Spotlight question

Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Location: Macedon

Ey guys when i am wiring up my spotlights instead of attaching the wire from the relay that has to be connected to the high beam wire can i connect it to sumthing else, where i can turn it on without having my highbeams on? any help would be great
thanks guys

Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Location: brisbane

yes u can connect it to anything u want that can be turned on and off as u wish as the high beam is only a trigger. u can go straight from the battery as a trigger if u want but u have to have a toggle switch to the wire so u can turn it off.

just note for legal reasons it has to be to the high beams only. it is the easiest way also.

Joined: 13 May 2004 Location: Narrandera, NSW

My useless 3 cents worth:
Add a three way position on dash (centre is off).
Wire the switch one way to grab power from high-beam, thus making the install legal and as per ADR's.
Wire the other side of the switch to grab power directly from fuse box or battery via fuse, so that you can just hit the switch to this other position and have the spotties come on, with keys out of ignition and no need to touch headlight switch etc.

Could also add an indicator lamp/LED so that it illuminates to get your attention, in case it is accidently flicked over whilst driving in daytime etc.

Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Location: Macedon

Ok cool, was looking in my manual for the highbeam wire is it the light in your dash that comes on when your highbeams are on (is that the wire i connect to) or is there another wire sumwhere else
thanks for the help boys
Benny

Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Location: brisbane

the high beam wire is one of the wires that goes into the back of the actual light bulbs, dont go looking for that one under your dash. u need a screwdriver tester light to find out which one it actually is by turning the high beams on and off and seeing which one turns the tester light on and off.

Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Location: western shitney

gumtree wrote:

just note for legal reasons it has to be to the high beams only. it is the easiest way also.

your almost correct
if it is connected to the highbeams it needs to have a switch to be able to disable it from coming on when the highbeams are on.

Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Location: western shitney

gumtree wrote:

dont go looking for that one under your dash.

it wouldnt be too hard to do if you really wanted to..
just follow the loom off the stalk and find the wire.. shouldnt be more than 10wires on most cars.
but yeh if i was doing it i would just take the trigger of the back of the headlight and also put my relay in the engine bay also.
on the battery side of the vehicle if possible

Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Location: Macedon

Yeh i have mounted it in the engine bay right next to the aux battery, i will hook it into the highbeam wire for legal and will get the test light and find the wire thanks guys for ya help

Joined: 11 Jan 2004 Location: Adelaide

If you don't want the second position for "permanent on" just wire the relay (and on/off switch) across the two outside terminals of a H4 headlight socket.

Polarity doesn't matter. Doesn't matter if headlights are positive switched or negative switched. Circuit is:

One outside pin ---> relay ---> on/off switch ---> other outside pin.

If you want an illuminated switch, ask somebody else for advice. Razz

Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Location: Melbourne Australia

FWIW, the highbeam only set-up is more safe and sensible imho. It's one of those legal requirements that actually makes good sense once you've tried it both ways.

Joined: 13 May 2004 Location: Narrandera, NSW

> Polarity doesn't matter.

does on crap korean cars that change the polarity in order to change from hi beam/lo-beam. Two wires going to headlights... diodes and such at both ends. Friggin weird setups.

> It's one of those legal requirements that actually makes good
> sense once you've tried it both ways

Nup, will never hit it off with me. Cant see how that makes good sense having all of your eggs in the one basket so to speak. When your lights just die all of a sudden out of the blue at night. Have had too many factory wiring problems with headlights in various vehicles over the years which forces me to add an override switch so when the lights go out, you can still see with the flick of a single switch. *That* makes much more sense to me. Is called redundancy. Backup redundancy is called rock crawling lights with override switch. Very Happy

Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Location: Melbourne Australia

bushy555 wrote:

Have had too many factory wiring problems with headlights in various vehicles over the years

lol stop dicking around with your wiring and you won't have so many problems Smile

Seriously, I became a convert when I had to dip my beams a few times on outback highways; it is really dodgy dipping the high beam and then farking around with the spotlight switches as well.

But I guess an override switch is fine as long as you use it sensibly when highway driving.

Joined: 11 Jan 2004 Location: Adelaide

bushy555 wrote:

> Polarity doesn't matter.

does on crap korean cars that change the polarity in order to change from hi beam/lo-beam. Two wires going to headlights... diodes and such at both ends. Friggin weird setups.

Using H4 globes?

Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Location: Central Coast

i just connected mine to the battery, and then it just goes on and off with a switch, but then again dont take my word for it, i'm dodgy.