The big hot and big black should go to the battery. The small hot and ground are the trigger wires, and can be hooked into the ignition.

 

Makes sense, but where and how do I do that?

 

I thought you were going to pay someone to do this for you instead of dealing with a day of frustration?

In the pics you posted, the red that has the fuse holder goes to the battery.

 

That was my plan and believe me, it would have been a better one. I went to that place and they didn't exactly instill confidence in me.

Yeah, I got that part right. The switch lights up and operates, but the lights get no power. I think my relay has already crapped out. I tried every possible combination to the lights. It worked at first and then stopped. The lights work when I go direct to the battery for testing.

I really want to do this myself, but I get so frustrated with my own ignorance and not being able to get answers.

 

Don't know how big that terminal on the end of the red wire is, but I loosened the positive terminal on the battery and fit it under the nut when I wired my stuff.

 

Those both fit on my +/- battery holding nuts.

 

Disregard the indicator wiring...

 

Do you have a multimeter?

 

I do, but I already know that it's not getting power to the lights.

 

Wait, basics: Is there a fuse in the fuse holder???

 

And is it good?

 

I haven't opened the fuse holder and checked. The switch lights up and works.

My biggest question at this point is......where do I run the red wire so that it only gets power when the key is turned?

Fuse box? And if so, where? Do I solder it in? Get a plug of some sort?

Honestly, I just don't have a clue on this part of it.

 

Guess what, you should have someone who knows what they are doing help you. At this point, if you don't have the tools, Stop...

 

If I can find out where to attach the red wire, I can do this.

 

Did you look at the diagram above?????

 

Sorry about the late response. Yeah, the diagram makes perfect sense, but where I am now is figuring out how/where to run the main (power) wire so it will act like an accessory: only having power when the key is turned on.

 

Get an add a circuit.

 

Okay. Where do I get one, and does the power from the harness connect to this? If so, it sounds like just the ticket.

 

Find it at your local auto parts store. Don't know what red wire you're referring to now.

 

It's the one that supplies the overall power, if that makes sense.

 

You plug it into you fuse box and run a wire from the switch to the add a circuit. That allows you to only be able to turn on the lights when the truck is turned on and if you forget to flip the switch off, it will still turn off once the truck is off.

 

Ah. Sounds like exactly what I'm after. Maybe I can pick one up tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

The main power wire goes directly to the battery, it will always have power. It's the power through the switch that determines whether it'll stay on without the truck being on or not.

 

Exactly. And that's what the long red wire determines. So, where do I attach it?

 

Now we're back to the add-a-circuit and the fuse box under the glove box.

You'll pull the fuse for your "cigarette lighter" that only has power when the truck is on. Put the fuse you pulled in the add-a-circuit, along with an additional 10 amp fuse, then plug that into the empty spot in the fuse box. The butt connector on the end is what you'll crimp onto the bare end of the long red wire after you've positioned your switch and run the long red wire under the dash to the passenger side.

 

That sounds like exactly what I'm after. I'll pick one of those up tomorrow and give it a go.

I have to say, though, that I'm surprised the truck doesn't already have a few "available" accessory slots in the fuse box.

 

One more question..... the relay sends a maximum of 40 amps to the lights (if you run four lights) and thus, the inline fuse is 40 amps. But what would be the current (amps) running across the Add A Circuit? It has a max of 10.

 

Without me reading the whole thread to see how you hooked it up but if you're using a relay, the relay handle the 40 amp from the battery to the lights.
The add a circuit is for the trigger wire which use a lot less power so the 10 amp is good.

☞Sent from here☜

 

As an update..... I checked the 30-amp relay fuse just now. Yep. She's broken. I'll grab another one when I go to get the Add-A-Circuit in whatever form later today.

 

Okay, the installation is....done!

I finally pieced together enough info from you guys here, and it's installed the way I want it. I used that Add-A-Circuit plug into the Seat Heater slot (which my SE doesn't have) and the LED lights work only when the key is turned. At some point, I may get motivated enough to take some pics and post a little mini-guide for those who are as clueless as I was.

As for the lights themselves, they're nice and bright. The effect is much more pronounced when pulled up and facing objects (house, trees, whatever). Of course, this applies to any lights, really. I won't be using them as "driving lights." I might also upgrade to some higher wattage/lumens at some point, now that the wiring is in place.

 

Glad you got it buttoned up.

 

Thanks again to you and everyone for all your help.

I wound up lengthening every single wire on the control side. These harnesses must be designed with a Versa in mind. It was a bit tedious, but worth it.

Later, I plan to "pretty up" everything around the bull bar and I'll post pics.

 

Next time, you'll forego the crappy harness provided and wire it yourself. Honestly, it's easier than trying to force their generic harness to work for your specific application, whatever that may be.

 

Well, I have that option now that I've done this one and know how. I just needed a good starting point and I made the mistake of assuming that the harness would come with instructions. I know they can't be vehicle-specific, but they offered nothing whatsoever.

But yeah, next time I'll just do that and skip the harness. As it stands, I'm already going to replace the switch.