fog lights how to keep'em on?

[quad2]

On the 99 explorer xlt is their a kit or modification you can do to keep the fog lights on when you switch to highbeam?
Thanks...

Just to clarify this is for off-road use.
I'd like to at least have the option when cruising through the woods(mud,rivers, etc) at night. I don't have to much trouble with on coming traffic, most of my friends are tring to catch up...

[This message has been edited by quad2 (edited 09-06-1999).]

 

[Stephen]

Please dont do that. All you will do is blind people.

------------------
Stephen Withrow
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97 Limited
98 Lexus LS400

 

[Bart4man]

I don't know if there is a kit but you don't want to keep the fogs on. In most states it's illegal to have them on with the highbeams. So you might want to check your local laws about that before you make any mods.

b

 

[Hokie]

Hey guys... I know this is an old thread, but I was curious why you guys are against this mod? Everyone puts on 100W driving lights with their high beams and no one cares, but 55W fogs (that normally run with the low beams) and high beams is a bad idea? Also, you shouldn't be blinding people with this set up b/c you shouldn't be running your highbeams with oncoming traffic. I plan on doing this this weekend and taking my chances with the law.

 

[gavin]

HokieBert - how? Do you also know how to get the fog lights to come on with just the parking lights?

 

[kontinu1]

my roommate has a jeep and he just did this, he put a piece of plastic or something in between 2 contact points in the light relay. Now he can use highbeams and his stock fogs at the same time.

 

[tbomb]

Originally posted by gavin
HokieBert - how? Do you also know how to get the fog lights to come on with just the parking lights?

i wish i could be more helpful with this, since i wanna do this when it gets warm out, but i know that there is a write-up on this floating around somewhere. for some reason my brain is telling me that taxxman wrote it up, but that could just be a neural misfire when i read it a long time ago, it was a fairly easy, straight forward, little mod to do.

 

[Nate1]

Dare I use the search feature? Nah.
Dead Link Removed
That should cover it, unless of course you have a different year. (But you dont)

 

[gavin]

Dare I use the search feature? Nah.

ummm.. yeah. I tried it before, and got tired after checking a couple dozens posts that didn't answer what I was looking for.. that I didn't know exactly what to search for.
Just because I asked, and it has been posted, does NOT mean I didn't try searching for it.

 

[tbomb]

thanks nweibley. im feeling kinda lazy today damn, and it wasnt even taxxman who started it, heh.

 

[Hokie]

This should be a piece of cake if you understand simple wiring and single throw single pole relays (standard BOSCH type). I'm going to do it saturday by 1 of 2 ways.

1) Figure out with a VOM or DMM what happens at the factory foglight switch to turn on the fog lights (IE: when you parking or lows come on) and what happens to negate this when the highs come on. Bascially, I'm guessing that the highbeams interrupt the ground circuit of the factory fog light switch, and to keep the fogs on, you just have to wire a relay that switches to ground when the high beams cut on.

2) Find which wire is the control wire at the fogs and see if it is a ground switching or 12V switching wire (IE: are the factory fogs rested at ground or 12V) and just wire a relay under the hood that gives the fogs what they need when the high beams are on. This can probably be done inside of an 1 1/2 hours if you are good with a meter.

I'll write up my findings for my '99 system after I do it this weekend.

 

[Hokie]

Hmm... or you could do it the way that is posted in the url Nweibley found... I want my fog light switch to light up when the highbeams are on and I don't know if this jumper allows this to happen. I'll try it tomorrow and see if it does. I would personally recommend making the jumper instead of cutting a spade off of the relay. I just see the risk of shorting something out doing it that way. I guess if you cut it off with a dremel and then taped/painted over the cut spade then it would be fine, but I'm going to try the jumper.

Also, the way i described earlier (2) would work for '97's and older to make the fogs come on with just the parking lights. Just have one side of the relay coil tap current off of the parking light wire and have the relay switch to whatever the fog light needs. Sorry to be vague, but I'm writing this up from my dorm room with out testing anything. (Not to sound arrogant) But I have wired hundreds of wig wags and other police lights to come on and off with the headlights so I know what i'm talking about. (I used to build cop cars)

 

[Nate1]

I think some strong pilers and electrical tape or fingernail polish would keep you short free, but I agree, jumpering would be the right way to do things.

 

[Hokie]

Another thing about the jumper... You don't need to have 2 types of spade connectors. Just take any 'ole male spade and cut it with wire cutters to the correct width. Really easy and it'll hold in there just fine. (No need to spend money on 2 types of spade connectors)

A plug for the jumper...
If you keep the factory relay intact, you can easily pull the jumper and put the relay back in when you get an inspection done, so there's no chance of you failing for having fogs with high's.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

That link is for people who has a '99-'01 Explorers. I'm not sure if that will work for '95-'98 Explorers because our fog lights won't come on with parking lights either. So '95-'98 Explorer owners can add a little wire to the parking light circuit and you can have the fog lights on with your parking lights and your high beams. Here's the thread.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=58767&highlight=fog+lights

 

[tbomb]

there is a thread in the useful threads forum about how to make the fog lights come on with the parking lamps - and i was right! taxxman started it

 

[gavin]

yay CBoug76 took my suggestion!

 

[OZexplore]

the fog lights on my 98 xlt are actually driving lights and totally useless
and dont use fog lights unless it is foggy, they are a pita to oncoming traffic