If you want your led halos to blink when you turn signals do (kind of like many new cars do with their daytime running lights), wire them in to the hot lead of that pair of wires going to your side marker. If you want them to stay on steady, even when you use your turn signals, you'll want to wire them in to the parking light wires under the headlights. Yes, there are two bulbs there. You'll notice that one of them stays lit steady when your turn signals are on. That's the bulb with the hot lead you want to tap into. It should be easy to find if you have simple 12 volt test light or a multimeter.

http://www.autozone.com/test-scan-an...er/186543_0_0/

 

Ok, that makes sense now. I didnt realize different cherokee years had changed the bulb functions. So what would be the easiest solution/spot for the ground wires? I am assuming the negative wire doesnt necessarily mean it is ground...Should I splice or is there a convenient place near the headlight to use a eyelet connector to bolt to metal? Thanks so much guys! You have been a huge help. Pics to follow when I knock this out...

 

Ok, all wired up..i went with PIAA halogens for now. I will take some pics tonight and post. Im kinda dissapointed with the PIAA compared to the slylv zxe i put in the xterra, reviews seemed to claim thes PIAA was the way to go for white with no yellow tint (they are 4000k). Althouth the xterra doesnt have the clear lenses (but the are white as one could ask without HID) Its hit or miss i guess but reviews are so misleading its almost criminal, "it's white ", "its better but still yellow". Bahh. Anyway thanks for the wiring tips folks.

 

Your disappointment in the "whiteness" of you PIAA bulbs could very well be because of the need for that upgrade harness. I'll explain...

You know how we've said that without the harness, you won't get very impressive voltage and current to the bulbs? Well, think of it this way...

When you use a dimmer switch in a house, you are limiting the power that goes to the light. As a result, that light gets lower and "yellower". The same thing is likely happening with your PIAA bulbs. They are not getting the full power they need to shine nice and white. All that resistance we've talked about causes the same effect as a dimmer switch on a household light bulb.

I suspect if you put the harness in, you'll be happier with the bulbs' output. This is why is said that the upgraded harness should be your first step in improving light output, not the last.

 

Could you point me in the right direction (link) to a quality harness? maybe something available on amazon? I am willing to shell out the extra $ if it means a better quality product or ease of installation. And once again, thanks for taking the time to help out, this forum is fantastic.. And no chance of perhaps getting these cheapo housings too hot doing this?

 

The Putco harness is the go-to for most people on this board:



It's under $40, but unfortunately some people have had issues with the cheap Chinese relays they use. You can replace the relays with better ones if they fail.

I went with the ARB harness instead, but that's because I came across a good deal:



It's $125, but it's really well made. I got mine much cheaper from someone who bought it and never installed it. The relays are high quality, and the loom has enough slack that you can mount the relays up on the firewall if you want. I have mine mounted right next to my cowl intake on the passenger side.

Is the ARB worth the extra dough? Having not used the Putco, I really don't know. Plenty of people have had good results from the Putco harness, so I don't think you would really go wrong with the cheaper option even if you had to replace the relays. I do know that I have 100% confidence in my ARB harness, though.

Installation for either one should be easy. There are multiple write-ups (with pictures) for the Putco harness. The ARB harness came with good instructions. It's beginner level in terms of difficulty.

Edited to add:

On the contrary:

The problem with the existing harness is that resistance builds up over time. When you run electricity through a circuit that has more resistance, the electricity is converted to heat. This heat damages the circuit further and can cause wires and switches to fail.

By going to a relay harness, you reduce the amount of current running through the existing circuit that includes the headlight switch and reduce the amount of resistance in the wires running to the lights. Heat is actually reduced by doing this, not increased.