LED Footwell Problem

[swisscheeze29]

I have Streetglow LED strips for my footwells. The wires comming off of them are about 10" long. I need help on installling them because I don't really know anything about electricity. My understanding is that I need to buy 8 gauge wire, solder it to the led wire than run it to the battery. And take the ground and find some random screw and place it in between the screw and washer.And then take the two wires and connect them to my switch. Is this right?

 

[ZandT4R]

8 gauge will be WAY overkill! I think you need to go back to the drawing board...

 

[swisscheeze29]

ok then what gauge should I use? I have no idea what I'm doing lol

 

[KVegas4RNR]

ok then what gauge should I use? I have no idea what I'm doing lol

I'm new to this site, but not new to working on cars. I used to work at a customization shop called Tops and Trends.

Not trying to sound mean, but it sounds like you should really find someone who does know what they are doing (friend, relative) and let them assist (not do it for you, but show you how to do it) with this project. I have seen cars that have had the interior carpet burned from incorrectly run audio and interior light wiring.

For interior lighting you really want to have a switched power source providing power. It could be switched by the Key or switched by when the parking or headlights are on. That will ensure that your interior lights are not accidentally left on.

 

[ZandT4R]

^^^agreed^^^ get help!

 

[swisscheeze29]

I understand your concerns, but I don't think I'm going to burn any carpet. I was going to run it directly to the battery which is what I need help with and I have a rocker switch. I think I'll be able to do everything safely, my only problem is don't know how to attach it to the battery. So any advice on how to connect it to the battery?

 

[J.A.]

I have Streetglow LED strips for my footwells. The wires comming off of them are about 10" long. I need help on installling them because I don't really know anything about electricity.

Though the site itself may still be down often, the search works now...
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?t=52467&highlight=footwells :hello:

 

[leftyguns21]

yes 8 is overkill. for low voltage lights like that 12-14 will be just fine. get a switch and a relay.

the quick of it. one wire from batt to relay, 2nd power source {parking lights is a good one} to relay ground to relay. power from relay to switch, ground to switch, switch to power on lights and ground to lights. DONE. its that simple.

GET A RELAY. you will regret not having one. wires will get hot fires will start.


check out this site for a diagram.
http://www.offroaders.com/info/tech-corner/reading/automotive-wiring.htm

 

[dylanc]

I understand your concerns, but I don't think I'm going to burn any carpet. I was going to run it directly to the battery which is what I need help with and I have a rocker switch. I think I'll be able to do everything safely, my only problem is don't know how to attach it to the battery. So any advice on how to connect it to the battery?

Oh man......... I fully encourage you to do this project, and sometimes the best way to learn is the hard way. HOWEVER, your proposed plan is incredibly dangerous. DO NOT attach anything like this directly to the battery. There is no need, and it is extremely dangerous. You could come back to find your car a smoldering mess in a parking lot! I dont mean to scare you, but if you dont know what youre doing, connecting stuff to the battery is a TERRIBLE idea. Not only that, but its making your project WAY more expensive, complicated, and time consuming.

Your LED strips use hardly any current. Therefore, you could easily tap in to an existing FUSED circuit and be fine. This will save you a massive amount of wiring and you will be able to work with smaller (cheaper) wire, which is easier to work with. Heres my proposed plan;

1) the negative (-) wire from your LEDs goes to ground. This means you can attach it to any exposed metal that is touching the frame/body. I recommend finding a nearby screw in a metal piece, sand any paint off the metal, wrap the (-) wire around it, and screw it back in.

2) wire the (+) LED wire to your rocker switch.

3) run a wire from the other terminal of the rocker switch to the circuit we will be tappping into. As recommended above, you should use a SWITCHED circuit, which means the circuit will turn off when the car is off. An easy one is the cigarette lighter circuit. Locate which fuse is for the cig lighter. Remove the fuse. Take the other end of the wire that goes to your rocker switch and wrap it around one leg of the fuse. Reinsert the fuse. Your LEDs are now powered by the cig lighter circuit. DONE.

Im sure theres flaws in this method as well, but Im offering it as a simpler, safer, cheaper, and more practical method than what you are trying to do. Emphasis is on safer.

 

[swisscheeze29]

Where is the best place to look for a screw? Should
i take off the black thing that is in the footwell that has the 4wd behind it? And is it possible to wrap 12 gauge wire around a fuse leg and still be able to fit it back in? It seems like the wire would be to thick for the fuse to be re-inserted.

 

[simple]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?t=45651

And look under the dash of the driver/ or passenger side. Like by the pedals. There is a kind of gold/silverish bolt. I always use those for my grounds.

 

[chaz]

i used a remote switch i bought off ebay for my footwell lights, its super fast, cheap, & easy, every thing you need is already in the kit, just connect the lights, run + to batt, attach -, now you can turn them on/off with key fob. i have the same setup for my aux. lights. they may not go on when you open the door, but can be turned on from a distance, (spookes people when ya see them peaking in) & you wont have to worry about splicing into any existing wires just in case your worried about any damage or returning to stock. if you need pics of install, i can email them to you. just my 2 cents, good luck

 

[swisscheeze29]

Thank you all for the help. I just wanted to follow up and let you know how it worked out. I cut a 3" piece of the thin wire that is attached the the light and stripped it. I wrapped the stripped part around the leg of my theft fuse and stuck the fuse back in. I then attached a switch to this 3" piece. Then i used a butt connector to put the 18 gauge to the thin wire now connected to the fuse. I ran the 18 gauge down the door sill to the middle of the seat. I ran it under the seat to the little 2 prong metal piece that holds the plastic side of the seat in place. That was my ground for the left light. then I ran a second power line above the footwell, under the little plastic part in front of the cupholder, back to the top of the passenger footwell and butt connector'd it to the light. Then for the ground I did the same thing as I did with driver's side. I have a 3rd light on the back of the console to light the back seat footwells and that was just easy splicing. So thank you for all your help. I appreciate it.

 

[chaz]

cool! its always good when someone gives an update, glad it worked out for you.