leave behind, and prefer to use only the lighter and burn my fingers on the melted loom edge to form a finished but smooth edge. YMMV.

the final finishing touch on the loom would be some black zipties around the loom-- about 1/4" behind wherever the loom stops or t's.

as far as connecting everything and running the wire, you'll need to have some black electrical tape, and i recommend heat shrink electrical crimps.

this kit, including a crimper and multiple heat shrink butt crimps would include everything you need
https://www.amazon.com/haisstronica-Crimping-Shrink-Connectors-HS-8327/dp/B096ZLD166/

the above kit will work because i already discussed re-using the wiring that came with the switch, as well as the wiring that's coming off the SAE panel connector. better-put: we're connecting wire-to-wire. the paragraph below would be for connecting wires-to-devices. slightly more professional, but also more complex

for simplicity reasons, i wouldn't recommend this route for the electrical-adverse, but just being open and making all the options visible--if you wanted to do something closer to what the original picture does, where wire connections are made directly to the switch, it would require a spade connection kit like this as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Haisstronica...rs-Quick-Disconnect-Electronics/dp/B07RT4RSGJ



ok, now we're on to the wiring aspect. and you get my spectacular drawing skills that made this so time consuming!



i always start wiring things with the positive connection, and work my way through everything, and back to negative.

in this case, we start at the power input from the SAE plug.

the red wire from the SAE plug goes straight to red-inside wire on the switch (you have 3 wires, red outside, red inside, and black outside coming out of the switch).

from the switch, the red outside wire goes to the red pump wire. this will make the switch control power to the pump to turn it on/off.

from the pump, the black wire connects to a larger butt connector that needs to connect 3 wires together. one goes back to the SAE plug-- this will complete the pump circuit, which will make the pump work. the other wire goes to the black outside wire on the switch. this makes the light on the switch light up when it's turned on, so you can see that the box is powered up and the pump is running.

and that's it! if you made all your connections right, everything should be working as intended, and you can start the more tedious job of covering the wiring with loom, adding a couple zip ties to keep the wiring in place, and you should have a working system!

lastly, i would suggest putting a dab of dielectric grease on the SAE plug to ensure corrosion resistance, and you should be ready for your next adventure.

 

@soundman98
Wow! I love TW, such a great forum with mostly authentic people willing to lend a hand and share knowledge, but your reply and help is above and beyond. I've never had someone with so much knowledge take the time to lay it all out like this. I feel like a "thank you" is inadequate. The hardest part is sourcing all the correct parts and having someone willing to share a way to improve the design and you covered all the bases. You Sir, are a true asset to this community.

Thank you! I sincerely appreciate you taking valuable time to respond and do such a thorough write up!

I am going to be making a Amazon order and get to work on doing it the way you've suggested.

If you are ever on the Central Coast of CA, I owe you a few beers or drinks. We have some surprisingly good breweries out here in wine country.