aux lights

[dronedog]

i put a set of driving lights on the other day. they have an inline fuse so i hooked them directly to the battery. only problem is i am afraid i will leave them on some foggy day. any suggestions on where to connect so they have power only when the key is on? i have a hot wire run to the battery tray. in old cars i would have slid the wire behind one side of the fuse but that won't work here.
Thanks
the dog

 

[BoulderGT3]

i put a set of driving lights on the other day. they have an inline fuse so i hooked them directly to the battery. only problem is i am afraid i will leave them on some foggy day. any suggestions on where to connect so they have power only when the key is on? i have a hot wire run to the battery tray. in old cars i would have slid the wire behind one side of the fuse but that won't work here.
Thanks
the dog

My advice would be to be careful screwing around with the electrical system if you don't have experience with it. Multiple opportunities for shorts, surges and fires.

What needs to happen is to have an adequate relay between your power source and the lights or accessory with a fuse or breaker in that circuit. The relay is then wired off what ever you want to provide VDC to the relay which lets the power go to the lights. The source for the relay can be an assc. circuit, you can provide power to the relay only when the lights are on. Or, you could provide power to the lights only when you push the sunroof switch which probably isn't helpful. Just pick up whatever you want to trigger the relay.

BTW, I had a topper put on a pick up and they ran the wire to power the lights in it down the fuel line with no insulation or sheathing. Scarey.

 

[kwlr3]

I'll assume your light kit came with a switch and a relay. The high current draw of driving lights means that you can't wire them directly from the battery thru a switch and then to the lights. What your looking for is a switched power source. There are two choices, conveniently located behind the center dash panel feeding the cigar lighter. I don't recal the colors but the main wire to the lighter is switched on with the ignition. A better choice for lights might be the wire that feeds the light around the cigar lighter. This light is switched on only when the main light switch is turned on.

 

[dronedog]

KWLR3
thanks for the reply. how tough is it to get to those wires? just removing a side panel or do i need to remove the center stack cover? if so, any directions on how to remove this? i like the idea of using the light wire but wondered if the fuse on that wire would be heavy enough to handle the driving lights...
Thanks
the dog