[Patrick Sheehan]

I installed the bull bar but when wiring under the hood I couldn't find a power source that came on with the key. I had to wire it to always hot and have forgot to turn the led off and drained my battery 3 times already. Can someone tell me how to get power under the hood that turns on and off with the key? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[ARCowboy]

I installed the bull bar but when wiring under the hood I couldn't find a power source that came on with the key. I had to wire it to always hot and have forgot to turn the led off and drained my battery 3 times already. Can someone tell me how to get power under the hood that turns on and off with the key? Any help would be much appreciated.

What kind of LED lights are these ? Have a picture ?

I'm not going to help you have bright spotlights that turn on when you have the truck running. Not only is that illegal, but also inconsiderate/dangerous.

I will happily help if you're talking about marker lights though

 

[Patrick Sheehan]

What kind of LED lights are these ? Have a picture ?

I'm not going to help you have bright spotlights that turn on when you have the truck running. Not only is that illegal, but also inconsiderate/dangerous.

I will happily help if you're talking about marker lights though

Sorry I didn't describe very well. I have a pushbutton to turn it off when I don't use it. The light strip is on the bottom of the bull bar and does'nt shine into oncoming cars eyes. I just forget to shut them off when I park the car. So if they would turn off when the key is off then problem solved.

 

[Hunter62]

is the power from your switch running to a relay that in turn powers the led strip, or are you running straight power through the switch to the led strip?
or are you running a remote switch to a relay under the hood?

I could tell you how to do it , but I need the above info


I would think when you get out of the truck at night you would see that the light is still on.

 

[Patrick Sheehan]

is the power from your switch running to a relay that in turn powers the led strip, or are you running straight power through the switch to the led strip?
or are you running a remote switch to a relay under the hood?

I could tell you how to do it , but I need the above info


I would think when you get out of the truck at night you would see that the light is still on.

We park by the house wit bright outside lights so we miss that the bull bar lights are still on when we go in the house. We are running power straight through the switch to the led strip on the bull bar. It has a relay but we didn't use it.

 

[Hunter62]

We park by the house wit bright outside lights so we miss that the bull bar lights are still on when we go in the house. We are running power straight through the switch to the led strip on the bull bar. It has a relay but we didn't use it.

you need to use the relay for the key on/off power source, and run battery power to the relay and lights.
You cannot/should not, run the battery voltage to a keyed power source then through the switch and lights
if there is ever an issue you can fry lots of electronics, plus the PNWM of the LEDs could/can screw a lot of stuff up
for inside the cab, F26 or F44 can be taped...for power to the relay under the hood F17

 

[ARCowboy]

We park by the house wit bright outside lights so we miss that the bull bar lights are still on when we go in the house. We are running power straight through the switch to the led strip on the bull bar. It has a relay but we didn't use it.

You really should use a relay, especially if it came with it. It protects both the LED light strip and your vehicle. The LED strip should also not be wired to the battery negative, but a separate ground like the big post by the wiper fluid.

To use a relay with your switch, and also have it only powered when the vehicle is running, would require 2x relays. You would wire the first with your switch as the trigger source, and wire the second with the a Tap a Fuse to underhood fuse F17 (or similarly only energized when vehicle is on circuit).

Using F17 means there would be no power to your switched relay unless the vehicle was on. Once the vehicle was on, your switch would work like normal.

 

[Patrick Sheehan]

you need to use the relay for the key on/off power source, and run battery power to the relay and lights.
You cannot/should not, run the battery voltage to a keyed power source then through the switch and lights
if there is ever an issue you can fry lots of electronics, plus the PNWM of the LEDs could/can screw a lot of stuff up
for inside the cab, F26 or F44 can be taped...for power to the relay under the hood F17

Thanks so much. Your input has been invaluable.

 

[Patrick Sheehan]

I did exactly as you said and F17 caused check engine light to come on and the all wheel drive quit functioning. I think I'll try inside the cab fusebox. Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

[Tom S.]

F17 is for the front axle actuator. If you used a fuse tap with the proper fuse in both the tap and extra circuit, you shouldn't be getting an error message unless you wired something wrong, like the relay. DO NOT try to power the lights off this fuse!!! The only thing you are using it to power should be the relay. The power for the lights should come directly from the battery to the relay, then on to the lights. Fuse tap should look like this:

And you MUST have the proper size fuse in BOTH locations.

 

[Patrick Sheehan]

I'm sure it was wired wrong now. I'll try again. Thanks for your input.

 

[Patrick Sheehan]

I'm sure it was wired wrong now. I'll try again. Thanks for your input.

OK so now it comes on only when the truck is turned on but the switch doesn't turn it off. The switch has a blue,black and white wires coming from it and i used the blue one to go to the 85 relay terminal.Should it be the black or white instead?

 

[Patrick Sheehan]

OOPs it was blue ,white, and red wires