fog light

[60vwnewengland]

so i got a fog light today for the bus and i was wondering about how i was going to wire it up? it has two wires, i know one is the ground, but where do i run the other wire too? it's 12v and it has a halogen light bulb inside, and it's a Hella and was made in Mexico. any suggestions would be great.
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77 Westy - Cape Cod Sage
LLAP

[dstefun]

Many states require fog lamps to only work when the low beam headlights are on. You might check and see if MA is one of them. If so, the fusebox connection on the linked diagram just needs to go to the low beam fuse.

Here's a good fog lamp wiring diagram - be sure to use a relay like in the diagram so you don't put a lot of current through the switch. The relay should be available at any auto parts store for under $5.

http://www.classictruckshop.com/clubs/earlyburbs/projects/bosch/foglites.htm

[60vwnewengland]

so is that my headlight relay that i connect it to? on 87??
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77 Westy - Cape Cod Sage
LLAP

[coad]

[60vwnewengland]

so then where does that relay connect to?
like i know it goes to the battery, but does that mean i have to run a wire from the regulator to the relay?
i'm lost
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77 Westy - Cape Cod Sage
LLAP

[coad]

OK, follow along-- look at the drawing as a right side and a left side cause there's two different things going on in that picture.

The wire from the existing fusebox goes to the switch. When you flip the switch that powers-up the relay. The reason you go thru the existing fusebox is so the power goes off when you turn your ignition key off and you don't space off and leave the lights on.-- That's the right side of that drawing above. All that's happening is the switch is turning the relay off and on.

Now, check out the left side of the drawing: You are gonna want to run heavy wire from the battery right to the relay so you're not putting too much current thru your existing wiring harness. Battery to the "30" terminal of the relay, then thru the relay (when the power is on) to the lights via the "87" terminal on the relay. And, since you aren't going thru the existing fusebox you need to add an in-line fuse for safety.

See, you could skip the relay and just wire the whole thing thru the switch-- it would work the same. The trouble is that the switch isn't designed to handle that much current without over heating and maybe causing a fire so it is safer and better to just make the switch handle the relay and in turn make the relay do the real work. Don't skip the relay, I'm just saying that so you see what's happening.

And don't blow off doing all the ground wires cause that's important.

Think of it as two different jobs. First, wire the switch and the relay so whenever you flip the switch the relay clicks on and off (you will be able to hear it). Once you get that going right then all you do is hook up the wire from the battery to the relay and then the wire from the relay to the lights and *presto* you have foglights.

Where you mount the relay is up to you. Personally I would spend an extra buck and get a switch with a built-in light and skip all the extra work of wiring a separate indicator light but that's up to you too. And use 8 gauge wire for the run from the battery to the relay and the relay to the foglights.

[60vwnewengland]

ok thanks for the help.
one more stupid question.
how does that wire go from the battery to the fuse? like how do hook that up? i know it just doesn't connect straight up to the battery, but i still don't understand. sort of.
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77 Westy - Cape Cod Sage
LLAP

[coad]