Want...Some Fog?? 1999+ Fog Install for OEM "Unequipped" 3rd Gens

[apohl17]

This thread will be documenting my aftermarket foglight install for third gens like mine that have the wiring (1999-2002) installed but do not have a fog switch on the turn signal stalk. Bon appetit!
I'll preface by saying there a decent amount of threads on this here on the forums, but none that encompass all the info in one place. So, buckle up and grab a :beer: .

A few of the most informational threads, as I had to learn it all from some place:

@thaemcee2 post link
[MENTION=56510]criera[/MENTION] post link
@MTD post link
[MENTION=143133]BrianK14[/MENTION] post link
[MENTION=78542]Nashvegas34[/MENTION] post link​

Starting with the front of the vehicle, you should notice a small,white-plugged deutsch two-pin connector taped on to your turn signal wiring, sitting unused. This is your foglight plug. Now, back when the Hella Micro DE's were still being produced, you could buy them as a kit to literally plug right in to the OEM connector. Cool, huh? Well, nowadays we don't really have that option. Most aftermarket cannons are going to be two-wired and ready for crimp or solder (preferred) connections.

So, the first step is to cut off the oem connector- but give yourself a couple inches past the plug so in theory, you could resolder it on at a later time if you find want to reuse the plug. There will be a pink and a white/black wire- pink will be your positive and white/black is negative (ground). At this point, its simple- connect your new fogs to these wires up front.

As a reminder, the OEM fogs were 55W a piece, which means these wires ran about 4A - make sure your fogs aren't pushing that boundary. With LED tech, you'll be hard pressed to find a set of fogs drawing more than 3A each (which happen to be the BD Squadron Pros @ 40W). For example, the 3" Amber Pods I bought for this (see below posts for actual install, coming to theaters shortly)are only 16W, so a little over 1A draw-which is prime. :clap2:

So, backing up a wee smidge, there are multiple ways a guy can go about doing this, all depending how "stock" you want to keep things, and how many dead presidents you are willing to shell out!

OPTION 1: Utilize the fog wiring on the factory harness

With this method, you can do it two ways-

i. Buy the following items and go through a very simple install

1. OEM Toyota 4Runner/Solara Turn Signal Stalk w/ Fog Switch PN#84140-14120 available here which is definitely good for 99-00 models, and should work with 01-02 models as well. (Note, there are also two other iterations of stalks available only usable on 1999 models, the PN #84140-20560 here and PN# 84140-06050 here)
2. OEM Fog Relay PN# 90987-02012 (Note, there are multiple generic relays that are just as good as this one, SEE SECOND POST)
3. Also verify there is a 15A fuse installed in slot 14 in the main fuse box, if not, you will need one. These are cheap and there may be an extra already in your Runner.

TOTAL COST: FOGS + $100 ($80 stalk, $10 relay, $10 fuse+wiring+etc)

ii. Buy the relay listed above, any 12V switch of choice, and use
electrical knowledge to feel like a wizard

1. All it takes is knowledge of the pinout diagram (specifically, two pins) for the CF13 terminal in which the switch will be wired across! Easy!
2. SEE THIRD POST FOR DOCUMENTATION OF THIS METHOD
3. The switch can be any 22x37mm switch, lots of guys use these from OTRATTW

TOTAL COST: FOGS + $20 ($10 relay, $10 fuse+wiring+etc)

OPTION 2: Route new wiring to the firewall and bypass harness
-If you have a nice hole going through the firewall and aren't afraid to run another wire or two through, then you know the drill. Just wire up the fogs to a bypassed switch with an inline fuse, and grab accessory power under the dash to make sure you can't accidentally leave them on after taking the keys out. Some like the freedom of this, since using the factory harness incorporates a couple things:

1. The fogs can only come on when your head lights are on... AND
2. The fogs automatically switch off when your brights turn on.

NOW, there are ways to bypass this, and I'll get you peeps more info on that later (FOURTH POST) but that's not my direct focus of this thread!

Stay tuned as this thread morphs. :jump::jump::jump:

 

[apohl17]

Relays

OPTION 1 INFO

So, you are going with Option 1 and want to utilize the factory wiring? You are in the right place.

Let's get you schooled on what relays there are available. You might want to pop the hood and verify that you don't already have the relay by some chance, see the diagram below for location!

The way I see it, you have choices:

1. For those Denso nuts, those with OEM-or-bust mentality, or for the peace of mind it might give to know that this is what the truck would have been given at it's birthplace overseas, buy yourself a new DENSO 90987-02012 Relay. It's easy to find slightly used ones of these in the range of $7 to $10, but new relays range from $20-$40, surprisingly. I'd say the cheapest one I saw was from ToyotaPartsDeal here for $15.

2. Go to NAPA and buy their MPE AR614SB Multi-Function Relay. It's the same, plug and play, just won't say Denso on it.
~$10 in store or online here

2. Go to Advanced Auto and find yourself an Intermotor # R3154 Relay. Listed as the AC/Temp Control Relay, but also is direct replacement Fog.
~$9 in store or online here

3. Go to Autozone and buy their Duralast #20832 Tail Lamp/Fog Relay. Ditto the NAPA one, just their overpriced variant. Also known in their system as #41-5465
~$17.99 in store or online here

4. Buy the RY302T Relay here from RockAuto. The cheapest option at ~$5, but since you'd be waiting with shipping, might as well get an OEM one.

You'll notice that some of these are actually multi-function relays. If you look at the table below, this same relay is actually used in the tail lamps and power sockets of your Runner already!

So the choice is yours of where to get them, and how long you want to wait for it. Installation is simple as going to the under hood fuse box, popping the cover, and inserting the relay in the right location (see diagram below).

Now we're getting somewhere... :guitar2:

 

[apohl17]

So you want Option 1 and to use the factory harness, but, you don't want to spend $80 on an integrated fog switch on your turn signal stalk? Sounds gravy.

This is where things get fun. :rockon:

So the turn signal stalk plugs in the a 17-pin port on the steering column labeled C13 in the FSM. Out of this port is a selection of a half dozen wires, but we are really just interested in two. If we wire in our switch across these two pins, labeled 10 and 11 in the diagram below, we will connect the circuit and power will go to the fogs. This same action would be completed on the OEM fog stalk, except it's all internal wiring instead of external from the plug in our case.

An easy way to test these pins is to place a short jumper wire to have continuity between pins 10 and 11 just as MTD did in his thread, otherwise just know that the wires you need are next to eachother and are green/black and red/balck in color (see fourth and fifth picture). All a switch is doing is braking and making the connection between these two pins!

Follow up by routing wires up to the left dash panel or wherever you have your switch, and you are good to go. Notice also that the FSM mentions the use of scotchlocks- these are OK to use, otherwise a size red self stripping t-tap works wonders- see third pic below.

IMO, this is the easiest, most convenient, and cheapest method there is, and is what I did!

 

[apohl17]

So, you want to implement fogs through factory wiring but don't want your fogs to turn off with your high beams? And you want the capability to run your fogs without head lights? Actually, Option 2 might be easier for you at this point. But, if you still don't want ANOTHER wire going through the firewall, it can be done.

Since there is a really really good little write up on this already on this website --> Top4Runners.com Fog Mod link
I'm just going to give it to you there!

I can personally say that I spent about an hour attempting this mod, but since I disabled my DRL circuit by unplugging the adapter under the hood, I have yet to figure out what is going on. At this point, I had no change in operation after I jumped the relay terminal to the tail lamp fuse, however, I did not jump pin 14 to ground from the DRL relay D8. I'll investigate it over the next few days and see if I can't get it to work!

Edit: Attached a diagram of the 3rd gen dash below...

 

[apohl17]

Last but not least, just a couple extra pictures. First one showcases where the C13 terminal is located on the steering column...

And the second shows the two wires to splice in front of the vehicle, once you cut off the stock connector for OEM fogs. This pic was after I soldered and was ready to bring a torch to the heatshrink like any sane individual would. When you are at this point, make note that you might want to solder in a detachable connector if you remove your bumper often. i thought of that at the last minute and decided to keep going- I can always redo that connection over again but you guys should learn from my mistakes!

One last thing as well- MAKE SURE you clean the wires after you strip them- they will not take solder or make a good connection without doing so. Mine have not been used in 20 years and were pretty grimy with oxidation. Scotchbrite works well for this.

 

[BrianK14]

Nice detailed write up. You get a like from me. And, shameless plug: if anyone needs a good condition OEM head light switch with the integrated foglight switch (for 99/00, won’t work for 01/02), let me know. I’ll make you a deal.

 

[apohl17]

Just got a bunch of pictures on and hopefully it's not too hard to follow now... You peeps better enjoy!

 

[apohl17]

Just wanted to update this thread after two days of driving with these, about an hour total.

For those of you that are running retrofit projectors, listen up. It is extremely advantageous to run a fog (or decently powered DRL) for night driving. Since there is such a sharp cutoff with HID projectors, at close range I found it sometimes difficult to see elevated road signs and other such items at closer range. These fogs have a fairly low rectangular output due to the diffraction grating, but allow for a little bit of yellow reflection off signs and such, which is very helpful.

 

[phattyduck]

The fogs are low to the ground, but do not feature any cutoff, so i get a bit more reflection off the items that were dark before. I have yet to run int to thick fog with them, but I can only assume they will help me out there as well.

If they don't have a sharp cutoff, they AREN'T fog lights. Rigid has DOT legal fog lights, and the cutoff looks like this:

What you have are probably 'cornering' pattern off road lights...

Excessive scattered light above the cutoff is exactly what causes problems with vision in fog/snow.

-Charlie

 

[apohl17]

If they don't have a sharp cutoff, they AREN'T fog lights. Rigid has DOT legal fog lights, and the cutoff looks like this:

What you have are probably 'cornering' pattern off road lights...

Excessive scattered light above the cutoff is exactly what causes problems with vision in fog/snow.

-Charlie

Makes sense. I think I should rephrase. I guess I looked at my rectangular beam pattern and didnt see a sharp cutoff, but the only reason it is rectangular would be if they do in fact have the diffraction grating on the surface of the lens. My pattern looks similar to that in the picture, but I do get some low temperature light (from these fogs) above my HID cutoff line, which allows me to catch a bit of reflection off things right above my cutoff now. Not much, but it is there. For $20, I wasn't expecting the world of brightness, and down the road, I'll likely keep my eye out for a nicer pair of cannons, from Rigid, Baja, or the like. Thanks for the insight!

Edit: I attached a stock pic of these lights from the ebay ad.

 

[jobopdx]

Where to start

Thanks for all the info you put on here about different options. I'm basically trying option 1 with a used turn signal stalk with the fog light switch on it. That installed super easy. And my Runner came with somebody else's after market fog light setup, but I can't tell how they're wire or why they never come on. I was going to use the fixtures that are on there and just wire them to the factory harness that is present right behind the turn signal, but I'm not having any success yet. I could use a little help getting pointed in the right direction.

I have a 99 SR5 which had the factory wiring but not the lights or switch. I installed the multi function fog light/head light stalk. There is a relay in the fuse box and a fuse in the fog fuse slot. I tried the mod to connect the fog relay to the parking lights so they can be on without the headlights being on. I'm not getting any voltage at the fog light wiring harness. Thanks in advance.