Rago Fabrication OEM Ditch Light switch question

slider76

New member
Hi!

Baja Squadron Pros installed onto Rago ditch light brackets.
Using providing wiring harness, not sure if it came from Baja or Rago Fabrication, as the lights were bought from Rago.
The harness has two parts: one that connect the lights and another that connects from battery to lights to switch. I’m using the connectors that are on the harness except for the switch, which I'm replacing with the Rago OEM switch.

The Rago switch includes the following instructions:
Switch Green - main power (black)
Switch Red 1 - Relay power (red)
Switch Red 2 - connect to dash light circuit to have light illuminate
Switch Black - Vehicle Ground

The included harness has a black wire, a red wire that is fused to/connected to the black wire, and a second red wire that is disconnected but is part of the wire.

I have made the following connections.

Black wire from harness to switch green.
Red wire (that was connected to/paired with the black wire) to switch red 1
Red wire that was NOT connected to the black wire to switch black.

I'm getting no love. Fuse looks intact.

Am i missing something?

TIA
 
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Hi!

Baja Squadron Pros installed onto Rago ditch light brackets.
Using providing wiring harness, not sure if it came from Baja or Rago Fabrication, as the lights were bought from Rago.
The harness has two parts: one that connect the lights and another that connects from battery to lights to switch. I’m using the connectors that are on the harness except for the switch, which I'm replacing with the Rago OEM switch.

The Rago switch includes the following instructions:
Switch Green - main power (black)
Switch Red 1 - Relay power (red)
Switch Red 2 - connect to dash light circuit to have light illuminate
Switch Black - Vehicle Ground

The included harness has a black wire, a red wire that is fused to/connected to the black wire, and a second red wire that is disconnected but is part of the wire.

I have made the following connections.

Black wire from harness to switch green.
Red wire (that was connected to/paired with the black wire) to switch red 1
Red wire that was NOT connected to the black wire to switch black.

I'm getting no love. Fuse looks intact.

Am i missing something?

TIA

After a buddy of mine came over, we figured out the following:

the separate red wire is main power

red/black is relay power

black is ground.

We wired up the included toggle switch and it seems to work, so there's something wrong with the switch. dang it. Had to replace the fuse too.

So, for those of you who haven't done this yet, two things to keep in mind:

1. have a voltage tester or multimeter so you can confirm which wires are which.
2. you may want to have a backup fuse in case you blow it.
3. cut a large-enough hole in the rubber grommet for your wires. don't try to squeeze it through an existing hole: you'll just pull the grommet out of alignment in the firewall.

Now, I'm waiting to get in touch with Rago to see if they'll ship me a new switch OR if i did something to blow it and need to get a replacement anyway.
 
Those switches can be temperamental. I had one blow because the trace coverlay was exposed and I had to solder a small jumper wire. No issues after that. You should be able to take the switch apart and see if any of the connections severed.
 

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Thanks for the reply: Rago got back to me and told me that i needed a different harness with a relay. Apparently the amperage coming directly from the battery would "fry" the switch. SO,

I know have a new wiring harness with relay, plus new switch. Following their instructions, I'm still getting no love: switch will light up, but lights won't light up. Hoping to get on the phone with them again today to get some help.
 
SUCCESS! Thanks to Sunshine at Rago for walking me through. So, for those that are thinking about this mod, a couple things to keep in mind (if you are like me a newbie and not super mechanically inclined).

1. After laying out the wiring and testing, make sure to either disconnect the harness from the battery or remove your fuse. I blew two fuses because i wasn't careful enough with that.
2. Make sure you have the right harness for your solution. If you're good with the included switch from Baja Designs, make sure you take a picture of which wire goes to which lead on the switch. It sounds like if you go with an OEM switch you will need to have a harness that includes a relay.
3. You don't need fish tape if you have a wire hanger. HOWEVER, make sure to clip the nub and fish it through there. My gasket in the firewall is still unseated because I was trying to pull too many wires through too small a hole and I haven't been able to get it back to normal yet.
4. Wiring for the OEM switch if you have a relay> Red/power goes to switch green, black goes to switch red one.
5. It is super rewarding to do work like this on a 4Runner! It's like legos for grown ups.
 

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