I thought I would ask first before I made a mess! I've got a pair of day time running lights ( 9 LEDs each) and I would like to mount them behind the grill and have a blue dot lighted switch to turn them on/off with. What would be the best and easiest way to wire these up?

 

There is a thread on the first page (down and over a little bit from "new thread") that goes over just what you're looking for...

https://www.f150forum.com/f6/raptor-...ll-pics-70964/

 

Thanks Tackle I didn't think it work the same because mine have 9 LEDs in each light. I want a on/off switch on my lights, mot wired in to where they come on with the parking lights. I do like the way he wired them up though. That was good for that application, but I don't think it will go with what I'm doing, do you?

 

It's simple to hookup, even for the electrically impaired.

Here is a good write up on relays. You need one.

http://www.mp3car.com/the-faq-empori...ire-it-up.html

 

Thanks for the lesson on electricity. Never seen anything like it, very interesting. So I'm going to have to wire up the lights with a relay? I've wired up lights before (many years ago) by putting a hot wire from the fuses to the hot on the switch. It worked but I guess it was the totally wrong way! Thanks again, very good reading and I have it to go by.

 

I live by the philosophy of teaching a man to fish rather than giving him a fish.

Putting a hotwire to the switch from a random fuse then a hot to the power wire would work for awhile...at least. I don't want your truck to start on fire and would like to see the lights as bright as possible. Switches aren't meant to push that much power through them.

If you do get stuck, don't hesitate to post here.

 

I sure do appreciate you help. It's going to take me some time but I'm going to get those lights in the correct way. I didn't realize you had to make a circuit when you added options like lights. I have been just lucky in the past jumping off a fuse and not starting a fire!

 

How can I in cooperate this setup with strip LEDs to work off interior lights?

 

Thank you for the diagram. Let me get something straight, 30 goes to the positive on the battery, 85 goes to ground (battery or bolt) 86 goes to switch I put in (it is a lighted switch) and 87 also goes to the switch. Am I right so far? I want to put another circuit for LED lights in my cab that only work when the doors are open or dome light is switched on. Would I find the dome light wire and use it on post 30 on the relay and the rest stay the same?

 

No, 87 goes to the + lead of what you want to turn on.
you have the lit switch with 3 leads on it. 1 is + input (from an fused source that is only on with the ignition so you don't accidentally leave them on), a negative to let the switch light up, and a + output to the #86 spade on the relay.

For the dome light LED source, you can splice into the OEM wire for that (unless you use a lot of LED's, like 10 or more). Don't remember what wire that is though (I want to say a pink wire in the pass side footwell, but not sure).