Hilux spotlight connection in wiring loom

[brickpaver]

This is a follow up from my previous question regarding the fitting of spotlights to my 2011 Hilux SR.

I have everything mounted, ..lights, relay, dash switch and all the wiring is ready to connect,.....but I can't seem to determine which of the two wires that go down to the headlight is the actual high beam that I need to join in to because when I run a test light to find the correct wire, while my high beam is switched on,...both these wires come up as live.

Can anyone tell me exactly which colour wire that I need to tap into, from those two (red and black) wires to find the high beam and not blow a fuse at the same time.

  Cheers

 

      

[Manxman]

would be the one that's dead on low beam and active on high?    It's common to engage both beams on high these days.

[Manxman]

Rethink:

run a new wire from the battery, with a fuse and switch.  -the OEM ones are too light to carry the extra power of another bigh light..   Cheapskating.......

Edited August 6, 2017 by Manxman

[CONROD]

Hi Brickpaver,

                    nice to meet you too mate,I hard wired mine so as soon as I flash or hit high beam they come on.I did it this way as I didnt want to drill holes for a switch and also run additional wires simply to have a switch.I figured the more I keep it original the better.I put an inline 30amp blade fuse(waterproof ) in the power supply wire from the (battery to terminal 30 on the relay )and also a 10 amp inline fuse in the wire from the RED wire on the back of the headlight plug to terminal 86 on the relay.(this wire triggers the relay so if you are running a switch run it from the red wire on the back of the headlight plug to the switch and back to terminal 86 on the relay,and as you can see the relay earths out through RED/Yellow wire on back of headlight plug when lights are on high beam,

hope this helps you out mate, cheers CONRO

PS Narva make a neat switch with a foglight symbol which illuminates and it fits perfectly into the hilux accessorie blanked off holes- Part#-63027BL,Let us know how you go

Edited June 19, 2011 by CONROD

[brickpaver]

Thanks mate for that info, it does follow along the lines of my own thinking and what I have done when fitting spotties to my cars in the past, the latest model back then being a 1984 Ford and Valiants before that, all of which had a seemingly clear cut and easy negative earth system, pretty much foolproof when fitting spotlights, via a separate switch through the high beam wire and a relay.  I just wasn't sure if if was still the same principle in newer vehicles,..namely a 2011 Hilux....partucularly that when the high beam was switched on, I was getting a 'live test' on both main wires going to the headlight globe socket, presumably both being the high and low beam wires.

The only thing that puzzles me is that I've been told by a mechanic that the 2011 Hilux electrical system IS in fact a Positive Earth system and NOT Negative Earth, as all of my past older pre 1984 cars have been.  If this in fact IS the case then wouldn't it create some sort of conflict by my mounting my 40 year old (but still perfectly working) fused, double relay to the inside engine bay side, thereby creating an earth contact,.....and then the spotlights themselves being mounted on the front to a bracket that is also earthed back to the chassis......everything then (to me anyway) set up for a negative Earth connection......easy.

I don't really know anything about positive to earth electricals and don't want to burn something or start blowing fuses. Do I need to buy a newer type relay and if so, would it also be mounted direct to the vehicle body (Earth).

As far as I've  ever been aware, the law requires that spotlights be connected through a separate switch, linked only through the vehicle high beam and not a separate switch wired direct to the spotlights themselves.

  Cheers.

   

[CONROD]

Positive earth, if that's how he thinks steer well clear of his advise! They are NEGATIVE EARTH, open the bloody bonnet, look at which terminal earths to the body, then ring him up and tell him he is a Fool.

And as for running separate wiring because the OEM wiring is too small  your only using it to trigger the bloody relay, then the necessary power will be supplied from the relay to the lights by a decent size wire capable of your requirements

Edited August 14, 2017 by CONROD
spelling

[brickpaver]

Double checked back with my mechanic and we did establish that we were in fact talking negative earth. I had apparently misheard his reference to a positive earth when he was referring to a different vehicle.

All is now well. We've wired up the two spotlights via wiring through a dash switch, through one side of a double relay (fused) and tapped from a high beam lead to the headlights and while that does the required job okay, I am somehow now able to turn on those spotlights from this same single switch WITHOUT having to have my lights on high beam,...which was definitely not my intention. I want my spotlights to ONLY come on, via a dash switch, when my headlights are on high beam and not to come on at any other time.

I won't try and change anything now, at least not before my Nullarbor trip,...I just need to familiarise myself with the position that the switch needs to be in when the spotties are to come on or not.

Now another question without notice.  I have mounted a third spotlight between the other two.  Am I able to run the wire from this third light up to the other 'lights' side of the existing double relay (both sides of the relay will each take two 100 watt spotties.) and use separate jump wires across to the first side connections to the relay dash switch connection, thereby eliminating the need for a second dash switch.    Naturally the relay breaker (which is centrally powered by the same fused connector from the battery) on both sides, won't kick in until the dash switch is activated but would then activate BOTH relay breakers in unison so as to run the three spotights together.

  The other option would be to connect the centre light to a second switch on the dash, via the other side of the relay,  so as to be independant from the other two.

Thanks in advance.