Johnny--2K

OK, I purchased Tenblade's Costal Metals Front Grille with the PIAA lights also. I got everything installed, working great. Changed the bulbs to Sylvana Silver Star bulbs, and they were working fine for a day or so. Then, the other night, they were working on and off, and now, they are completely dead. All the wiring is in tact, all conectors are clean and crimps are tight, ground is solid, and relay is working (i can hear it click when I turn the switch on and off) but no light whatsoever. The bulbs are not burnt out either, and the swithc is getting power.

One thing I noticed when I first installed it though....when the lights are on, the light on the switch is red, when the lights are off, the light is green. Shouldnt that be the other way around? Is something in the wiring crossed?

Im at a complete loss. i have done foglights on my tahoe, and my mercedes, and never had a problem like this.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John



OH!! By the way, the power for the switch is running from the top spare accessory port under the drivers side dash (the one that is run with the parking lights) so this way, they will automatically turn on, and I dont have to remember to turn them on and off. Also, they will flash with the lock/unlock from the keyless entry!

Thanks again!

Johnny--2K

oh yeah...one other thing, when I turn the switch on an off, the relay only clicks when I push it and the light goes green. When I push it again, and the light goes red, the relay does not click.

Anyone????

xviper

Your relay might be bad or it is wired up incorrectly. You may have the low power and high power circuits on the relay mixed up (crossed). I'm going to assume you understand what I just said and that you know how a relay works.

Johnny--2K

well, Im not an electrical genius, but im not completely oblivious either.

Can you make it a little more layman for me? There are 4 plugs in the relay, one has 2 black wires, one has one white/red wire, and the other two I forgot......

I guess what Im wondering is if I can go to any store (radio shack for example) and buy a relay if its fried, or do I need to go directly to PIAA, or should I play with the wiring? Is there a way to test the relay, and see if something is wrong with it, or if the wires are just crossed?

Johnny--2K

ok, one more question...the connections are all tight, but kind of dirty. What can I use to clean them, other than a wire brush? Can I spray something on them that will help erode some of the corrosion on the prongs?

xviper

You can use WD-40 to clean them up a bit. Use a rag to wipe them off.
Most relays have a schematic etched onto the side of it showing which pins are the low power circuit and which are the high power circuit.
You can test the low circuit by hooking power (+ on battery) to one of the terminals and ground (- on battery). If you have the correct terminals, when you make and break contact you will hear the relay click on and click off. This is the circuit your fuse panel outlet (HOT with lights) should be powering (along with the switch in-line with this. Your fog lights will be powered by the battery (with an inline fuse for safety) from the high power circuit and grounded to chassis.
ps. Don't let the color of the wires mislead you. They may be arbitrary and peculiar to that relay. Most relays don't come with wires on them.

Johnny--2K

OK....well, the relay clicks, but only when I turn the switch to the off position (light goes green on the switch in the car)

Thats the part thats confusing me...could there be a bad connection between the relay and switch?

Going into the relay is a power and ground from the lights, a ground for the switch, and a power for the switch, along with the inline fuse from the relay to the power cable.


OK...I will take it to my buddies shop and have him test it for me tomorrow. Im too tired to deal with it now!!

Thanks a lot X....your help is always appreciated!

MacGyver

I highly suggest picking up a cheapy Radio Shack voltmeter (I think they sell a cheapy for like $5). Check each connection to make sure you're getting voltage at every point you're supposed to. Since this item doesn't involve anything other than power and ground connections at various points, the voltmeter can practically pinpoint the problem in a matter of minutes.