Headlight wire colors?
#1
06-15-2013, 07:29 PM
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Headlight wire colors?
I need to wire positive and negative wires to my new headlights, but I don't know which ones to connect to. The headlight harness has black, purple and green. Black is ground, but I'm not sure if green or purple is negative. When it connects to the new headlights, green connects to red, which is generally positive, but I'm not sure.
#2
06-19-2013, 06:31 AM
Professional
As far as which is which I'm not sure. I can tell you how to test them your self. I need to ask if you are wiring up replacement headlight or driving/fog lights.
Let me give you a little info.
Ground and Negative as far as a 12-volt system goes is the SAME THING.
Next invest in a little multi-meter that will be a big help doing any wiring or troubleshooting.
Easiest way to test for a hot or positive wire for headings on a vehicle would be to remove the plug connecting to the headlight.
Take your meter and set it to 12 volt DC. It may have different DC voltage ranges and you would need to set it to one that will read at least 12 volts.
Now make sure the leads coming from the meter are connected correctly.
Turn your headlight ON set it to dim.
Take the black test lead connect it to a clean part of the vehicle frame or head of a bolt connected to the frame. It must be free of rust, no paint just bear metal.
Take the red test lead and connect it one of three holes in the plug you disconnected from the vehicle headlights. With a little luck the meter will read somewhere around 12-13 volts. That would be the hot or positive wire for the DIM side of the headlights.
If you get no reading on you meter then you have the red lead in either the negative side or the HIGH beam side of the headlight plug. Keep moving the red lead until you find the DIM side. Then label it someway.
Now put the lights on HI beam and repeat the process of testing the headlight plug for 12-volt. Once it is found that will be your positive for the HIGH beam side of the headlight plug.
Now you should have the DIM and HIGH 12-volt positive wires labeled. The last wire is the negative.
Hope this helps and hope you get the lights installed.
Let me give you a little info.
Ground and Negative as far as a 12-volt system goes is the SAME THING.
Next invest in a little multi-meter that will be a big help doing any wiring or troubleshooting.
Easiest way to test for a hot or positive wire for headings on a vehicle would be to remove the plug connecting to the headlight.
Take your meter and set it to 12 volt DC. It may have different DC voltage ranges and you would need to set it to one that will read at least 12 volts.
Now make sure the leads coming from the meter are connected correctly.
Turn your headlight ON set it to dim.
Take the black test lead connect it to a clean part of the vehicle frame or head of a bolt connected to the frame. It must be free of rust, no paint just bear metal.
Take the red test lead and connect it one of three holes in the plug you disconnected from the vehicle headlights. With a little luck the meter will read somewhere around 12-13 volts. That would be the hot or positive wire for the DIM side of the headlights.
If you get no reading on you meter then you have the red lead in either the negative side or the HIGH beam side of the headlight plug. Keep moving the red lead until you find the DIM side. Then label it someway.
Now put the lights on HI beam and repeat the process of testing the headlight plug for 12-volt. Once it is found that will be your positive for the HIGH beam side of the headlight plug.
Now you should have the DIM and HIGH 12-volt positive wires labeled. The last wire is the negative.
Hope this helps and hope you get the lights installed.