24 replies to this topic

[jbs.998]

Hi all, I know this is another "wiring spot light topic" but I have actually searched through the topics first.
I have just bought a wiring kit to wire up my two spot lights and still have no joy with them working.
I have all the connections in the correct places, all wired to a relay.
Live from relay to fuse top left
Earth from relay to where my alarm is earthed
Switch to relay and lights wires to relay
A couple of questions I have is that I have wired the positive to the top left fuse box connector, is this correct?
Can I connect it to the positive side of the coil instead?
Also I have ring spot lamps and there is a red wire and a White wire coming from each one, I'm unsure of what the White wire is for because I'm used to the wipac lights with just a single wire coming from the back of them.

Any help would be great.

[Bungle]

you should not wire extra lights to the existing fuse box

it is up to it's current limit already and extra lights can over load the wiring leading to fire

[lolipop]

Take a fused positive from where the battery connects to the starter.

[jbs.998]

Ok thanks for that.
Can I connect to positive on coil?

[jbs.998]

Is that the main connection on the started solenoid (the bigger of the three connections)?

[Bungle]

Ok thanks for that.
Can I connect to positive on coil?

no

should you really be playing with electrics if you don't know what you are doing

if you get this wrong your car could catch fire

[Bungle]

Is that the main connection on the started solenoid (the bigger of the three connections)?

where all the small brown wires attach to

[jbs.998]

Ok that's fine.
Well to be fair I roughly do know what I'm doing I was wondering what was best.
And as I also need to know what to do with the second White wire coming from the lights.
I have heard people connecting their lights to the fusebox and to the coil but I wanted to be sure.

[Dan]

Well your car might only roughly burst into flames then! !

Why would you want to hook spotlamps into the coil? Don't connect them to the ignition anywhere. People might use a second relay to set the spots up to only work with the engine running, but you cannot do this using a single basic relay and using the coil for the source is a poor idea anyway. Take your power supply from the solenoid as said above. Add an in-line fuse. Use a connection to the existing blue/white headlamp cable to trigger the relay, include a switch in this connection if you want to be able to knock the spots off. Connect both the lamps to the relay in parallel. Connect the lamp earths together in parallel and take them to a good thick ground point, remember the earth carries the same current as the supply. Use the appropriate grade of cable and components everywhere.

The additional cable at the lamps is the earth, if you insist you know what you are doing then why do you not know that electricity works in a circuit and that components need two connections? I have to agree that it sounds like you are over confident in your abilities here, but at least you have asked for help. The instructions I have given here are a condensed form of what is written in every spotlamp thread. Follow them, don't confuse yourself by trying to include something else that you think you know or might have heard from someone somewhere once. Don't assume anything that isn't included in the instructions given in more detailed threads. People think 'it's only 12v DC, it's easy, what can go wrong?'. For the same power, lower volts mean higher currents and high current causes heating in wires that are wrapped in pretty flamable insulation. Get it wrong and you loose your car, and maybe your life.

[jbs.998]

thanks for your help dan
i will be careful with what i am doing
i have read various different answers on this forum so i was just wondering what was best.
the lights were only connected to the fuse box due to the wiring diagram floating around on this website.
i will earth the two white wires to something suitable tomorrow and see if everything is works.
thanks again.

[jbs.998]

right, i wired the live feed to the starter solenoid.
i connected the earth wire of each spotlight together and earthed it, it this wise or shall i do it seperatly?
still have nothing.
Do i need to tap into the main beam?
I just want them to come on with my switch i have.

[jbs.998]

1 last thing, do i need a live to my switch?
i thought i just needed to connect my switch to the relay.
please let me know, i want to give it a go now.

[jbs.998]

Come on guys, do I need a live to my switch?

[Dan]

You must tap in to the main beam yes, it's the law. Your spot lamps have to be operated by the same dip switch as the main beam.

Take a splice into the blue/white somewhere behind the dash and run that to one terminal of your switch. The other terminal on the switch then connects to the relay trigger connection. When the main beam is on and the switch closed, the relay will switch.

Joining the earths together is fine so long as the cable you used is up to the combined load.

You did include a fuse between the solenoid and the relay I hope.

[jbs.998]

That's great, no wonder they arent working.
Yes I have an in-line fuse between the solenoid and the relay.
I will take a look tomorrow