Making these darn lights work
01-17-2009, 11:17 AM
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Making these darn lights work
I have bought, mounted and wired desert fox bajas onto the grill guard of my jeep and they work, but here's the issue; I installed a daystar switch panel with four rockers and connected the appropriate wires to the switch. The switch is a 3 pole switch, one is a ground wire, one is an in-power (in from battery) and the other is an out-power (WHERE DOES THIS GO TO???). The end of the out-power wire is not attached to the harness in any way. Left loose (unconnected to anything) the switch/lights do not work (obviously). I connected the out-power wire to the battery and find that the lights will go on/off on a switch, however when the switch is off it still lights up the indicator light (draining battery when i'm not in the jeep) but shuts the bajas off. How can I wire this independant from any other souce so that they can run on their own switch without draining the battery? 
07 SAHARA 4 DOOR RESCUE GREEN
07 SAHARA 4 DOOR RESCUE GREEN
01-21-2009, 06:28 PM
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the out power goes the positive wire for the lights...the switch breaks the circuit from the battery(power source) to the lights and the indicator light on the switch. The ground is for the light on the switch.You might have a deffective switch perhaps? Does the indicator light stay on no matter what position you flip the switch to?
I would go to wal-mart and get a 5 dollar lighted rocker switch.
I would go to wal-mart and get a 5 dollar lighted rocker switch.
Last edited by swanni06; 01-21-2009 at 06:32 PM. Reason: forgot something
01-22-2009, 04:42 AM
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Sounds like you have your switch wired backwards. If you connect the outgoing wire to the battery, the light on the switch WILL stay lit all the time. You need to reverse those to wires.
01-22-2009, 10:41 AM
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X2 on what Ford said ...
The power starts at your battery ... and goes to the "in-power" terminal on your switch. This provides the power to your lights.
The "ground" on your switch is simply there so the light on the switch works ... wired correctly, it will only light up when you turn your lights on. If you don't want the light on your switch to ever light up, just don't connect the ground terminal on your switch to a ground.
Then the power is switched in ... well ... the switch. This breaks the current from the battery to your lights so you can turn them on whenever you want.
Here's where it can confuse you ... are you using a relay (you should be)?
NO = You're stupid and should use one, but the "out-power" terminal on your switch goes to the positive wire to your lights. This completes the circuit to your lights from the battery.
YES = The "out-power" terminal goes to the "signal" terminal on the relay. Hook up the relay accordingly.
If those lights have any sort of good wattage output (40W+) then you need to use a relay or you might melt your switch.
The power starts at your battery ... and goes to the "in-power" terminal on your switch. This provides the power to your lights.
The "ground" on your switch is simply there so the light on the switch works ... wired correctly, it will only light up when you turn your lights on. If you don't want the light on your switch to ever light up, just don't connect the ground terminal on your switch to a ground.
Then the power is switched in ... well ... the switch. This breaks the current from the battery to your lights so you can turn them on whenever you want.
Here's where it can confuse you ... are you using a relay (you should be)?
NO = You're stupid and should use one, but the "out-power" terminal on your switch goes to the positive wire to your lights. This completes the circuit to your lights from the battery.
YES = The "out-power" terminal goes to the "signal" terminal on the relay. Hook up the relay accordingly.
If those lights have any sort of good wattage output (40W+) then you need to use a relay or you might melt your switch.
