Help with wiring 4 KC Daylighters

[audiodude332001]

Hey everyone. Today I wired up 4 KC Daylighters on my truck. They were working great for about 10 minutes untill they just died. I poped the hood to check the fuse, and it was literaly melted. So, Im guessing that I need to upgrade to bigger wire and put in a bigger fuse. The fuse that I had in it was a 30 AMP fuse. I did notice that the wires seemed a little hot. Does anyone have any ideas as to what size wire I need to run so this doesnt happen again? Heres a picture that I made that shows how I wired it, and also the wire size that I used:

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Andy

 

[jimbo74]

with all 4 of those lights... thats some major power going through there..... i am surprised that the 30 amp fuse didnt blow long before 10 minutes!

i would use 12 guage and not wire them all together like that.... might want to devise a way to run 2 + 2 or something with relays and not all 4 from one source....

 

[Bill Kemp]

Look at the diagrams & links in the FAQ section.
You will need to put in a relay, probably two if they are 100watt lights and you can figure, by the length of the wires, what size wire you need.
Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Alec]

Instead of figuring how to use a single system for all of them, I'd just wire up 2 parallel systems activated off the same switch. You could use a single main power lead with a big enough fuse and single switch, but I'd use dual relays.

D'oh! Looks like you didn't use a relay at all. USE RELAYS!

 

[audiodude332001]

Thanks everyone. Which type of relays do I need, and how many? Also, how do I wire them?

Thanks,
Andy

 

[Alec]

http://www.kchilites.com/faq.html

each pair should use a 30 Amp relay.

 

[audiodude332001]

Thanks Alec

 

[audiodude332001]

Ok, what size wire should I run from the positive wires on the lights, to the relays?. I should use the same size for the ground shouldn't I? Also, what size should I use from the battery to the relays? Should I run a single wire from the battery and branch it off to the relays, or should I run 2 wires from the battery (one to each relay)? Since im using relays, do I need to use a fuse holder?

Thanks,
Andy

 

[Blee1099]

Here's an example of how I wired my two light setup on my truck.

 

[Bill Kemp]

Blee, I've never seen a relay wired that way. Relay doesnt seem to be grounded.
Are you sure thats right?

 

[Alec]

Bill is right, "86" should be grounded. Theoretically the way that picture is, the relay wouldn't work: as 86 and 85 are both powered and thus there would be no voltage drop (and magnetic field produced) in the relay coil, and thus no relay activation.

Or, if "86" was powered as illustrated and "+ pwr" from the switch was grounded it would work. Just a type A switch instead of a type B switch.

 

[Blee1099]

Hmm.. I might have to go look at the way I wired it up.. I always assumed the relay didn't need to be grounded.

 

[Alec]

After looking at that more, it depends on the inner workings of the switch. If when the switch is on, ACC and Gr are linked, it would work. Then the relay is grounded through the switch. However, if the switch links Pwr and ACC when on, you'll fry the relay and/or switch or it just won't work.

Besides, it's great to have the switch wired to an ignition controlled circuit so you don't leave the lights on and drain your battery. Been there done that many times in the X.

 

[IAmTodd]

Didn't your Daylighters come with a wiring kit? You should be able to wire up both relays and use only one switch.

 

[audiodude332001]

IAmTodd Didn't your Daylighters come with a wiring kit? You should be able to wire up both relays and use only one switch.

I got them from a friend, and he didn't have any wiring for them.

 

[Dannyboy]

I'm probably no help here, but the guy who wired my lights wired the ground to the switch and connected two wires of the relay together, therefore when you turn on the switch you are actually completing the ground. He's a wiring guru and it has worked well with a lot less wires to run through the firewall and according to him a more idiotproof system.

Anyone heard of this? I have a second set of quick release lights to go in a front reciever that I plan to run a second relay from the same switch. I'll post up if I figure out how to do this.