how to fit spotlights

hey,
iv been given a set of spotlights but they dont have any diagrams with them

at the moment they have an earth and a live wire comein out of the back of each one, i want to run them as a pair so would i be right in thinking that i attach the earths to eather the negitive terminal or chassis and then splice the live wires together then attach them to the positive terminals but just put a switch and a fuse inbetween the positive and the lights ?


thanks in advance

think yu have answered yo own Q.

thanks just wanted to be sure before i turend my car in to a fireball

It'd be better to use a relay, then you could take off a + from the main beam circuit so yer spots come on and off with main beam, its gonna be a ball ache reaching for the switch every time another car comes round the corner.

i think i would switch the earth rather than the positive. dont know why or if there is any advantage or disadvantage of this but its just the way i would do it. unless of corse i earthed it threw the boult holding the spot to a bumper or other mounting point.

op2:

have i said something daft? am i about to get an onslort of abuse? sorry if i have and if not why are you eating popcorn sean?

Leon. said:

have i said something daft? am i about to get an onslort of abuse? sorry if i have and if not why are you eating popcorn sean?

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am watching a film on TV where this blokes landy catches fire due to him wiring up his spots having just followed your advise

bit touchy ant ya ?

leon. said:

i think i would switch the earth rather than the positive. Dont know why or if there is any advantage or disadvantage of this but its just the way i would do it. Unless of corse i earthed it threw the boult holding the spot to a bumper or other mounting point.

Click to expand...

no!

no. i just know haw it works hear. one slip up and a few people pull up chairs, grab a bear and everyone else chastises you till you ether snap and say something you regret or grovel enough that people forgive you.

just thought i would apologize before this happens. just in case. i haven't time for an argument.

ok MHM. waddie. dont listen to me.

Leon. said:

no. i just know haw it works hear. one slip up and a few people pull up chairs, grab a bear and everyone else chastises you till you ether snap and say something you regret or grovel enough that people forgive you.

just thought i would apologize before this happens. just in case. i haven't time for an argument.

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don't be grabbing bears - they bite

also don't be switching earths either

when i fitted me spots a got a lektrickery fitting kit off fleabay and it was a piece of **** !

haha yh i was going to rub off the paint around the hole in the bumperand earth them to that.
please gan i have some pointers on how to take a relay off of the main beem as this will be the first time i will be using a relay
thanks

On a relay you have 4 ports of interest, on most relays (and from memory) there will be ports numbered: 30, 85, 86 and 87.

On the switched live wire going to the current head lights (i.e. the cable which when you put your main beam on is live, but when you switch it off is dead) cut into this -

then using a Y'split crimp, scotch block (not advised by most) or chocky-block re-connect it together, but take an extra wire from this and connect it port 86 on the relay

Connect port 85 to the common (chassis etc.)

Connect the battery through a fuse to port 30.

Connect port 87 to the spot lights - and then the otherside to the earth.

Job done. Hopefully.

I'll see if i can draw it for you if it will help?

Mike

Little drawing hopefully attached

Edit:
switch at top being your current main beam switch - though you can cut into the wire at any point so you don't have to take your dash to bits if you can identify the wire closer to the head lights

thanks for the diagram, its realy helpful and i shall fitt them next weekend

Hi Guys,

Forgive my ignorance on electrics but what does the relay actually do that a simple switch wouldn't.

Steve

Put simply, a relay allows you to switch high voltages and currents using very low voltages and currents, which means, your switch has probably less than 1 amp flowing through it to turn on/off your lights, where as your lights will have several amps flowing through them. It is quite simply a safety device.

You will find that switches are only rated to a certain switch load, if the load exceeds this the switch may fail - or in a worst case scenario electrocute the user.

A relay also can be used to make a 'clean' turn on - switches can cause a slight pulsage in the turn on voltage, which can damage sensitive equipment, a relay is a good clean contact.

Finally! All a relay is is a magnet and switch - when a small current flows through one side it either attracts or repels (can't remember which) i bit of metal which makes a contact between the other two pins. The magnet only needs a small amount of power to repel / attract the metal, however, the bit of metal can breach the gap between two very high powered pins.

Hope that makes sense - i'm sure there are many other advantages to relays too - but that's the basics!

Mike

EDIT:

Also - if you are using really high power head lights / spots it means you can run really thick wire from the battery, through the relay to the spots - keep the wire runs as short as practical and it will mean you can have much brighter head lights - again because you can get more power to them but not having to switch them. If you are doing this it is worth taking the lamp to bits and replacing the standard factory wiring as this tends to be a bit thin.

Thanks Mike.

Very helpful...

Steve