I recently installed my fog lights in front of my grille like ive always wanted! I've got it all wired up, fuses, switches, and the like. It's powered directly to the battery this time (not my parking lights) and they look GREAT. Here's the problem:

When i turn them on, they blow the fuse!

I don't understand what could be wrong here as everything is grounded, its 16 guage wire, 55 watt output lamps. What could be wrong?

It's really fustrating having something that looks so kool but i cant use them.
I will post pics of them extremely soon...

 

What size fuse are you using?

 

It's simple....you either have a short or to weak of a fuse. However, DO NOT install a larger fuse until you know 100% that there is no short in the circuit......fire is not fun. You shouldn't need more than a 15-20 amp fuse, IMO.

BTW, a better way to wire it up would be to use a relay. That way you can use the battery to power the fogs and use the parking lamps as the switching source. You could also install a dash mounted switch on the lead from the relay to the parking lamps, so you could turn them off completely if needed. With this setup, you wouldn't have to worry about flipping a switch every time you want the fogs on or off, as the fogs would come on and off with your parking lamps....unless you turn off the dash switch. Plus, this setup will allow the fogs to work with both your low and high beams.

Just a though.

 

im using a 15amp/32volt fuse

 

Try switching it up to 20, which would prolly still be safe. Only after you have figured out that you do not have any shorts in your wiring. Have you tested the who wiring system outside of you install?

 

who wiring system? out side of my install?

 

In other words, have you tested out to see if everything was working fine before you installed the fog lights into your car?

 

yea... everything was kool!

 

the ac adapter in the back of my car is also hooked up to the battery... it has my cold cathodes hooked up to it, but they werent on does that affect it?

 

Make sure your ground is on correctly. Make sure your power line is dedicated to the fog lights only. Meaning that you are not tapping into a positive wire to power it up. Other than that, I would say take it out and retry the wiring again. Good luck.

 

sounsd like you definatly definatly definatly need a relay before anything else, and a 20a fuse should be safe. but you definatly need a realy w/ the power done close to the front and make the swtich wires the long ones up to the dash

 

this is a simple circuit, im not understanding how a relay is very vital in this low power, simple layout (im not being a smart @$$ either, i really dont understand)

 

You don't have to have a relay. It just allows you to run a high-draw item, like foglamps, while using another circuit as the switch source.

Can you throw up a diagram of your wiring? You should have a + lead with a fuse from the + battery terminal to the fogs with a switch in between. The fogs should be grounded. That's about it unless you have a lighted switch, which requires an addtional ground.

 

i do have a lighted switch! i was told that it wouldnt matter if that ground was not wired in... it just wouldnt light up the switch

should i ground it? is that where my problems are coming from???

and that layout that u described above is right!!!

 

also the fogs arent groundd together, they are grounded in 2 different locations

 

It's been a VERY long time since my physics class days, but from what I remember; if you have a short, the lights will not even power, as all the power will go straight to ground (path of the least resistance). If the lights briefly light up before the fuse pops, that means the circuit is good, but the fuse is blowing. . .

. . . but don't quote me on that. Somebody else with more recent experience care to correct me (if I'm wrong :p )

 

yea the circuit is good, i looked at it today... no loose connections, no frayed wires, no wires touching...

 

Ground the lighted switch. Power is probably cycling around and coming back onto the same power wire, thus blowing your fuse.

 

ok

 

You don't have to ground a lighted switch if you don't want to.....though it won't light up if it's not. However, it sounds like you have some leads from the switch reversed. Most lighted switches have 3 poles.....one from the + power source (battery), one to the accessory (foglamps) and one to a ground. Check the back of the switch or the packaging it came in to get the correct hook-ups.

BTW, having seperate grounds for the lamps does not matter.