Post pictures of your truck with auxiliary lights

[Bill Kemp]

You must have a looooong.......extension cord if thats how you power those lights.

 

[storlied]

Lmao.. I like to give my engine a break from time to time, and let it keep warm at night before I fire her up the next morning. =P

 

[storlied]

Alright, I did a little math..

My plan is going to include a total of 710w in aux lights..

710 (100x6+55x2) /12 = 59.1amps or so..
My truck has the 130amp alternator.. that seems like a pretty big amount of power draw.. When I have my current lights on (including my hids) I sometimes dip into 12v.

Am I going to have issues? at idle or anything?


Or I COULD leave the top 4 lights 55w which will bump it all down to 44amps..

 

[Tbars4]

...Yes you are, especially if you are dipping down as your voltage regulator cannot keep up with the demand already and it sounds like it's going south......A higher amp alt like a 160 amp will keep you running at idle as it spins more rpm's than the 130 amp alt...IIRC, your vehicle normally requires 80-85 amps before the addition of stereo's, lights, etc...

...For other readers with question's, here is a good thread for info on lights and if you read thru it you will also find some alternator info too...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203037

 

[storlied]

I'm actually debating on deleting my fogs, which are 55x2, so then I'll only have 100x2 + 55x4... Which I think should be safe.

Keep in mind, when I said dipping into 12v, it's high 12.. (typically 12.8 or so) like... 12.6 at the Lowest.. and that's when I'm pushing it... cb, misc chargers, heat on high, brakes... all lights on.. (at idle)

My current light setup isn't the best, I'm running both those hella's (with 100w) and the 55w fogs on the hella relay with the included wiring. (not a single problem)

 

[Bill Kemp]

I would not get rid of the fog lights. I would move them down into the oval opening in the bumper where they will do a lot more good for illuminating the road. Especially in snow. Plus you can use the fogs 100% of the time unlike driving lights.
I'm not sure, but I think the high amp. alternators dont give you that many more amps at idle. I seem to remember people saying that their lights still dimmed at idle with a high amp alt. Maby some who have one can chime in here.
We all drive different but I very rarely am at idle with all my lights on & I'm at 660 amps with the headlights & all and no problems in 4+ years.

 

[Tbars4]

...That would be me..:wavey:

...I am at idle often with all my lights on and heater, stereo, etc. on our night runs...Before I swapped out my 90 amp alt I would loose charging when going downhill on long grades with just my normal lights on due to, to low of rpm's....Now I can have all my regulars lights, heater, stereo, 4- 55watt and one 100 watt rock lights, and 2 100 watt projectors, cb, etc., running at the same time with no problem...

...The pictures in this link may shed some light on why the 160 amp alt. will still charge at idle...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2046500&postcount=576

 

[Bill Kemp]

Thanks for the info, tbars4. As I said it's just one of those things I seem to remember. Thats like a real MABY for me.
Glad to get some first hand info.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

I was wondering, what the legal limits for night time lights are? Can you legally drive on the highway with all these exterior lights on? I guess I just need to go down to the DPS and find out.

Thanks.

 

[Tbars4]

...No problem and if you don't mind, I'll add a little bit more info that I wish I could have found while trying to resolve my problems...

...There are some higher amp alt's out there with stock size pulley's and they too will let your lights dim while at idle...I found mine with the overdrive pulley on it and it resolves that problem...

...The upside is you have plenty of amperage all the time...

...The down side is they do spin faster thus they will wear out quicker...The cheapest I can find to have it rebuilt in my area is $120 with a 1 year warranty...Next best price was $170...

...Your standard serpentine belt is 71"...When you go to the parts store there are 2 listings for the serpentine belt for the 91-94 X...One with one alternator = 71" standard, and one with 2 alternators = 68"...The one for the 2 alternator's 68", will fit perfect as the new replacement belt...I do not know the sizes for the second Gen X's though..

...I hope this will help...:biggthump:

 

[Tbars4]

I was wondering, what the legal limits for night time lights are? Can you legally drive on the highway with all these exterior lights on? I guess I just need to go down to the DPS and find out.

Thanks.

...Each State has it's own law's about Auxillary lights and how they are switched...For example, some of the California Auxillary lighting Laws can be found here...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=197621

 

[storlied]

I guess I'll have to see how bad it is depending on whatever setup I go with. It might not even be a problem.

I'm most likely going to keep the 55w's in the 1000FF's, and .. maybe only have 2... and I might put up some 550FF's in the middle.

 

[storlied]

Just to get this straight.. for 4 lights in total... is there any difference to running 2 relays (30a each) vs one relay of 40a? Besides control. (If using 2 switches anyways..)

This is the way I look at it... for my roof setup.. alternator/battery issues aside..

Proposed roof setup:

100w x 4=400/12=33.3a (require 40a relay)
55w x 4=18.3a (30a relay) Safe.
(100w x 2) + (55w x 2) = 310w= 25.8a (30a relay) Safe. (which is actually my exact setup for the front right now.)

One thing I don't quite understand the science behind though is the wire gauges. (I'm assuming with these setups.. the included wiring should be good to go.. considering I haven't had a single problem.)

 

[Tbars4]

...Bill Kemp is the man when it comes to figuring that stuff out...I myself read his postings to find the info and the links for that kind of stuff...:biggthump

 

[storlied]

I went though the thread about 4 lights to one switch, which is what brought up this question.

 

[Tbars4]

...If you go back to that thread, check the first and third link's found in post #1...You will find Bill Kemps answers to most all of your lighting questions waiting for you with also links to diagrahm's and explanation's...

...He is the smartest guy on this Forum when it comes to figuring out all that stuff...Honest...Ok, maybe also the great Shamaal has some really good post too...

EDIT

...I just re-read your post..."I went though the thread about 4 lights to one switch, which is what brought up this question."

...I'm a little confused....That thread I am referring to has 4 55 watt lights = 2 pairs...1 pair = 2 - lights per switch and each pair on their own relay...I am sure the info shows that is how they are wired up...:scratch:

...I just added a note to that thread to make sure there is not a mis-understanding in the future...I think I know how you might have read it wrong..

 

[reefbong]

 

[htjunkie]

Here are a few of my latest pics.

 

[BTVFD132]

 

[Four0Sport]

reef.. love the look of your truck, very simple and stout look. what lift is that? x2 on the color.