JonG82

I just spent all last night trying to install the Platinum Burner Lights from WOL's write up (Below is the link to the write up) I finished it up and tried them out and they worked great last night, lots of light! This morning I went out to 4WheelParts in downtown Portland to pick up some switches for the pod im ordering. I got back and wanted to try them out again and I got nothing! Its been raining hard here today, but 99.9% the wiring is inside the engine compartment or in my Jeep...

Do you think the connections got wet somehow and thats why im getting nothing?
If so, do you think they'll dry and work fine or do I need to scrap the whole project and redo everything?

I mounted the lights the best way I knew how to prevent water from getting to them. I read that WOL has used these and even forded through deep water and they worked perfectly afterwards, what gives???

http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...rite-up-review

Any help is DEPERATELY appreciated!!!

Orangeav

did you check the grounds and the fuse? It might not have been the rain, maybe something came loose after you drove it.

JonG82

I'll start off with saying, electrical work and I don't mix well, but I was able to get the lights working last night so I was pretty proud of myself. Now i'll say, I haven't checked the fuse, and to be honest, im not really sure how I would check it, would I just need to buy a fuse and replace it to see if that would do the trick? The grounds I have checked though, and they are all tight, can't move them at all. Any suggestions about the fuse? Sorry for my ignorance btw, this is all new to me, the write up was pretty straight forward.

toolow262

Checking the fuse depends on what kind is being used, but just about all can be checked with a simple multimeter. If you have a multimeter place it on the settings to check continuity ( the meter should beep when you touch the leads together), then you will place one lead on one end of the fuse and the other on the other end. If you get a beep when you touch the two ends/sides then the fuse is good. If not then you need a new fuse. One thing to keep in mind though, if your connections are tight (including all splices, BTW if you didn't use I would recommend the heat shrink type or using heat shrink tubing over a regular connector) and no water intrusion is detected in your system you may be overloading that fuse. Not knowing what circuit you are using I can't tell you that you are, but if you continue to blow fuses then you don't want to just replace it and keep running and definitely don't use a bigger fuse. Either situation, you have a fire hazard and you need to redo your installation.

Also forgot to say you can check most fuses by visual inspection. Remove fuse being used and look to see if the "filament" running through it is broken, if so a new one is needed.

JonG82

I appreciate the info! Quick question, if it ISN'T the fuse or the grounds and lets say it IS due to water damage, would I need to scrap the project and redo with a new kit or will these connections/etc. dry out and become usable again? I know electricity and water don't mix, I just figure these being fog/driving lights they are expected to get wet. Thanks again!

toolow262

To assume that the lights are (even at worst case scenario) at least weatherproof I'd say your right. I mean when you buy a set of lights designed for driving you would assume that anyways. So as for the lights, unless they are mounted in a way that rain can run into them I doubt they are your problem. When dealing with the electrical world there are numerous things that can effect your performance even with a simple hook up as this. So when something doesn't work as designed you must start trouble shooting as you have. Remember start with the simple things first i.e. connections, fuses, and bulbs; then move on to more less likely or more difficult things i.e. broken wires, lights themselves (defective product). With that said if you've checked the connections (if one feels slightly loose replace it), fuse as instructed before, and the bulbs aren't blown then it is time to move on to the harder stuff. For broken wires you can use the multimeter just like the fuse to check continuity on wires if its good then you should hear a beep from the multimeter, for the lights which is where I'd start; remove the connection closest to the lights and hook to a 12v source if the light comes on you know they are good. I know its a lot of info but I'm trying to cover all possibilities for you and to get you looking at the right stuff, but to answer your question in short. The system should at some point (if its water as a problem) dry out and work again, but water is usually the first issue that causes another problem, generally a short and then a blown fuse.

Charlie Mike

I have this exact same set up on my jeep. There is one thing I found that didn't work for me on WOLs write up. WOL says to attach the grounding wire for each light to the actual bracket that holds the light to the jeep. For some reason, grounding the lights this way would not work for me. I found I wasn't getting good contact at all. So I rewired all my grounds so they go straight to solid ground point (e.g. the battery, frame, etc.)

See if that works for you.

toolow262

Definitely, What he said. Sorry I didn't look at the write up, so didn't know where you were grounded. Thanks C M for the follow up.

JonG82

Wow, haha, that is alot of info but you know your stuff, I appreciate all of this and will start right where you instructed to see if I get anything. Thanks alot and i'll update this if I find anything or get them working again!!

JonG82

So, I just went back into the garage to start my annoying task of trying to find the culprit for my lights not working and what do you know, they f*$kin worked, it must have been water and just needed time to dry out. I'll go ahead and say it so you don't have to, "I'm an a$$", Now I guess my next task is ultimate waterproofing to prevent this from happening again! I TRUELY appreciate everyone (toolow262, Charlie Mike, Orangeav) taking the time to share their time, input, info and knowledge! Hopefully this won't all go to waste and will help others (including me) in the future with this mod..

(I'll also look at re-grounding the ground wires to a better place like you both mentioned. Thank you all again!)