You’re stoked! The package has arrived, or you’ve just returned from your nearest stockist with the satisfyingly weighty package in tow. You’re now ready to hook that baby up to your 4WD. While many of those reading this blog might be able to pull apart and reassemble their vehicles with their eyes closed, not everyone is as technically gifted.
So, whether you’re still learning all the ins and outs of your wire harness construction, or you just need a little bit of a refresher, we reckon it’s well overdue to present to our simple LED light bar wiring instructions:
LED light bar wiring instructions
When installed correctly, your NITRO Maxx LED Light Bar will give you years of safe, trouble-free, exhilarating off-road brilliance. Therefore, it’s critical that you follow the LED light bar wiring instructions carefully to ensure that you get the ultimate performance and longevity. Here is our simple, step-by-step guide:
1. Where to Mount Your LED Light Bar
The first step is to figure out the mounting location. You’ll need a sturdy location such as the roof or the bulbar. We’ve seen some people try to get fairly creative with their mounting positions. However, before you make a final decision, it is definitely worth checking your state laws for LED light bars to ensure that your lights are legal and avoid a potentially hefty fine. Once you’ve found the best place to mount your LED light bar, secure it firmly using the brackets provided.
2. Safety First
The excitement of installing you LED Light Bar is the only jolt you want on this job. Start by disconnecting the negative terminal of your battery to ensure that there are no hair-raising surprises.
3. Relay, Fuse & Connecting with your Headlights
There’s no hard and fast rule about where to mount the relay and fuse, in many cases, utilising an existing bolt or self-tapping screw on the inner guard is usually a pretty reliable option. However, this is where it starts to get a little bit tricky. Where and how you connect the loom supplied with your LED light bar will depend upon the make, model and age of the car to which you are hooking it up. If you’re a total car maven, you may feel like you’ve got this one, however, get it wrong and you’re in for some fascinating pyrotechnics that could severely damage your vehicle. If you’re not all that keen to have yourself or your car go up in flames, your best bet is to consult a professional. Our good mate Alan and Piranha Off Road Products has installed more Ultra-Vision LED Light Bars than anyone. If you’re in his vicinity, you could do a lot worse than enlisting his services to hook your lamps up for you, or provide you with some sound advice. Alternatively visit out stockists page to find the qualified auto electrician nearest you for a bit of assistance.
4. Switch On
You want to make sure that the switch is easily accessible to you without distraction or the need to take your eyes off the track, so be careful to locate it in a convenient location inside the cab. You’ll then need to run the switch wires back through the firewall and into the engine bay to connect with the wire harness. Your best bet here is to use an existing grommet in the firewall that will provide the most direct and easy access. Make a small incision or hole in the chosen grommet and run it through. If you’re finding it tough to access in the tight spaces, you can splice the wire to a straightened-out coathanger or a scrap piece of fencing wire to help it through and save you some sweat and frustration.
5. Making Connections
You’re almost there! Now, all you need to do is connect your two harnesses to each other using the remaining open plugs. Lastly, it’s time to connect the plugs for your LED light bar into the circuit. Your light bar wire will include a single plug, which you need to connect to the relay; and a ring-terminal that must be earthed. Either the negative terminal of your battery or a bare metal bolt that has direct contact with the body of the car will suffice for the latter.
6. Ready to Roll!
Untidy wires are an eyesore and a safety risk, so take a few moments to tape up any loose wires or plugs. Reconnect the negative terminal of your battery and test your new baby out! As we said above, the LED light bar should activate with your high beams, so set your switch to the on position, pop your headlights on, have someone perform a dramatic drumroll and when you flick on your highs, you should have oodles of blinding light streaming out of your new, freshly installed NITRO Maxx LED Light Bar. To double check that you’ve done everything correctly, switch your light bar off. If the high beams remain on, you have passed LED light bar installation 101 with flying colours!
We’re always here to help, so if you have any questions or run into problems, drop us a line or get in touch with your stockiest. Good luck and happy 4WDing!
