building a upgraded headlight wiring harness for a 3rd gen runner

[troyboy162]

gonna put together something today and will keep this post updated like a how-to. with the pictures ill show why this i needed to do this rather then just an option aka my stock wiring was butchered by the previous owner

edit. project on hold. one thing though, if you one stop shop for supply's you may be in for a surprise with your material costs. autozone was kind enough to sell me 30 amp relays for 13 dollars a piece :confused:

[mastacox]

Well, if I ever decided to upgrade my headlights' wiring, I think I would probably look at buying this:

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/prf-30815_w.jpg
Painless Performance H4 Headlight Conversion Harness (http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=PRF-30815&N=700+400012+4294925242+115&autoview=sku)

The conversion harness supports up to 150 watts per bulb, and has all of the relays and wiring figured out for you.

I've grown to love Painless Wiring products over the years, they make stuff just so damn painless! I've wired all of my extra "stuff" through my Cirkit Boss auxillary fuse block (http://"[url="http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=PRF-70107&N=700+400012+4294843320+4294782584+4294782582+115&autoview=sku") and man, that thing was a lifesaver when I needed an easy way to get ignition-hot power sources.

[troyboy162]

dang the price it very high though. its very nice but the circuit is so simple to make. i looked for 4crawlers kit but when you press the buy button, it dosnt work.

[Erich_870]

dang the price it very high though. its very nice but the circuit is so simple to make. i looked for 4crawlers kit but when you press the buy button, it doesn't work.


Just email him. He's around.

Also, go to http://www.allelectronics.com/ for the relays. They have them for 2.40 each.

I just ordered 4 for a project, plus a couple extra.

Erich

[914Runner]

ARB has a wiring harness. http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=584

[troyboy162]

well i finaly got around to making one and didnt have the time to make a how to or document the steps. i did however make a perfect example of a high side switched harness that is worthless for my 96 4runner lol. i can modify it to work and it will be fine, but what a pain. i swear i read 3rd gen were power switched, but maybe its just 99 and above, i really have no idea other then my 96 is definatly low side switched (ground switched)
heres a pic for an example of what not to build lol:
http://www.wow.digitalchaosgaming.com/t4r/messedup.jpg

[mastacox]

Yup, headlights are ground-side switched, I've run into that problem trying to figure out how to hook my Hella's into the hi-beams.

What gauge wire are you using, and what's the total cost?

[troyboy162]

Yup, headlights are ground-side switched, I've run into that problem trying to figure out how to hook my Hella's into the hi-beams.

What gauge wire are you using, and what's the total cost?


14 guage wiring. i soldered some of the conections but then crimped some, so that kinda negated any benifits i was hoping for lol. the total coast is not good. im up around 55ish since i did terribel sourcing things at autozone and pepboys. ive got $22 in the relays alone :( and now ive got to buy another relay with 5 prongs. im still ahead on money and have some extra supplys left over that will be usefull but if i had shopped around id say this could be made around 25 bucks

[troyboy162]

now this is getting embarising. i bought the wrong relay again. i keep assuming i know the one to get and then end up reading after it dosnt work and finding out its the other one. i will make a write up so that all the dummy mistakes are printed in bold for people like me lol

[Erich_870]

now this is getting embarrassing. i bought the wrong relay again. i keep assuming i know the one to get and then end up reading after it doesn't work and finding out its the other one. i will make a write up so that all the dummy mistakes are printed in bold for people like me lol


Which relays did you buy? SPST or SPDT? Also, don't forget that most new relays have diode that reverses the poles on the activation side. This kept causing my fuse to blow when I was attaching my backup lights to my rig. When thru three fuses before I figured it out :)

Erich

[troyboy162]

i bought a spst when the drawing called for a spdt. i have no idea why there is a need for a 5 pined relay that the drawing shows other then for conveince maybe. tonight im going to rig up my origanl relay and it should work fine.

there is a diode in there on the coil side? i think i am using the correct polarity on the coils but i wouldnt have thought there was a diode in there to complicate things. i cant believe im not done yet.... such a simple thing!

[Erich_870]

i bought a spst when the drawing called for a spdt. i have no idea why there is a need for a 5 pined relay that the drawing shows other then for convenience maybe. tonight I'm going to rig up my original relay and it should work fine.

there is a diode in there on the coil side? i think i am using the correct polarity on the coils but i wouldn't have thought there was a diode in there to complicate things. i cant believe I'm not done yet.... such a simple thing!


Correct, there is typically a diode on the coil side. I can't access my photobucket account at work, but I have a pic of my relay, showing the diode in the schematic on the side.

How's this for lame. I have a relay with 5 pins, but it's only a SPST. LOL, I thought it was defective at first, only to find they wasted money on a 5th pin for no reason!

Hang in there, you'll get it done eventually. Then post pics for everyone else, hehehe.

Erich

[troyboy162]

ok i apologise on the lack of a real write up here but i made a diagram based on 4crawlers design and using his recommended diodes and resister shown here
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Headlights.shtml#OnLineOrdering
here is my exact wiring. the drawing is literal, meaning if a wire t's into another one, then there is a physically soldered junction there. ill update this post if i have any issues with the few changes i made to 4crawlers design.

my tips for anyone doing this:
buy your parts online and save lots of money
make sure your getting the right relays...
measure twice, cut once
look at the drawing twice, crimp/solder once

oh and my old headlight plugs were crimped in using extremely thin (think fuse) wire. thats why i had to do this before they melted
http://www.wow.digitalchaosgaming.com/t4r/964runnerharness.jpg

[Scuba]

Can I buy the original one..? maybe itll work on my 99 taco :D

[troyboy162]

i just modified the first one i made. its not pretty but it works well. my headlights are a little brighter now, but the main point was to fix the ghetto rigging's from the previous owner. ill give you a hand if you ever want to make one of these.

[Scuba]

Have you thought about the big 3 upgrade ?? :bling:

[troyboy162]

my understanding is there is really limited benefits of that if any. this is a truck that is still undergoing fixes. big three is something you do if you just want to work on your truck and theres nothing else to do lol

[Scuba]

Lol, I didnt know you had fixes to do..Whats going on with er ? :bling:

[troyboy162]

about a year later and i had to replace the 25 amp fuse. it had actualy melted. i think its because im using the cheapest cheapo fuses. but anyhow i put a 30 amp on in there. that seems a bit high to me but if things short it will pop fast enough