Question about installing aftermarket LED light

[iamdestruktor]

I have an 04 XLS that didn't come with fog lights (or DRL), and it has that bumper where i can't really install a fog light. I'd like to install two LEDs behind the grill as i've seen in other posts. I've read that i can wire the lights to the battery and the other ignition fuse so that the LEDs turn on when the car is started. But is that safe? I don't want to mess with fuses and blow an important fuse out.

 

[FIND]

Yes, it is safe. You would want to wire them to a switched power source, such as the power wire to where your DRL relay would be, your ignition fuse or something else like that. LEDs draw very little power, and won't cause a significant strain on your system.

You can also consider using a fuse tap, which basically goes into a fuse's slot and holds 2 fuses. One fuse runs the original circuit, the other fuse powers the new circuit you added.

 

[iamdestruktor]

Yes, it is safe. You would want to wire them to a switched power source, such as the power wire to where your DRL relay would be, your ignition fuse or something else like that. LEDs draw very little power, and won't cause a significant strain on your system.

You can also consider using a fuse tap, which basically goes into a fuse's slot and holds 2 fuses. One fuse runs the original circuit, the other fuse powers the new circuit you added.

Sweet! Thanks for the info. I think the fuse tap would be a safer option, just in case. Just came upon this: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...0-amps-bussmann_5080114-p?searchTerm=fuse+tap

Now i also have to weigh the idea if those cheaper LED lights are really worth it.

 

[DoraThe_Explorer]

Just my two cents... I used a similar fuse tap to wire in my CB Radio and it has worked great for a few years now.

 

[Maniak]

How many watts are the LEDs pulling?

For example, I added a pair of 36 watt LED bars to our X. That means each one is pulling "around" 3 amps.

I didn't want to add 6 amps of draw to any of my factory wires so I ran my own fused power line to power the LEDs. That power will be switched via a relay.

Once you have that you can tap into an existing wire and use that to trigger a relay. You can keep it simple and connect it to a "hot when running" wire so the LEDs are on as long as the truck is running or you can get fancy and use switches too.

For example, I use a 3 way switch on our LEDs and I can flip the switch up and they turn on with the high beams or flip them down to turn them on myself.

Since your using these for DRL the LEDs your using may be very low power in which case pulling power from an existing circuit could work just fine. It comes down to how many amps the LEDs pull. Personally I always run my own power wires for accessories and only use the tapped power to trigger relays.

~Mark

 

[iamdestruktor]

How many watts are the LEDs pulling?

For example, I added a pair of 36 watt LED bars to our X. That means each one is pulling "around" 3 amps.

I didn't want to add 6 amps of draw to any of my factory wires so I ran my own fused power line to power the LEDs. That power will be switched via a relay.

Once you have that you can tap into an existing wire and use that to trigger a relay. You can keep it simple and connect it to a "hot when running" wire so the LEDs are on as long as the truck is running or you can get fancy and use switches too.

For example, I use a 3 way switch on our LEDs and I can flip the switch up and they turn on with the high beams or flip them down to turn them on myself.

Since your using these for DRL the LEDs your using may be very low power in which case pulling power from an existing circuit could work just fine. It comes down to how many amps the LEDs pull. Personally I always run my own power wires for accessories and only use the tapped power to trigger relays.

~Mark

The wattage i'd be using are very low. For example, i was looking at this product: http://www.ebay.com/itm/130595641491?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

It says each is only 8W.

I'm probably going to get what i'm paying for but we'll see.