Adding Driving lights on new LMC harness OR is another harness needed?

[edpdx]

I am getting ready to install a set of HELLA 500's lamps onto my roof rack (probably, and not the guard ). I was going to buy the LMC harness to increase my stock light output while at it.

Q: Based on Warthog's diagram on the Headlight Sticky, could I modify his headlight upgrade harness to include the HELLA driving lights? What I want is to have the driving lights come on with the hi-beams. I was hoping I could add a toggle so I could eliminate them coming on at times when Hi Beams only would be more practical.

Please help if you have any more wiring savvy than me.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

I would not add driving lights to ANY headlight circuit. I would use a relay triggered by the headlight circuit. This approach will allow you do easily add that toggle to kill the driving lights when you want to.

Use the 12v from the headlight circuit as one side of the coil, and the other side runs through the toggle switch to ground. That would be terminals 87 & 85 on this diagram:

http://www.the12volt.com/relays/relays.asp


Doesn't matter which goes to which, really.

Then you feed FUSED 12v to terminal 87, and connect terminal 30 to your lights. 87a is not used.


Relays are cheap.

 

[tourus]

I have done what you want to do several times over the years. I put a small switch some where out of the way. then break the GROUND side of the relay to turn the lights off if I did not want them on for some reason. breaking the ground side allows you to use a real small cheap switch because there is no load.

 

[tourus]

more to the thought is one has to ground the relay anyway. so you run the ground through the switch which breaks the ground then the relay does not work hence the extra light don't come on. the relay is triggered by high beam lights. every thing else is wired the same. fuses ect. just break the ground

 

[edpdx]

I tried my hand at adding the driving light harness on-to the LMC harness. The stock headlights are shown as running with the LMC harness. I have added the HELLA harness- as I believe may work with the LMC harness. The TOGGLE is to cut out the Driving lights when they are not needed to supplement the high beams. Please don't try this unless others more qualified than I have proofed it.

If you can confirm that the circuit can work, please chime in. I can wire things ok, but I often overlook the obvious .

 

[tourus]

that diagram would work. but quite a bit more involed that what I would have done.what I was talking about was put the toggle switch in the ground wire alot less load on it then when you dont want the hellas flip the switch and the relay is not grounged hence won't work the hellas wont come on. but you way should work.

 

[edpdx]

tourus, thanks for your reply. I don't understand how I would wire the Hellas in without a separate harness to do what you are talking about. Do you have a link or a down-n-dirty schematic?

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

That diagram made my head hurt! Too much complexity that is not needed!


Refer to my description above, and this diagram. You only need ONE relay for the Hellas. If you WANT to use two, just copy this example. Trigger the second relay just like shown here.

You want to tap into the high beam lead somewhere convenient. Run this to your new relay, terminal 85. Then connect terminal 86 to your switch, and the other contact of your switch goes to ground. You do not need a 3 way switch for this. Just a simple on/off switch.

Now connect your power (fused, of course!) to terminal 87, and your Hellas to terminal 30.

Good to go.

 

[edpdx]

MarcusOReallyus, thanks...

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

 

[tourus]

I don't have a digram for what. I was talking about doing just what Marcusorallyus has for a digram.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Yep. We're talking about the same thing.

 

[edpdx]

That diagram made my head hurt! Too much complexity that is not needed!


Refer to my description above, and this diagram. You only need ONE relay for the Hellas. If you WANT to use two, just copy this example. Trigger the second relay just like shown here.

You want to tap into the high beam lead somewhere convenient. Run this to your new relay, terminal 85. Then connect terminal 86 to your switch, and the other contact of your switch goes to ground. You do not need a 3 way switch for this. Just a simple on/off switch.

Now connect your power (fused, of course!) to terminal 87, and your Hellas to terminal 30.

Good to go.

Like I reported yesterday, I got my new headlight harness in. It works great. I click on and the high beams do their thing... nice. But... I wanted to install this toggle switch to take the NEW rack mounted driving lights off-line in heavier traffic. I tried to hook them up as shown. No lights under any condition. I think it is because I installed "lighted" toggle: Anyone know how I can make it work with this toggle?

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Likely that switch is not allowing enough current to flow through the relay to trigger it. How do you have the switch hooked up? Where is the lead from the relay connecting to the switch?

 

[edpdx]

Thanks for all the help. Traced the problem back to a quick disconnect that came off of the toggle switch. Replacing the stereo must have caught the wire and pulled it off. All is good now and the lights work great. With the toggle ON the high beams activate the Driving lamps the lamp on the end of the toggle comes on as well. When the beams are switched to LOW the toggle lamp goes out as does the high beams. The Driving Lamps go off with the toggle as does the toggle lamp. I'll get some pics posted when I can.

 

[marchplumber]

Sounds like a neat little set up! (gotta love when Mr. Murphy shows up and disconnects wires for ya!) This has been a fun and informative thread! Just like the ones I LOVE to read. Idea, ask for help, solution, and put into practical use! GREAT! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to the pics!

God bless,
Tony

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Good stuff, Maynard!