ok im trying to hook up the lights i just bought. how do i properly tap into the fuse box. i have the panels out and the fuse box exposed but not sure if im supposed to tap into it from the backside or what. it looks like a pain in the *** to unbolt the whole fuse block and open up the back of it. i have found the unused slot i need to use just not sure where to go from here. im guessing if i do open the box up there are flat conectors on the backside that i need to connect to but not sure. can anyone help me out?

 

If the wires you are trying to run to the fuse box are small enough you can press them into the open slot location from the front and press the fuse in the same hole, I have done that for a few different accessories on my '89 F150. I don't know what kind of lights you are trying to wire in (interior, exterior) just make sure you have a fuse that is the correct size for your application. Also tuck the wiring or zip tie it up so it doesn't become loose and pull out. You will also need to wire a toggle switch in line somewhere too so they can be turned on or off if you are using the open fuse location.

 

By far, the easiest (proper) way I've found to tap into a fuse box is a product called Add-a-Fuse. You simply pull out the fuse from the circuit you have selected to tap into, plug this bad boy in, then tie the hot lead from whatever you are adding into the supplied wire. It containes two fuses; one for the original circuit and one for your new toy.

One word of caution here. Select which circuit you're going to tap into carefully. There are two general kinds of circuits; ones that are hot all the time and ones that are hot only with the ignition on. That's your first choice. Then you need to look carefully at what you're tapping into to make sure you're not messing with something big, like say the ECM. Good luck!

 

...a lil late but... y not tap into the ignition wires? just fuse them and you're good!

 

In the good old days, you could probably get away with that. These days, you're asking for all sorts of trouble. The electrical systems on new vehicles (like ours) are so complex that hacking in can cause all sorts of problems. I'd recommend staying away from this one.

 

Don't tap into the wrong wires... and fuse them... lemme know if you need specs

 

its really not much of a problem. we do it all the time at work for remote starts and things like that.

 

Zackly! Where do u work warbat?

 

thanks guys i ended up just tapping into a hot wire that was existing already from the battery to the rear for my campershell i just used a fusible link to tap into it and run to the lights.