Fog lights install without a lot of info.

Fog lights install topic

This might be a little premature but I am expecting to get on X-mas from my wife this Westing Safari Light Bar. I toyed around for awhile with the idea of going with the Aries Offroad Grille Guard, but to be honest (and this my opinion so don't get offended) it's just too much. Not money just too much metal. I can definetly see this as a benefit if not a necessity for some serious offroading to protect your lights and additional attachments you might need. But the Westing Safari Light Bar is just enough metal to give me the look I am going for. Now for lights I have to stay within 6inches in diameter and I am a dedicated PIAA customer (I owned a set on my 98 Jeep Wrangler). But since except for one person I no longer have friends that are mechanics that can do the wiring for me the way I want it. So it looks like I will be doing this myself (will call my transmission buddy) to see if he can assist. But the bottom line the wiring doesn't look too bad, just running it and some how getting it to the new switch.

So anyway, what I want to do is wire it so it's not effected if I turn on my high beams or not. I liked that control: it really came in handy when some idiot kept falshing his high beams at me on the highway because he thought they were on. So I showed him high beams (keep in mind this was 2am) on my 98 Jeep Wrangler I turned on the high beams and then the fog lights. The street was so lit up you would think it was day time. Teaches him

Anyway, what do you guys have to suggest, tell me about install lights myself on a 03 Sport Edition 4 Runner? I am a PC Technician not a mechanic and my biggest concern is screwing up the electrical or setting off my air bags which someone told me we could have done it if we disconnected the wrong wire when we installed air horns on my Honda Passport. But I am not doing air horns for in some cases they are just too loud. But I might go with louder electronic horns and hoping that is a simple disconnect and reconnect.

After getting a $180.00 estimate from my local shop to install my PIAA 520 driving lights, I decided to do the work myself. It turned out to be a relatively easy install - PIAA provides great detailed instructions and the wiring is a snap. The biggest problem I ran into was getting the switch wire through the firewall. I eventually found a grommet that I ran a stiff piece of wire through and pulled my switch wire through the other side. I also replaced the PIAA switch for a factory fog switch to give it a much cleaner look.

I'm going to tackle the high-beam only issue myself this weekend. I currently have the power lead to my switch hooked up to my high-beam power like it's supposed to be. I haven't been able to find any wiring diagrams for my 02, so I'm going to use my multi-meter to find the constant power of the regular beam and tap into that instead.

Fog lights

I just put some Hella 500 fogs in last weekend with the help of a friend. It is really pretty easy if you follow the included instructions. We just tapped into the parking light power lead, only two wires to guess from, no, we used a meter, and that way the fogs can only get power when the parking lights are at least on whether you leave the switch on or not. We used the included relay and found an already in use ground and we were set. We used an OEM switch for $12. Go through the grommet on the driver side of the firewall up by the master cylinder. Just cut it a bit and slide the wires right on through as they come out by the in dash fuse box. The Hella has all the little connectors, a wiring harness, a pair of lights w/ bulbs and stone shields included. You can find a set easy on Ebay for less than $60 usually.



Hope this helps!

:guitar2:

Brian

Re: Fog lights install topic

Iman74 said:

This might be a little premature but I am expecting to get on X-mas from my wife this Westing Safari Light Bar.

Click to expand...

Post some pics if you get the Safari bar. i have wondered how those would look on a 4th gen.

Re: Fog lights

Man, that's a nice lookin' rig, wabbit - the new fogs look awesome.

A bit of a tangent here, but did you install that Thule rack on your factory rails? If so, was it relatively easy? I installed my snowboard carrier to my factory rack with the "fat-mouth" clamps they have available - as you can see in the picture below, it works, but they stick up really high and the setup doesn't feel as sturdy as it should be. Also, does the fairing get in the way of your sunroof?

NP on posting the pick, just need to wait for me to get it, then installing it.

On a different note, that is another concern I have if I did not mention it before (it's been awhile since the initial post) that I do not want the settings of the other lights have any effect on the foglights. So if I have high beams on or off, the only thing that will effect the PIAA's themselves is me hitting the switch or not.

Also, the "factory" look switch, am I to order that at Toyota, or can I get that at dealerships like Pep Boyz?

Re: Re: Fog lights

patin22 said:

Man, that's a nice lookin' rig, wabbit - the new fogs look awesome.

A bit of a tangent here, but did you install that Thule rack on your factory rails? If so, was it relatively easy? I installed my snowboard carrier to my factory rack with the "fat-mouth" clamps they have available - as you can see in the picture below, it works, but they stick up really high and the setup doesn't feel as sturdy as it should be. Also, does the fairing get in the way of your sunroof?

Click to expand...

Yep, I took the whole OEM roof rack off and had the rails powder coated and then just put the THULE load bars on them with the mounting hardware. I got it all at www.rackattack.com as they will spec out what you need for your vehicle. I got all the THULE stuff for $215, which was on sale for 15% off at the above mentioned site.

I don't have a sunroof but I know a guy who does and his fairing doesn't interfere with his sunroof.

:guitar2:

Brian

Iman74 said:

NP on posting the pick, just need to wait for me to get it, then installing it.

On a different note, that is another concern I have if I did not mention it before (it's been awhile since the initial post) that I do not want the settings of the other lights have any effect on the foglights. So if I have high beams on or off, the only thing that will effect the PIAA's themselves is me hitting the switch or not.

Also, the "factory" look switch, am I to order that at Toyota, or can I get that at dealerships like Pep Boyz?

Click to expand...

I wired mine up to get power from the parking lights so all I have to have on is the parking lights for the fogs to work, headlights can be off and this way I can use the factory "automatic turn off the power to the lights feature" when you turn off the rig so I don't forget and leave the fogs on and crack a lens.

Info is on my website about the switch with the part number from the dealer, $13.

:guitar2:

Brian

Snap on

Iman74 said:

Very interesting...this info is great guys. Okay I am going to check out your website, but I have another question I am not sure if you have this info on your website: how did you tap into those wires? I mean did you strip them, found they are connected via screw, etc?

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The Hella light kit includes a whole bunch of electrical connectors and one is a connector that you wrap around a wire you want to splice into and it clamps on it and cuts through the wire covering just enough to touch the metal and then you hook up your jump off wire to the connector. Easy as pie. You'll see what I'm talking about in the kit if you get one. Any other questions just ask.

:guitar2:

Brian

Re: Fog lights

waskillywabbit said:

I just put some Hella 500 fogs in last weekend with the help of a friend. It is really pretty easy if you follow the included instructions. We just tapped into the parking light power lead, only two wires to guess from, no, we used a meter, and that way the fogs can only get power when the parking lights are at least on whether you leave the switch on or not. We used the included relay and found an already in use ground and we were set. We used an OEM switch for $12. Go through the grommet on the driver side of the firewall up by the master cylinder. Just cut it a bit and slide the wires right on through as they come out by the in dash fuse box. The Hella has all the little connectors, a wiring harness, a pair of lights w/ bulbs and stone shields included. You can find a set easy on Ebay for less than $60 usually.

Hope this helps!

:guitar2:

Brian

Click to expand...

which one was it?? (color?)