back up light wiring

hi guys i installed a set of fog lights under my rear bumeron my 97 hoe in order to be able to see at night while backing up, i want to put a switch on the dash just to turn the lights on if i wanted to with out putting the truck in reverse , has anyone done this and if so what wires am i looking for exactly how do i wire it up

john
nyc

a toggle switch.

I did exactly that on my old Jeep. I called it the FU Ahole lights. Used only when backing up and for the tailgaters/high beamers at night.
I had mine wired to a toggle switch in the dash and the reverse lights, so they would come on in either case.

Try not to laugh too hard at my 'art', I just drew this up in paint to show the basic wiring diagram that I used.


If you don't want them to come on when in reverse automatically, then just don't wire that up.
If you do want them to come on automatically when in reverse, as I'm sitting here thinking about it, the easiest way to splice into the reverse light circuit would be to run to Princess Auto and pick up a trailer wiring 4-pin flat plug (if you have one that is) splice kit.

ok guys thanks so much but i still need some help here, i tapped into the rear light harness and it works now how do i go about getting them to come on with going into reverse with a switch from upfront in the cab, do i need to tap into teh reverse light harness under dash ? what wires am i looking for ? and do i need to run a seperate wire from front to back? my first time trying to do this so i need all the help i can get

thanks
john
n.y.c.

ok, so you got it wired up for the reverse light. good.

so now we have to work the rest of the wiring.

You can use the 30amp AUX post from teh fuse box under the hood.
Then for safety, run this 20amp circuit breaker from Princess Auto.
Then run the wire through the firewall up to the dash.
then you can install this switch from Princess Auto into the dash location of your choice..
Then yes, you have run a wire from the switch to the back of the truck.

This is not the preferred method, but it will work.
It would be better if you use a relay, like this.

ok geek , i like the relay idea i mean the first way is easier but out of curiosity how would i go about hooking up the relay ? if you can explain

john nyc

Sure, no worries. This time it's a two part setup. 'high' and 'low' currents.

The relay is preferred cuz it keeps the 'high' current out of the interier of the vehicle, and it doesn't rub against the firewall potentially causing problems down the road. Only the 'low' current trigger wire goes through the firewall.


First up the high current side.
The relay kit will have numbers printed on the bottom of the relay, these numbers are universal to all 12v auto relays.
You will want to run a wire from the 30amp Aux post of your choice to the 20amp circuit breaker.
Then run a wire from the circuit breaker to terminal #30 on the relay.
Then run a wire from terminal #87 to the back of the truck outside the cabin. Possibly following a brake line? e-brake cable? along the frame?
This was the easy part.

Second part, the low current side.
I couldn't find a diagram, but in the convienence center located uder the drivers side dash(where the chime module is) you should be able to find a IGN terminal. I did, but can't remember which one it is. (Using the IGN terminal will let the lights shut off when the truck is not running, that way the batt won't drain, AND it's already fused.)
Run a wire from this IGN terminal to the switch located anywhere in your dash.
Then run a wire from the switch out the firewall to under the hood, to the relay terminal #86.
Then run a wire from relay terminal #85 to ground.


That's it. Sounds complicated, but it's easy, just time consuming - crimping on those stupid terminal ends, etc...

ok geek now my only question is with the fuse box by the chime, i want it to have power all the time when i turn the switch on the lights will come on so do i need to find a constant hot down there? instead of a keyed source for instance

thanks for all the help so far

john nyc

yes, if you want to be able to run them with the key off

I like this, now I want to add HIDS to my rear, since I purchased new FOG lights, I still have my old ones. Just use the projectors with mounting brackets.

Will HIDS in the rear blow anything when turned on? I have HIDS in my FOGS and Headlights.