Hey all

I spent about an hour last night trying to figure out how to wire my LEDs.


I did a bunch of searching but couldn't find anything useful.

First I tried tapping (add-a-fuse) the interior light fuse in the driver's kickpanel--didn't work. The lights stayed on and wouldn't turn off. (pos to fuse, neg. to ground)

Then I tried tapping the parking light fuse (fuse 4 I think under the hood, it just said "Small Light"). But the lights again stayed on. They didn't just come on with the parking lights but they stayed on all the time. again, not what I wanted. (pos to fuse, neg to ground)


I saw Guitarplayer16's thread, but I don't want to have them come on and fade out. I plan on using that wiring diagram for my puddle lights instead; so my puddle lights will come on with the interior dome lights and fade in/out with them as well.

I want my footwell lighting to come on when my headlights come on but I also want to have a switch to turn them off if I want. IF anyone has a better suggestion I'm all ears.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/%5Bdiy%5D-lets-add-some-class-footwell-led-lighting-847702/

^^^check this one^^^

 

nevermind just re-read your post

 

Wire them in to the parking lights. Not sure if it's easier to wire into the fuse or tap into the actual wire going to the parking lights. Then mount a switch connected to the negative wire, so you can turn them off if you like.

 

The fuse won't work (as you discovered) as the power to that point is constant. When I did mine, I ended up having to tap into the illumination wire going into the back of the radio, as this showed +12V when the headlights were on. I used this +12V to power a relay (less pull on the entire circuit). I then used an add-a-fuse to actually power the lights, but the relay to drive them is only active when the headlights are on. Maybe a bit overkill to use a relay, but it works for me and hasn't given any trouble at all. I can post my relay wiring diagram if you need it.

 

Phew. That sounds a lot more complicated than I can handle! I'll post exactly how I want it;

I want them on with the parking lights and off when the parking light are off. I also wound like a switch. But then again if they're just always on when the car is on that could be okay too during the day they would be on, you just wouldn't notice them...But I definitely do want a switch.. So that's a possibility

So I guess it'd be something simple like;

Positive: Add-a-fuse or tap into a wire (this is where I need help)
Negative: to an easy ground and to the switch

Is that feasible? My understanding of electricity and currents is REALLY not thy great...

 

Well, in theory, you could just tap into any old illumination wire then (like the back of the radio) and run it to your lights. Place a switch somewhere mid-line (single pole,single throw style) either on the ground circuit or the +12V circuit to interrupt the power when you don't want it. Make sense?

 

So here is what I did....as you can see the light in your glovebox comes on with your parking lights....I ended up taping into this wire and running it to a switch (as shown in the pictures)...then I ran my wires to the front seats under the center console and then to the back seats under the rug in the center of the back....this way my lights come on with my parking lights but I also have a switch. I made sure to use the quick disconnects from the main wires to the LEDs so that when you need to take out your back seats or remove the black covers in the front of the car you wont need to untape the LEDs or pull out the wires...make sense?

As you can see I tried to cut a hole too close to the parking light and it didnt fit...hense the black electrical tape hahahah

 

^^Do that. That is essentially what my last post said, but in this setup you won't have to pull out the radio = much better.

 

Say no to pulling out the radio and just tap into the glovebox light or center console light or the parking light wire (behind driver side dash).

Simple =)

 

Absolutely. The only reason I used the radio wire is that I already had done a tap there for another project, and the fewer taps I have to deal with the better. Definitely go with one of the lights that is more readily accessible.

 

Thanks guys. Not sure why but my center console light was out. I replaced the bulb with an LED and it's out again, so I hope it was just a bad bulb or something and nothing more serious because I would like to tap there. Sounds like a really good option

I bought a rocker switch on eBay, sill have to wait for that to show up soon enough