[Gussyb]

Hi,
I have recently installed a new switch for my Lightforce spotties and is interfering with my indicators, the hazard lights turn on but extremely dim. they don't flash. Today they have started to blow my hazard/horn fuse. if anyone knows what to do please reply.
Gus

[303zuke]

If you installed them, tell us how you wired them up.

That will help work out what's going on.

[fordem]

In most spot light installations there is no connection between the spot lights and the hazards/indicators, and there is no way for us to figure out who connected what to where at a distance.

I suggest you disconnect the spot lights and return the wiring to it's original configuration, then, if necessary we can help you figure out why the hazards/indicators aren't working properly, fix them, and then we can guide you through wiring the spotlights correctly.

[Gussyb]

303zuke wrote:

If you installed them, tell us how you wired them up.

That will help work out what's going on.

I bought a relay and a 2-way switch. I didn't think that it was crossed but I also found out yesterday that they are crossed with the headlights. The old owner connected the headlights to a toggle switch. I also have no idea what the old owner has done because I found a toggle switch that turns on my reverse lights as well.
Gus

[fordem]

I think you can see the difficulty we face, diagnosing at a distance, when you're there, looking at it, and can't figure it out - that does create a bigger challenge, because you have to be our "eyes", and if you have no idea, that means we have no idea.

The reverse light is an easy one - the toggle switch is wired in place of (or in parallel with) the existing switch on the transmission.

The headlights on a toggle switch present their own challenge - from the factory, the drover would have had "negative or ground switched" lights, and many people find that confusing, the previous owner may have replaced the original switch with a toggle, or he may have rewired it to a conventional "hot switched" set up. You'll need to know what he's done to get your spot lights to work correctly. Grab a meter and measure the voltage on both sides of the switch with the lights on & off and tell us what you see.

Coming back to your ...
[quote=Gussyb]I bought a relay and a 2-way switch.[/quote]
That doesn't tell us how you wired it, so we're still in the dark there.

Next up - you may have noticed that I haven't mentioned the indicators/hazards - that's because, as I said earlier, those are on a completely different circuit. You may have connected your lights to that circuit (which is why we need you to tell us how you wired them - or - to simply put what you did back to original, which would fix the problem) - or - may be the previous owner rewired stuff there also.

One last thing - if you don't have experience with electrical troubleshooting and have access to the tools & at least a multi-meter for testing - it maybe a good idea to find someone who does to help you. It's fine to seek help via the internet, but diagnosis goes beyond following step by step instructions, it requires you to understand what is happening. We can talk you through installing spotlights on an unmolested vehicle, but once someone else has been there we have no idea of what has been changed.

[Gussyb]

Yeah sorry about that, I wired the spotties up to the battery, through the toggle switch up to a relay. now that I think of it, the headlights could be doing it if the old owner didn't wire it up properly and has somehow crossed it over the indicators. I will try some of the stuff that you have mentioned and I understand the difficulty that you would have to help me. I have also ordered a new reverse light switch and get a new column switch because I think having the headlights on a toggle switch isn't road legal.
Thanks for helping me, I will get back to you if I get it working
Gus

[Gwagensteve]

Headlights on a toggle switch isn't a legality issue - Defenders had the headlights switched on a toggle on the side of the steering column up until the end of production. The bigger issue is what the owner messed with in order to do it.

[fordem]

Gussyb wrote:

I wired the spotties up to the battery, through the toggle switch up to a relay.

Not particularly informative, but, there is no mention of a fuse, so you have a "fire risk" there. There is also no mention of any interconnection with any other circuit, so there should be no way for your work to cause a problem with the indicator/flasher, and, if I'm not mistaken, Australian regulations require spotlights to be wired so that they cannot be on without the high beams, so there is a potential legal issue there.

[Gussyb]

Not particularly informative, but, there is no mention of a fuse, so you have a "fire risk" there.

Yea sorry,
There is a fuse there but I havn't connected the spotties to the highbeam because my headlights are wired up to a toggle switch that can only do high beam. am trying to find a column switch online
Thanks
Gus