How-to: Pictorial Guide for the Fog Light Bypass MOD - PBR

macguyvermedic · Apr 10, 2011

I have been annoyed from day one not being able to turn the Fog Lights 'ON' independently of the Headlights. I tried the Fuse Tap Mod and popped a Fuse a week later. Wiring it up this way allows complete control of the Fogs while still utilizing the Factory Stalk and avoids overloading other Circuits. This Mod can be found at Club Frontier and throughout this Forum, links provided below. I really liked the idea of it, but it was missing something all of us love, pictures. I will spare you the heavy reading side of things which has all ready been done in the link I posted below.

PURPOSE:
I did the Fog Light Bypass Mod this way to allow me to have complete independent control of the Fog Lights while still utilizing the Factory Stalk.

LINKS:
Club Frontier
weaponzero

ALTERNATIVE VERSION LINKS:
Irongrave

TOOLS/MATERIALS NEEDED:
- Three 5' sections of 18 or 20 Gauge Wire. Actually a lot more then you will probably need but it's easier to cut excess off then add extra.
- Solder Gun and Heat Shrink.
- Electrical Tape, 3M is worth the extra money, so don't cheap out.
- Posi-Lock or similar to join the two sections of wire together.
- Razor Blade and Coat Hanger to pull wire from IDPM through passenger side Grommet.
- 1 Ring Terminal to Ground one of the Wires, your choice, to a suitable Ground location.

START:

NEXT: Once you have the Panel off remove the Stalk;

NEXT: Remove Screws that hold Stalk Cover on;

NEXT: Clip Wires and Solder 5' extensions onto Factory Wires;

NEXT: Modify Stalk Cover and reinstall;

NEXT: Reinstall Stalk and route Wires as shown;

NEXT: Remove IDPM Cover, flip it over, and pull Relay;

Factory Relay;

Solder Jumper Wire;

NEXT: Reinstall Relay with Jumper Wire Soldered to it and Route Wire out the bottom through hole provided by Nissan;

NEXT: Reinstall IDPM, route through Firewall, "I chose the Passenger Side Grommet, just above my Power Cable", Dress your Wiring, reinstall Cover;

Route the Wire from the IDPM to one of the Jumper Wires off of the Stalk, Ground the other Wire from the Stalk, and enjoy. As I stated earlier there have been plenty of well written 'How-to' threads about this, just not nearly as many pictures as I would have liked to see.

skibum315 · Apr 10, 2011

Nice job with the pictures ... so can you clarify what you're doing here? Does this change the fog light relay's trigger from one that's only available when the low beams are on, to one that's available whenever?

What I like about that M.O. over the 'fuse-tap hard wire' method, is that you maintain full control over fog light power; and don't *require* that they be on when the parking lights are on.

BigBearOverlander · Jul 16, 2021

skibum315 said:
Nice job with the pictures ... so can you clarify what you're doing here? Does this change the fog light relay's trigger from one that's only available when the low beams are on, to one that's available whenever?

What I like about that M.O. over the 'fuse-tap hard wire' method, is that you maintain full control over fog light power; and don't require that they be on when the parking lights are on.

Can somebody help me! I want to be sure before i soldered in on the relay! The relay you pull, on my truck as the mention 15A HORN/ALT is it supposed to be this one? The second relay at the top starting at your left, just beside the red/white wire.

macguyvermedic · Apr 10, 2011

^ Thanks, I suppose the point of a mod is alwayse helpful. LOL.

08XOR · Apr 10, 2011

nice write up. i think ill do this instead of the fuse tap

mayoibushi · Apr 10, 2011

yes its much better and the other howto had pics in a folder with no step by step layout. thanks man! how are the sliders coming along?

mayoibushi · Apr 28, 2011

so do you route the 5' cable from the stalk thru the grommet into the ipdm?

macguyvermedic · Apr 28, 2011

Yep, you route one from the relay to one of the two extensions you made from the stalk, the other gets grounded at your place of choice. I soldered a 5' wore to the relay and the stalk, then used a Posiloc connector to join the two.

Updated from the Situation Room

one4teen · May 4, 2011

I know the supplies are few, but, wire Gauge and amounts needed? Loom? Did you ground in the cab or the engine bay? Does this method allow completely independent operation of the fogs regardless of key, or other lights being on? And do they turn off after 5 min like the other lights ( i like this option)?

macguyvermedic · May 5, 2011

Updated

BanditXterra · Jun 25, 2011

Awesome write up. What is the total time for getting this done and cost?

macguyvermedic · Jul 7, 2011

Thanks. Took me about 1 hour to take everything apart, solder, and put everything back together. The total cost if you had zero tools or spare wire would be under $10.00, otherwise nothing but some spare time.

mayoibushi · Jun 25, 2011

Now just need to make it turn off again with vehicle maybe route power to an acc wire?
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GPD605X · Jul 7, 2011

That looks like a lot of work lol... I would like to do this but I'm not exactly electrical inclined.

thenissantech · Jul 7, 2011

great idea. i am definetly gonna do this to my ride

ADMAN · Jul 7, 2011

Nice job

Rook · Jul 7, 2011

great writeup!

kilo16 · Jul 13, 2011

wow, definitely know your stuff.

Strizzo · Jul 13, 2011

does this run all of the power for the fogs through the fog light switch on the stalk? if so, i'd bet that it is not long for this world.

macguyvermedic · Jul 13, 2011

Not trying to be a complete ass but did you read anything I typed. I simply provided a bypass ground to the relay which triggers the BCM to tell the foglights to turn on or off.

BanditXterra · Aug 11, 2011

AWESOME write up!!!

treybomb · Aug 21, 2011

Any guidance on which relay I'm looking for on a 2011 Pro-4X?

Wasabi · Nov 28, 2011

Hey Treybomb,
Here is the tutorial for 2009+ 2.5 Gen model.
Second Generation Nissan Xterra Forums (2005+) - View Single Post - 2011 Xterra Fog Lights and Off Road Lights Rewire

wisbike · Aug 21, 2011

man, how do you have patients for all your mods? This is a great write up and great work, and maybe i'm just lazy, but this seems like a TON of work for this!

I read that you blew a fuse with the typical fuse tap mod, but it seems like it would be easier to wire up the fogs to a separate spdt switch. That would be the lazy way out for people like me ha!

wisbike · Aug 21, 2011

and btw update your inverter how to!!!!

treybomb · Aug 29, 2011

It does look like the 2011 IPDM layout is indeed different, and that the fog light relay is now an "integrated" relay.

I plan on modding the OEM combination stalk as described in this thread so that I can use the OEM fog light switch to trigger a separate relay which will then power the fog lights. What fuse should I tap in to for switched power for the signal circuit if I want to be able to turn on the fogs whenever I would also be able to turn on the headlights (I forget, with the key in the ACC position I presume)?

joelo · Aug 29, 2011

I tapped the tail light fuse with an add a circuit adapter to power the fog light fuse. I've also bought a relay that I'll use with this stalk modification to still have the ability to turn on/off via stalk.

usko99 · Sep 21, 2011

does this mod turn off the fogs automatically when you turn off the headlights???

I'm wondering if fogs still run when at least parking lights are off? don't want to have to turn on/off the fogs and headlights separately all the time...

macguyvermedic · Sep 21, 2011

No, my intent for this mod was to provide complete independent control of the fogs.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.852875,-85.862313

usko99 · Sep 21, 2011

thanks for confirming me macguyver.. However I'd love to use my fogs when ever any driving lights are on, so i'm wondering if I could probably tap pin #30 to the positive of the parking light??? according to the original post on club frontier, the brass tabs on the relay are negative terminals, and the silver ones are positive, so perhaps you need to make little jumper cables and NOT put the relay back in its original socket

but to wire 85 to switch, 30 to the positive of parking lights, 87 and 86 to its corresponding socket on the box.

Anyone can confirm me if this should work?

treybomb · Sep 21, 2011

I wired pin 86 of my separate relay to the parking light fuse; see here.

DreamerzCC · Oct 26, 2011

love it....

How-to: Pictorial Guide for the Fog Light Bypass MOD - PBR

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