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Installed one of the headlight harnesses to take the load off my headlight switch... so now, my original driver's side headlight plug is just dangling there. Has anyone thought of using that plug to power a light bar to add to the effective light output?
My 96 Cherokee Country didn't come with the standard fog lamps, and I'd like to install a light bar in their place. I understand a lot of them are exponentially brighter than the original headlights, so I'd like to wire the bar into the bright beam side (thus eliminating another cable run to the passenger compartment). Being LED, I would assume the power draw would be far less than the original halogen headlights, and since those are being powered from the harness, I should be good to go... right?
Someone stop me if this is a bad idea. I don't want to burn up my 96 before it hits 300k (in just a few months)
I'm in the process of doing a 5.3 swap in a 01 XJ Cherokee. I have the motor, the wiring harness. My question is what is my first step on the wire harness?
I'm in the process of doing a 5.3 swap in a 01 XJ Cherokee. I have the motor, the wiring harness. My question is what is my first step on the wire harness?
It seems like a good idea but not sure about the details. Are you suggesting to remove high-beam power from headlights to route power to lightbar? Or do you want to power both the high-beams and the bar with same power wires? Either way, this would cause an issue at inspection time.
If it were me, I would run a dedicated harness with relay for the lightbar. Most bars come with the harness.
I had a 96 and placed the lightbar inside front bumper. It had its own dedicated harness.
The headlight plug that is not used should be covered to keep corrosion/debris out of connection.
I'm in the process of doing a 5.3 swap in a 01 XJ Cherokee. I have the motor, the wiring harness. My question is what is my first step on the wire harness?
I actually had the same idea. Whenever I get around to doing the relay harness for the headlights I was going to use the low beam to power a relay to some fog lights. That way the fogs would be on whenever the low beams were on. Then maybe some driving lights that would be powered by a relay that’s activated when the high beams are on. I was actually thinking of using headlights as driving lights so when high beams were on I would have 4 headlights. Haven’t thought through the details yet. Possibly use some motorcycle headlight buckets with an H4 style headlight. Another option is to use headlights as fog and driving lights. Low beam would be fog and high beam driving.
It seems like a good idea but not sure about the details. Are you suggesting to remove high-beam power from headlights to route power to lightbar? Or do you want to power both the high-beams and the bar with same power wires? Either way, this would cause an issue at inspection time.
If it were me, I would run a dedicated harness with relay for the lightbar. Most bars come with the harness.
I had a 96 and placed the lightbar inside front bumper. It had its own dedicated harness.
The headlight plug that is not used should be covered to keep corrosion/debris out of connection.
That's a good (and bad) part of living in South Carolina - we have no vehicle inspections... so the light bar tied to the high beams wouldn't be an issue.
I've installed the aftermarket harness for the halogen sealed beam headlights, so I'm thinking I've already taken quite a load off the headlight switch. A friend of mine said there's no way I could run a light bar with the dimmed lights - it would still be too bright for oncoming vehicles, which I agree. I'm thinking I would jumper off the old headlight plug on the drivers side (doing nothing now that I have the aftermarket harness installed. The LEDs should pull less juice than the halogen bulbs ever did, so I would theoretically be okay then too... I just need someone that knows more about it than I to make that determination.
I like the look of the bar in the bumper, but my bumper is chrome, and I'm not sure I could cut it and finish it without chunks of chrome chipping away. I may just have to go to mounting above or below the bumper. Above the bumper, there are the holes pre-drilled for the fog lamps which I could use to mount the bar. Other option is to get some actual LED fog lights, wire those to the dim side of the plug and then mount a bar underneath the bumper for the bright side.... I just don't know I'd get the proper throw angle for high beams from underneath the bumper.
No way I have the budget for all this right now, but I like thinking about it. Thoughts?
I actually had the same idea. Whenever I get around to doing the relay harness for the headlights I was going to use the low beam to power a relay to some fog lights. That way the fogs would be on whenever the low beams were on. Then maybe some driving lights that would be powered by a relay that’s activated when the high beams are on. I was actually thinking of using headlights as driving lights so when high beams were on I would have 4 headlights. Haven’t thought through the details yet. Possibly use some motorcycle headlight buckets with an H4 style headlight. Another option is to use headlights as fog and driving lights. Low beam would be fog and high beam driving.
That's my thought as well. I'd use the bar for high beams, and possibly add LED fog lights for low beam light. I just need the $$ to make it happen. Or maybe one at a time would be best.
Something popped into my head cause of this thread.
On a Factory Jeep fog light switch in '97 and up the orange wire is the one that powers the illumination for the symbol when you turn on your headlights.
Now I am going to be hooking up an Ext Idle switch in my '00. My thinking was that I would just splice into the orange wire off the fog light switch for
the symbol to illuminate. Thinking it should not be that big a stress on anything.
Might be adding extra lighting to my Jeep. I would like to buy wizardspc's 3D printing piece that allows you to run factory switches in the overhead console
where the garage door opening panel is.
I am wondering if you could run a wire from the unused headlight connector and maybe power up to 4 switches for just the illumination of the symbol
off that one wire.
I am guessing there is still power to that unused connector. And only when you turn on the headlights.
I haven't really researched what people do to achieve this. But wondering if this might work.
Any thoughts?
EDIT: It just occurred to me that if you were just to turn on your parking lights that symbols would not illuminate though.
11-09-2018, 04:36 PM
Repurpose Headlight Plug Post-Harness
