simple job. not really.

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wickford90

wickford90

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wickford essex
just tried wiring up a couple of spots lights using a switch that had spots on originally. checked lights worked on light bar by direct connection to battery all ok.. wired up as per diagram off of here. but wont work. got a feeling its the switch as its wired up with 5 others in the dash and have wired earth and live piggy backed. relay is ok as i can feel it clicking and it is getting warm. i have a spare on/off switch that only has two connecters on the back how would i wire up that switch to check all is ok.
thank you.
 
If the relay is getting warm and the lights don't work you've ****ed up somewhere. There's plenty of guides to wiring relays on the site - do a search and try again. The only earth on the switch should be for illumination.
 
Yeah, I agree.

It's good that you can feel it clicking, but i wouldn't expect you to be able to feel it getting warm. That kinda implies it's sinking a lot of current, which it shouldn't be.

If you think you've wired the relay properly, id guess you've got a short in the light bar or somewhere between the lights and the relay. So your light are shorted out, making the relay do a direct short across the battery.
 
Last edited:
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f6/spotlight-wiring-help-67880.html
this is the wiring diagram used.
pretty sure wiring from lights up to relay is right and not shorting out. put wires direct to a battery and they worked. checked all live feeds with volt meter all at 12v. assuming lights are earthed as well as relay. it is not a brand new relay, could it be shot. i cant hear it click but when held it i could feel it, if that makes sense.
 
Are you seeing 12v at the relay output? if not the relay isn't working properly or the supply isn't wired, if there is then the wiring to the spots isn't right.
 
It is possible that the relay is shot. But you should be able to test that.

If you switch it on (by putting a current across pins 85 and 86), disconnect pins 30 and 87 from the circuit, and do a resistance reading across it. If the coil is burned out, I'd expect it to not work at all and the resistance not change. If the coil does work, the resistance should be very low (less than an ohm). If the resistance does change but is quite high, then the contacts may be shot (and that's why its getting hot).


One thing I notice with that circuit diagram is that it the switch is labelled an on/off switch, but it actually shows an on/on switch switching between fused live and ground. I personally wouldn't bother with the ground on this switch.

That's fine about not being able to actually hear it. Some you can hear and some you can't. What you describe feeling it sounds normal also.

If you do replace the relay, get one with the internal diode, they have less chance of burning anything out.
 
If i have wired up the light bar wrong would they not work when connected direct to + and - on the battery, they work fine like that. could i not have a good enough earth, i am earthing to the large bolt that hold the fuse box frame to bulkhead.
 
It's impossible to say exactly what's wrong without testing each bit and doing a process of elimination. I.e. Test the switch is operating the relay correctly, then test the relay is getting power to the lights.

You say that the lights worked when connected directly to the battery on both terminals. That proves the light themselves are ok. Does it still work by just running a live from the battery but using the earth on the bulkhead that you're currently using? From your description of the problem, I'd guess this line might be shorted.
 
mundungus said:
It's impossible to say exactly what's wrong without testing each bit and doing a process of elimination. I.e. Test the switch is operating the relay correctly, then test the relay is getting power to the lights.

You say that the lights worked when connected directly to the battery on both terminals. That proves the light themselves are ok. Does it still work by just running a live from the battery but using the earth on the bulkhead that you're currently using? From your description of the problem, I'd guess this line might be shorted.
Click to expand...

have'nt tried that,will do that next. and if still no joy try a different earth.
thanks
 
Finally sorted it, all working. but!!!! still gonna get it looked at by someone in the know cause it is not wired as per the diagram as such. put 10 amp fuse on both lives just to be safe.
thanks for the input.
 
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