[SoCalXTerry]

Wiring lights?

 

[GhostX]

Wiring lights?

Roof and bumper lights.

 

[GhostX]

Thank you, and to answer some questions;


#2, personally, I go to futureshop or best buy and wander into the stereo installation bay and ask them to buy some lengths of wiring. Every time, they just give me a bunch of extra wiring they have laying around for free. And it's not crap either, my entire truck is wired with Monster cable that I got for free.

Thanks again for this great thread...been studying/referencing in preparation of wiring my bumper/roof mounted off road lights.

I haven't had much success with finding wiring in your above example...the guy at the local Best Buy wanted to charge me $130 for Kicker amp kits with 4 ga and 8 ga wiring. As I mentioned, Home Depot locally (North County San Diego) was a good resource, but the wire I bought there has stiffer insulation than I might like using.

Sooo...headed to the local Radio Shack today (had good luck there in the past) to see what their options for connectors/wire. Worst case scenario, I searched Amazon.com and found good resources for wire there (although, I am impatient and hate to wait for shipping) and can order if necessary.

 

[skibum315]

Radio Shack can bite me ... hate that place these days, but will go there in a pinch if needed; just don't ask them for any help with anything that's actually electronics related (as in components and wires) ... need a cell phone? Or crappy RC? Sure, they can help you with that ...

*he said with tongue firmly in cheek, and apologies to anyone who takes offense due to varying experiences*

Have you tried Fry's? Again, they're not going to be much help if you can't help yourself (if you have to ask for guidance as to specifications or *what* components you might need); but when I was still out in CA, they were one of the only places you could go and actually still find a decent selection of piece parts on the shelves.

Otherwise, probably order from online sources unfortunately. You're going to be hating life with that stiff HD stuff, if you have to tweak any routing or fine tune any runs ... it'll sure work in a pinch; but best bet is to track down stuff that's got as many strands as you can find, and nice pliable silicon insulation. Then run it with abrasion resistant braid over top of your bundle, or wire wrap or similar.

 

[GhostX]

Went to Frys too...and your observations are spot on.

Know and find your product...avoid advice from the pocket protector sub set and move on. Lol!

Thanks JH...I actually found some nice parts at RS last time, batteries not included.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[juntao]

quick question guys, any problems wiring PIAA offroad lights to the battery and having it always 'hot'? meaning the lights can be turned on and off even without a key in the ignition. i am not sure if this is a good idea since the piaa switch has an on/off light that will always stay lit, will that eventually kill the battery?

 

[Vorian]

Use a different switch? Does the switch it came with have a separate positive terminal for light in the switch? If it does that's meant to be tapped to the illumination wire.

Mobile post...

 

[alkeli]

quick question guys, any problems wiring PIAA offroad lights to the battery and having it always 'hot'? meaning the lights can be turned on and off even without a key in the ignition. i am not sure if this is a good idea since the piaa switch has an on/off light that will always stay lit, will that eventually kill the battery?

All my lights are wired directly to the battery (through a relay!) so that I can turn them on without the key. I wired them like this on purpose, and no, they will not kill your battery if they are turned off.

This is how my lights are wired:

When the lights are switched off, there's no voltage flowing, so it can't kill my battery...

 

[juntao]

All my lights are wired directly to the battery (through a relay!) so that I can turn them on without the key. I wired them like this on purpose, and no, they will not kill your battery if they are turned off.

This is how my lights are wired:

When the lights are switched off, there's no voltage flowing, so it can't kill my battery...

thanks. yeah thats how i had it set up. but piaa switches have a green led light on them. that stayed on all the time. concern was led light going out or causing minor drain. like problem here:
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...-piaa-indicator-light-green-cab-question.html

i ended up wiring switch to different source so it works only when ignition is turned on.

 

[Jordan]

That is awesome! I know jack about electrical crap, and now, Im not as terrified! Thanks! Ive seen other electrical info threads, but this is great for someone who likes instructions drawn out in crayons!

Im the same. And it still looks like a foreign language to me:dontknow:

 

[StonyPointX]

I wired my roof lights, backup lights, and bumper lights off this post a few years ago, got to say thanks for all the work it saved me and good ideas on wiring placement/setup. That being said I saw a guy at work installing an sPOD system in his heep. It incorporates relays and fuse box in one easily mountable box with bracket. Looks like it isn't specifically sold for the Xterra but probably a bit of modding to the mounting bracket and this thing could save you a bit of time on an install (but not money). http://www.4x4spod.com/category_s/52.htm

 

[Reese]

Thank you for taking the time to write this up Alkili. Very helpful and easy to understand. I know it's been up but I just found it. I'll be making changes even if I don't hook anything up right away.

 

[VMBiohazard]

Nice write-up and diagrams! Very useful.

 

[tfxluc]

Going off the diagram, I'm about to order this for my footwell breaker box:

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00CFFR8DU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A3BF1KM87HNCSG

Just wondering if that's good enough to hook up the 4ga wire on it, any thoughts?

 

[alkeli]

Going off the diagram, I'm about to order this for my footwell breaker box:

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00CFFR8DU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A3BF1KM87HNCSG

Just wondering if that's good enough to hook up the 4ga wire on it, any thoughts?

Depends on what you're hooking up to it I guess. It says it's rated for 25 amps so be aware of that.

And in order for you to hook up a 4ga wire you'll have to clamp on a ring terminal like so

And your other connections that come out of the sides of that box will need blade connectors clamped to the wires.

To be completely honest though, that looks little too cheaply made to me. And I really wouldn't like to hook up +12v to that bolt because that plastic cover barely covers it.

Here are some examples of distribution blocks I would use:
Stinger SHD821 HPM Series MANL/Midi Fused Power Distribution Block with Satin Chrome Finish: Amazon.ca: Automotive
http://www.amazon.ca/Vehicle-Audio-...1452730741&sr=1-8&keywords=power+distribution
http://www.amazon.ca/Stinger-SPD511...1452730741&sr=1-7&keywords=power+distribution
http://www.amazon.ca/Stinger-SPD570...452730741&sr=1-20&keywords=power+distribution
http://www.amazon.ca/Audiopipe-Pdcp...452730741&sr=1-24&keywords=power+distribution

They take the wires directly, and you just have to make sure the insulation is stripped off just enough to fit. This way you have no exposed copper that can touch anything.

Hope that helps :drink:

 

[tfxluc]

Depends on what you're hooking up to it I guess. It says it's rated for 25 amps so be aware of that.

awww I didn't see that 25amp.... although it's saying 25amp/way which should be good enough for me. Right now the only thing that will be hooked up is my front led lights but I'm trying to think ahead where a 40" roof light bar will be on that and maybe a couple additional front lights but nothing major

 

[wellsjm17]

Nice job bro! I have one question... whet are your toggle switches pulling power from? Don't the switches pull power from a 12v source like cig lighter or an add a fuse? The diagram shows them on the same source that is supplying the lights with power? Sorry if this is a novice question, I'm new at this. Again, much appreciated write up.

 

[alkeli]

Nice job bro! I have one question... whet are your toggle switches pulling power from? Don't the switches pull power from a 12v source like cig lighter or an add a fuse? The diagram shows them on the same source that is supplying the lights with power? Sorry if this is a novice question, I'm new at this. Again, much appreciated write up.

Thanks! Power comes from the fusebox but only powers on the relay, so there is very little current going through it. The relay powers the lights and handles the high current. This makes things safer for the switch and its wiring, and prevents switches from sparking and overheating because they're usually not designed for high current to run through them.

Don't confuse volts with current. Current is usually measured in Amps. Think of water pipes; Volts is the water pressure, Amps is how fast the water is flowing. Amps is the dangerous one and will cause switches and wires to overheat, causes sparking and can cause skin burns or stop your heart.

 

[Robert Smith]

WOW! This thread is very thorough and informative!! The diagrams, explanations, and examples are fantastic! Thank you for taking the time to put this together and lay it out the way you did!

 

[ua_xterra_bwidow]

Thank you for this writeup, im a newbie in terms of electric parts andd your post educated me a bit more about this important topic and how to avoid burning my unfishied paid xterra yet with the projects to come xD