Hey guys,
Been on here awhile, don't post much but finally need some help with my latest project. I bought some lights to mount on my Back Rack which I mounted up already but I really don't know how to go about wiring them. Here's a pic of the light:


I stopped at the auto store today to pick up a few things to try to hook em up but I don't know if I need anything else or if I'm even in the ballpark with what I have:



I found a wiring diagram that makes it seems pretty simple but I would need to use a relay I guess:

http://www.accessconnect.com/fog_dri...hts_wiring.htm

Does this seems to be the better route to go?

Last question, the thing thats throwing me off a bit is that these lights have a black ground wire coming out the back with 2 red wires. I've only ever seen lights like this with 1 red wire. Can anyone tell me what to do with the other wire? They both appear to be the same gauge (16 maybe?) but one is about an 1" shorter:



Sorry for all the questions but I'm a complete electrical noob. I'm trying to learn but I have a feeling I'm making it out to be more complicated than it is. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Id like to take a stab wiring them tomorrow.

 

I'm on my phone so searching is a PIA but I have a full light wiring guide in the FAQ section.

 

Thanks Hammer, I'll check it out.

 

just a guess but from the picture it looks like each single housing has 2 individual bulbs, so Im assuming each red wire is the positive lead for the individual bulbs inside. you can wire them together or separately depending on how much light output you want. black is ground of course.

 

Thanks Stain, that makes sense. So if that's the case and following Hammers diagram, can I just connect the other two red wires together? (Represented by the green wire in the picture)

 

yes, just make sure the relay you use is rated for the amount of power your using. do you know the wattage of the bulbs?

 

They are 55 watt bulbs. I used a 40A relay per Hammers write up.

I attempted the install this afternoon. Took me several hours and was let down in the end when I hit the switch and no lights. I can hear the relay clicking when I flip the switch which I understand is a good thing. That tells me that the relay and all its wiring is good as well as the wiring for the switch. There must be an issue somewhere with my wiring from the lights to the relay. Gonna take a closer look at it tomorrow to see if I can't troubleshoot the problem.

 

So here's an updated picture showing how I wired the lights. I wired both positive leads coming out of the lights with a 3 way ring terminal. (represented by the red dots in the picture) I then ran wire from each 3 way terminal to another 3 way terminal, in theory connecting all 4 lights together, and then ran a single wire up to the relay.

Not sure if this makes sense but hopefully the picture can give a better visual of what I'm trying to explain.

 

Well, finally got this project finished. Turns out my ground for the lights was bad. I had the lights grounded to the Back Rack and apparently that was no good. I ran a new ground wire outta the lights and down to the frame under the truck and sure enough they light up.

Thanks to Stain and Hammer for the help. Hammer your write up and diagram were spot on.

 

Pics? Would love to see them.