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KC Lights Blowing Fuse

Old Jan 28, 2015 | 06:38 PM
  #1  
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Default KC Lights Blowing Fuse

Common problem it seems.

I hooked up a pair of 50w (I think) fog lamps with a relay and power drawn directly from the battery. They worked great.

I recently bought an ARB bumper and the guy included some KC driving lights with them. I don't know the wattage of them at all and can't find a model number on them. I hooked them up in place of my fog lamps (so same exact relay, switch, and wiring that was working) and as soon as I flipped the switch, the fuse (20amp) blew. I tried a 30 and it blew as well. I don't think they would draw more than 30 amps so what are the main things to check for? My grounds all worked for the fog lamps. Would my relay spontaneously going bad have caused this? Could something in the lights themselves be bad?

I'm going to stick the fog lamps back up there to see if they still work but in the meantime I wanted to get some feedback.
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 03:10 AM
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Wire each light separately ?
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 04:19 AM
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to check the light itself, disconnect and throw a meter on both the +/- and check for a short (continuity).
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 10:20 AM
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What size wire?
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 12:21 PM
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Sure the + & - from both lights are hooked up same? Checked each light seperate (for operation) with outside power source (other batt or batt charger)?
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 10:15 PM
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Originally Posted by freegdr
Wire each light separately ?
You mean complete with a relay/switch per light?

Originally Posted by 94XjSport94
What size wire?
16 guage for ground and hot leads. The positive wire came with the fog lamps.

Originally Posted by Whiplash
to check the light itself, disconnect and throw a meter on both the +/- and check for a short (continuity).
Originally Posted by Larry's XJ
Sure the + & - from both lights are hooked up same? Checked each light seperate (for operation) with outside power source (other batt or batt charger)?
I'll check on that when I have some time during the day and get back to you.
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 10:24 PM
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they could very well be more than 55w
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 10:34 PM
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Even if they are both 130W bulbs, a 30A fuse is sufficient. I ran 2 130W KC lights on my bumper with a relay and 30A fuse. Never had an issue.

If you are blowing 30A fuses on 2 lights, then you have a short somewhere. Either in the light housing or in your wiring. I would check the light housing.
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Old Jan 30, 2015 | 03:21 PM
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The fog lamps for sure are 55 watt. The driving lights are what I'm not sure about. They're 6" round driving lights. The wiring coming out just has a rubber boot with no metal tubing. Kind of look like Daylighters. They came with rock guards too. Not sure what other info I can give.

I'll check the lights tomorrow for any shorts.
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Old Jan 31, 2015 | 07:20 PM
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So it turns out one of the lights was the culprit, I took it apart and from what I could tell, the positive lead may have been shorting against the backing of the light. The rubber around it was slightly scorched and also the same rubber wasn't pulled all the way over the connection. Downside is the bulb burnt out so I don't know if this solved it.

I decided to put my fog lamps back in but then one of them won't work. I have a circuit tester and both the positive and ground leads going to that specific light are working. I took apart the light and see nothing wrong with it. The filament in the bulb is intact and the connections are all good. I'm at a loss.
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Old Jan 31, 2015 | 11:03 PM
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Originally Posted by savagess2546
So it turns out one of the lights was the culprit, I took it apart and from what I could tell, the positive lead may have been shorting against the backing of the light. The rubber around it was slightly scorched and also the same rubber wasn't pulled all the way over the connection. Downside is the bulb burnt out so I don't know if this solved it.

I decided to put my fog lamps back in but then one of them won't work. I have a circuit tester and both the positive and ground leads going to that specific light are working. I took apart the light and see nothing wrong with it. The filament in the bulb is intact and the connections are all good. I'm at a loss.
Swap the lamps around and see of the bad one still doesn't work.
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Old Feb 1, 2015 | 02:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Driver X
Swap the lamps around and see of the bad one still doesn't work.
x2
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Old Feb 1, 2015 | 04:05 AM
  #13  
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I have a set of kc 100w bulbs brand new lying around. Theyre yours if you need one or two
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Old Mar 8, 2015 | 03:23 AM
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Do all KC lights use H3s? I'm ordering bulbs for both my foglamps and driving lights.

I checked continuity on the light that wasn't working and the bulb itself wasn't showing continuity which I didn't understand since the bulb looked fine.
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Old Mar 8, 2015 | 03:57 AM
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Originally Posted by savagess2546
Do all KC lights use H3s? I'm ordering bulbs for both my foglamps and driving lights.

I checked continuity on the light that wasn't working and the bulb itself wasn't showing continuity which I didn't understand since the bulb looked fine.
http://www.kchilites.com/
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