Powering switch to relay for Aux Lights? 2010 F150
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Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Farmington, Minnesota
Powering switch to relay for Aux Lights? 2010 F150
Need your opinions for hooking up power to a switch for off road lights. 2010 F150 FX4 SCab, adding 2 sets of PIAA 520s (ATPs and IonCrystal Fog) to a light bar.
The PIAA instructions for the 520s show most of the wiring is all ready to hook up, just need to power the switch, which is prewired to their proprietary relay. The relay and light circuit is powered by the battery. PIAA includes a wire splice for powering just the switch, not sure I want to splice factory wiring.
1) Would you use the PIAA splice, and if yes, what wire would you splice into for powering the switch if A) you want the lights to come on with high/low beams or B) if you want them to come on with parking lights or accessory.
2) Would you use a Fuse Tap or Add a Circuit instead? If yes, which one and what fuse would you do this on (in the 2010) for A and B above? Do you tap into the fuse block in the engine compartment, or inside the cab?
Other than this, I understand how to wire this, just wondering the best way to power the relay switch. Can't wait to get these on my truck!
Thanks!
The PIAA instructions for the 520s show most of the wiring is all ready to hook up, just need to power the switch, which is prewired to their proprietary relay. The relay and light circuit is powered by the battery. PIAA includes a wire splice for powering just the switch, not sure I want to splice factory wiring.
1) Would you use the PIAA splice, and if yes, what wire would you splice into for powering the switch if A) you want the lights to come on with high/low beams or B) if you want them to come on with parking lights or accessory.
2) Would you use a Fuse Tap or Add a Circuit instead? If yes, which one and what fuse would you do this on (in the 2010) for A and B above? Do you tap into the fuse block in the engine compartment, or inside the cab?
Other than this, I understand how to wire this, just wondering the best way to power the relay switch. Can't wait to get these on my truck!
Thanks!
Technical Article Contributor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 10,511
Likes: 10
From: Under the flightpath of old ORD 22R
Most common is to power the switch for AUX lamps via the parking lamps, from member requests.
- You do not say the beam pattern to know which way could be suggested.
- i.e. If you have 1 set of fog lamps ( 95* with cut off ) and 1 set of driving lamps ( 15* no cut off ) , option would be to power the fog lamp switch via the parking lamp circuit or low beams and the driving lamp switch via the high beam circuit.
- This is so the lamps cannot accidentally be turned on at the wrong time ( driving lamps with low beams to oncoming traffic ). If you are good with doing this manually, then power both switches to the parking lamp circuit.
The places to look for the parking lamp circuit :
1. T-tap into the parking lamp circuit under the hood ( with a 1A inline fuse ) and route it back into the cab of the truck.
2. Use an add-a-fuse on the trailer tow adapter parking lamp fuse in the engine compartment fuse panel and route it back into the cab of the truck.
3. The only other option might be, to check the trailer tow brake controller pigtail, and see if the parking lamp is still one of the wires on it, and you could use that, it is usually taped against some thing straight up from the accelerator ( not 100% sure, have not seen a 09+ MY trailer tow adapter install manual ).
- You do not say the beam pattern to know which way could be suggested.
- i.e. If you have 1 set of fog lamps ( 95* with cut off ) and 1 set of driving lamps ( 15* no cut off ) , option would be to power the fog lamp switch via the parking lamp circuit or low beams and the driving lamp switch via the high beam circuit.
- This is so the lamps cannot accidentally be turned on at the wrong time ( driving lamps with low beams to oncoming traffic ). If you are good with doing this manually, then power both switches to the parking lamp circuit.
The places to look for the parking lamp circuit :
1. T-tap into the parking lamp circuit under the hood ( with a 1A inline fuse ) and route it back into the cab of the truck.
2. Use an add-a-fuse on the trailer tow adapter parking lamp fuse in the engine compartment fuse panel and route it back into the cab of the truck.
3. The only other option might be, to check the trailer tow brake controller pigtail, and see if the parking lamp is still one of the wires on it, and you could use that, it is usually taped against some thing straight up from the accelerator ( not 100% sure, have not seen a 09+ MY trailer tow adapter install manual ).
Last edited by SSCULLY; Mar 30, 2011 at 01:59 PM.