Wiring for raptor headlights

[Kyngfish]

EDIT: should have said grill lights, not headlights - apologies.

Hi - I looked around for a thread specific to the third gen, I found one, but it was scant on details:

Grill/raptor LED light wiring w/pictures

I don't fully understand where the wires were actually actually attached to the power, but it made it sound like it would attach directly to the power coming in from the battery, so the lights would always be on if the car was on?

Has anyone else done this? Is there an advantage to having them always on if the car is on? SRQ recommends wiring them to the side lights, does anyone know of a thread that shows how to do this.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

The way he wired them in the thread you referenced is fine, because he tapped into the TAIL fuse. As you can see in the '98 EWD below, the 10A TAIL fuse is hot only when the TAIL relay has been switched on, and the TAIL relay is switched on only when the parking lights or headlights are turned on.

I would probably wire them differently, like SRQ says - i.e. instead of running a separate hot wire from the fuse box to the raptor lights, I'd probably tap one of the parking light wires (the ones shown in light green below) and run a wire to the raptor lights. The raptor lights are such low amp use that you would not be overtaxing the parking light circuit, IMO.

 

[Kyngfish]

I would probably wire them differently, like SRQ says - i.e. instead of running a separate hot wire from the fuse box to the raptor lights, I'd probably tap one of the parking light wires (the ones shown in light green below) and run a wire to the raptor lights. The raptor lights are such low amp use that you would not be overtaxing the parking light circuit, IMO.

Thanks dude! So just basically cut the wire and solder the connection to the lights with an in line fuse, then heat shrink?

 

[4Runner4Leon]

Yup, that'll work!

 

[DaMonkey]

I’m generally a pedant about wiring. But for 3 little bullet LEDs, if the current is measured in milliamperes, I would just drop a power wire to one of the front parking lamps which is already fused.

 

[Cree]

I’m generally a pedant about wiring. But for 3 little bullet LEDs, if the current is measured in milliamperes, I would just drop a power wire to one of the front parking lamps which is already fused.

Yeah, I could see that. He could also cut all the wires and stop copying a Raptor because it's not a freaking Raptor and looks like poo on things that aren't Raptor's. Well, it looks like poo on them too but ya know....

 

[Kyngfish]

Yeah, I could see that. He could also cut all the wires and stop copying a Raptor because it's not a freaking Raptor and looks like poo on things that aren't Raptor's. Well, it looks like poo on them too but ya know....

You know what they say about opinions...

Either way, the original grille has quite a bit going on, and going matte black with some pretty stark Toyota lettering and three little bullet lights is still overall a pretty simplified look compared to the OEM.

Personally I think that and some projector headlights go a long way to making the truck look fairly modern. But if you like, you can come to my house and rant about it. You're welcome.

 

[RodrickHeffley]

sorry for the bump, but i'm a noob to wiring, never wired anything before in a vehicle. I don't really understand what was said in this thread. As a newbie to wiring, how do i go about wiring some raptor lights in? i have them installed in the grille, and i'm going to make them all run from one wire, but I don't know where to tap that wire in, or anything.

Help would be appreciated, thanks!