Wiring of extra spots

[revkev]

Can someone give me some help with wiring additional spot lamps with a relay. The negative swithing thing has got me foxed. I have a 2007 Forester and cannot get the lights to work properly. I have them wired so that they activate on high beam, but when I turn the lights off or the car, they come on. Any ideas?

[El_Freddo]

Try this out, I've made the diagram for this specific purpose... Also for my reference



Cheers

Bennie

[revkev]

Thanks for the diagram. The lights still come on when the light switch is off. As soon as you turn the car on with the lights off, the spots illuminate. Any other thoughts?

[El_Freddo]

Have a look at the diagram and compare it with the diagram that comes with the lights. If you wire it in this way I can guarentee that it will work properly. I've done this on my L and on my gf's VT commodore with the lights operating correctly.

Cheers

Bennie

[revkev]

Hi Guys,
After trying everything, it was eventually worked out. Connect battery +ve to 30, Lights to 87, positive high beam wire to 86, switching wire high beam wire (black one) to 85 and the lights earth wires to negative battery terminal. Walla! Because of the fangled negative switching system, there is no other way of doing this with one realy! Thanks for all the help!

[El_Freddo]

Hi Guys,
After trying everything, it was eventually worked out. Connect battery +ve to 30, Lights to 87, positive high beam wire to 86, switching wire high beam wire (black one) to 85 and the lights earth wires to negative battery terminal. Walla! Because of the fangled negative switching system, there is no other way of doing this with one realy! Thanks for all the help!

!!! Not meaning to get my knickers in a knot but this is the same thing as the above diagram I gave you. I bet if you swap 85 and 86 around it will all be the same...

Glad its sorted and you're happy with it.

Cheers

Bennie

[steptoe]

NOTICE for the benefit of those that have been fooled by Subarus negative switching as used on L series, MY and appears to be Foresters as well (must be all Subies!)

The important bit on the sketch by el freddo but not made it into words is: the you-fit-in-dash switch for the driving lights needs to be powered up through an * IGN ON source for this circuit to work OTHERWISE you will find as I have just done that when HIGH BEAM is on at the headlight the switch wire at the light RED/WHITE trace on L SERIES has EARTH, no earth when park or headlights are on and the FRUSTRATING discovery is that this bloody wire has earth again when all lights switches are off, so it will just turn your driving lights on !!

Or configure a second relay into the circuit as revkev hints at. BUGGER, means more wiring than I was planning on or find another relay to trcik the other relay or pop in to 12volt.com to see some of their tricky wiring up of relays to solve other problems.

Bennie, I missed the important bit when looking at your diagram, can you highlight it in edit function.Ta

[AlpineRaven]

NOTICE for the benefit of those that have been fooled by Subarus negative switching as used on L series, MY and appears to be Foresters as well (must be all Subies!)

The important bit on the sketch by el freddo but not made it into words is: the you-fit-in-dash switch for the driving lights needs to be powered up through an * IGN ON source for this circuit to work OTHERWISE you will find as I have just done that when HIGH BEAM is on at the headlight the switch wire at the light RED/WHITE trace on L SERIES has EARTH, no earth when park or headlights are on and the FRUSTRATING discovery is that this bloody wire has earth again when all lights switches are off, so it will just turn your driving lights on !!

Or configure a second relay into the circuit as revkev hints at. BUGGER, means more wiring than I was planning on or find another relay to trcik the other relay or pop in to 12volt.com to see some of their tricky wiring up of relays to solve other problems.

Bennie, I missed the important bit when looking at your diagram, can you highlight it in edit function.Ta

I agree.. Ive figured out with I installed HIDs (later removed them again!)
Cheers
AP

[steptoe]

gone back 17 pages in electric section which is two years worth and Xtreme RX says they are both neg and pos switched. I do recall the12volt.com site had one relay hook up to reverse polarity of switching. Gotta find it as I always used two.I think reverse the earth switching then just hook up as normal from that signal and hope.... it has bugged a few just in the last two years I can see from the search

[phillatdarwin]

if u used + from the light to turn your relay on and run - from your switch on the inside is the way to do it as that is the way i do it all the time as if your lights are off your drivers will not come on at all and it is just on wire from the dash to the relays and the rest are from the bat +

[tony]

just have a feel of all the wiring when you have had the spots on for a while and check none of the wires are getting warm, this would indicate wires are overloaded and can lead to melting/fires or lights failing. a warm wire is wasting electricity (and if the insulation melts all the smoke will escape and the lights won't work if the smoke escapes)and stopping the lights from getting full power. A tiny bit warm is not too bad but preferable the cable is thick enough not to get warm at all.

[Segref]

Try this out, I've made the diagram for this specific purpose... Also for my reference

Bennie

Hi. I've used similar wiring in my 99 o/b and it worked fine. images/smilies/icon_smile.gif The exact same circuit in my 06 o/b works great, BUThttp://www.ausubaru.com.au/images/smilies/confused.gif, the drivers come on with the parking lights, go out with low beam and back on with high beam. As for picking up the switched wire for high beam I took mine from the left hand high beam lamp and mounted the relay just in front of the battery. It then requires only one wire to go to the dash switch, plus the 12V of course. Just to confuse the issue, some of the circuits are earth switched while others (e.g. parkers) are switched on the positive 12v rail.
Segref

[niterida]

Hi. I've used similar wiring in my 99 o/b and it worked fine. images/smilies/icon_smile.gif The exact same circuit in my 06 o/b works great, BUThttp://www.ausubaru.com.au/images/smilies/confused.gif, the drivers come on with the parking lights, go out with low beam and back on with high beam. As for picking up the switched wire for high beam I took mine from the left hand high beam lamp and mounted the relay just in front of the battery. It then requires only one wire to go to the dash switch, plus the 12V of course. Just to confuse the issue, some of the circuits are earth switched while others (e.g. parkers) are switched on the positive 12v rail.
Segref

Yeah I wired up my 99 Outback using the fog light switch (don't have fog lights anymore because of the roo-bar) and it does the same - Spotties come on with park lights and high-beam but not low-beam - I decided I could live with that

[Gannon]

I dont understand why this is so hard.

The 85 and 86 supplies for the relay should both be taken from the back of the high beam bulb, its that easy

The only connection to the battery or ground is for the new lights themselves. Do not connect anything related to the relay coil to battery or ground

This image was drawn for L series wiring but the principle is the same

[60766244]

I dont understand why this is so hard.

The 85 and 86 supplies for the relay should both be taken from the back of the high beam bulb, its that easy

The only connection to the battery or ground is for the new lights themselves. Do not connect anything related to the relay coil to battery or ground

This image was drawn for L series wiring but the principle is the same

This is how I did it bar some minor adjustments as per my thread on the subject. Was so, so, so much easier than other methods suggested ans used before.

I said thank you then, and I'll say it again. Cheers!

[Segref]

The 85 and 86 supplies for the relay should both be taken from the back of the high beam bulb

Hi Gannon.
I understand what you've done but am at a loss as to the reason behind it, unless it's the crazy wiring system Subi have adopted.
I have wired as your circuit and all is well. Since I don't like ugly switches hanging out of my dash I have used a tiny tact switch with an electronic latching circuit. This meant installing a second relay to switch the 12v to the first.

[Gannon]

I understand what you've done but am at a loss as to the reason behind it, unless it's the crazy wiring system Subi have adopted.

The only reason I have wired the circuit like this is that its guaranteed to work in any vehicle, negative or positive switched circuits. If there is voltage at the high beam filament, the relay will operate.
You dont have to go searching for a ground or a fused positive supply for the relay and switch, its already supplied by the factory headlight wiring

There is nothing crazy about the way Subaru have wired their lights, its quite common to have a constant positive supply and switch the ground. The only trick is that you have to understand that its different to positive switched circuits.

[Segref]

There is nothing crazy about the way Subaru have wired their lights.

I like your reasoning and the principle is quite sound. The only reason I suggested the wiring was crazy is that some circuits (low and high beam) are negative switched while others (parkers) are positive switched. As an electronics tech I have no real problem with either but swapping from one to the other does seem a bit radical.

[El_Freddo]

images/smilies/icon_smile.gif The exact same circuit in my 06 o/b works great, BUT the drivers come on with the parking lights, go out with low beam and back on with high beam. As for picking up the switched wire for high beam I took mine from the left hand high beam lamp and mounted the relay just in front of the battery. It then requires only one wire to go to the dash switch, plus the 12V of course. Just to confuse the issue, some of the circuits are earth switched while others (e.g. parkers) are switched on the positive 12v rail.

Yep some are positive switched, some are negative. When I produced that image I couldn't remember where I sourced that 12v that came on with ignition. My lights will turn on if I turn the parkers off and have the in-cab switch ON - I need to change this to what Gannon has done in his diagram that doesn't look like a 5 year old made it... I wish I knew how to update it!

I dont understand why this is so hard.

It's so hard because the wiring diagram on the packaging shows it being different - and it doesn't work with the negative switching system...

There is nothing crazy about the way Subaru have wired their lights, its quite common to have a constant positive supply and switch the ground. The only trick is that you have to understand that its different to positive switched circuits.

I think this is what catches people out... Maybe.

Cheers

Bennie

[El_Freddo]

images/smilies/icon_smile.gif The exact same circuit in my 06 o/b works great, BUT the drivers come on with the parking lights, go out with low beam and back on with high beam. As for picking up the switched wire for high beam I took mine from the left hand high beam lamp and mounted the relay just in front of the battery. It then requires only one wire to go to the dash switch, plus the 12V of course. Just to confuse the issue, some of the circuits are earth switched while others (e.g. parkers) are switched on the positive 12v rail.

Yep some are positive switched, some are negative. When I produced that image I couldn't remember where I sourced that 12v that came on with ignition. My lights will turn on if I turn the parkers off and have the in-cab switch ON - I need to change this to what Gannon has done in his diagram that doesn't look like a 5 year old made it... I wish I knew how to update it!

I dont understand why this is so hard.

It's so hard because the wiring diagram on the packaging shows it being different - and it doesn't work with the negative switching system...

There is nothing crazy about the way Subaru have wired their lights, its quite common to have a constant positive supply and switch the ground. The only trick is that you have to understand that its different to positive switched circuits.

I think this is what catches people out... Maybe.

Cheers

Bennie