Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 08:25 -0600 (MDT)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: BLAINE_BACHMAN%PL-01M3@ccmail.plk.af.mil
Subject: Re: fog light wiring questions
Charles D Earl asks:
I'm ready to begin the project of installing my new Hella 500 fog
lights on the van
(snip)
1)Type of installation: independent or with parking lights.
First, the legals: using California as an example (I now live in NM
where such things are probably on the books, but aren't enforced),
your laws may vary - fog lights are typically required to operate only
in conjunction with low beams, driving lights only with high beams,
and "passing" lights with either. Unlike Europeans, US authorities
tend to take a dim view (pun intended) of anyone operating fog lights
as the primary source of illumination (which, of course, defeats their
stated purpose).
If wired through parking lights, is there a heavy load being put
upon the parking light switch/circuit even though power from the
battery is being supplied to a relay (55 watt)?
No, the only additional load is that of the relay (maybe 1/4 amp - a
single relay is really of no consequence)
To do this the instructions show a wire running from the relay to
the switch. Then you run a wire from the switch to the parking
light. The parking light has 3 wires, which one do I connect to,
I don't have my Bentley book in front of me, but standard European VW
practice (I hate my Westmoreland Golf's americanized wiring harness
with its nonsensical color scheme!) is that the black wires with white
or green stripes are the turnsignals, and the grey wires with black,
white, or red stripes are "running" (parking) lights - use the grey
one.
Is the wire from the relay the load
Yes.
does supply go to the parking light (its an illuminated switch)
Yes (or wherever you want to get your power from).
and do I additionally ground the earth connection?
Yes, or the illumination in the switch may not work.
(snip)
So if I do it independently, do I ground the switch instead of
running it to the parking light?
No, the relay has to get its actuating power from somewhere; it comes
through the switch from whatever "supply" you choose.
2)1 of the examples in the instructions seems to show how to hook
the fog lights up in conjunctins with the highbeams,
Or is the instruction sheet "generic" and meant to show you how to
hook Hella driving lights up as well?
Do I just leave it empty
That would be my guess. On the other hand, there may be a secondary
circuit in the relay that cuts power to the fog lights when the high
beams come on. That way, the fogs would operate when the headlights
are off (parking lights on) and also when the low beams are on.
or do I need to ground it or something else?
Probably not (unless you like to see smoke).
-Blaine