[snakeyes93]

I just built a roof rack for my 97' ZJ and have 4 hella 500 driving lamps on the front, two hella 450 fogs in the rear and a firestick cb antenna to mount. I have 3 illuminated switchs that i am planning on putting in the upper console behind the garage door opener, and sun glass compartments where the plastic smooths out as it heads torwards the back. So my question is where to most people drill the hole to run the wires through the roof and how do you seal that hole so no rainwater gets in. Does anyone have any suggestions on how you ran your wiring,. switchs, etc. and what to do and what not to do. Thanks for your help.

[oct7brian]

I don't know if I'd drill holes in the roof I think that would just be a headache down the road. I'd run the wires to the back and run them out by the back hatch. That way they wouldn't be in direct weather and you wouldn't be putting a hole in you roof. Just my 0.02

[BlaineWasHere]

Yea, I agree with the above. Don't drill a hole in your roof... I would just find the best path to get the wires inside with the least visibility.

[PlatinumZJ]

Originally Posted by snakeyes93

I just built a roof rack for my 97' ZJ and have 4 hella 500 driving lamps on the front, two hella 450 fogs in the rear and a firestick cb antenna to mount. I have 3 illuminated switchs that i am planning on putting in the upper console behind the garage door opener, and sun glass compartments where the plastic smooths out as it heads torwards the back. So my question is where to most people drill the hole to run the wires through the roof and how do you seal that hole so no rainwater gets in. Does anyone have any suggestions on how you ran your wiring,. switchs, etc. and what to do and what not to do. Thanks for your help.

This guy seems to have some ideas http://www.4x4wire.com/tech/electrical/zj_lighting/ check it out

[OffroadZJ]

sorry to hijack ur thread, but what exactly does a relay do? Does it "amplify" the power or what?
Thanks

kenny

[jnkarrik]

Originally Posted by OffroadZJ

sorry to hijack ur thread, but what exactly does a relay do? Does it "amplify" the power or what?
Thanks

kenny

Its similar to a switch. In schematic 1 from the link above, when the toggle is turned on and current flows to pin 86, an electromagnet in the relay is energized causing pin 87 to make contact with the power source (pin 30).

The benefit in this case is that you can run small wire from the relay to the switch, and only have to run larger wire from the relay to the lights. If you didn't use the relay, and had the switch directly in between the battery and the lights, you'd have to run big wire the whole way because of the current the lights draw.

~Jason

[Meerkat]

A relay allows you to use a low-current source to activate a high-current item. For example:
Your stock horn draws 2 amps of current (made up number).
You don't like your wimpy little ricer sounding horn, and want something that'll really get people's attention.
You purchase a set of sooper-dooper locomotive type horns at the swap meet for 10 bucks, and mount those suckers up in the stock horn location, and use the power lead from your stock horn as well.
The first time you go to blow your trumpets, nothing happens, except you can smell burning insulation. Upon investigation, you find you have blown the horn fuse and melted the wiring to the horns. You also notice the big horns require 10 amps to operate. Now what are you going to do?
Well, you could run 8 gauge wire straight from the battery to the horn button, and from there to the battery, but that's a lot of wire to be running. Besides, the horn switch contacts would fuse together the first time you used it.
Enter the relay.
The relay has four connector pins on it (well this one does, anyway). Connect your horn switch to one lead and ground to another. Now, when you press the horn button, a complete circuit is made through the relay, and inside the relay something magical happens. The power supplied by the 2 amp horn switch closes another switch inside the relay. A big ol' honkin' 15 amp switch. Just right for applying power from your battery (or other 10 amp power source) to your sooper horns!
And that's what relays do.

HTH

[greasefingers]

We do not use our horns, here in New Jersey. There is hardly anyone on the roads and the ones that are, seem to be very polite

[OffroadZJ]

Well I have 4 offroad lights, and when I turn them on, they are really dull. It seems as if I dont have enough power going to them. What can I do to brighten them up, or is it just because they are cheap?
Thanks

Kenny
(Sorry again for hijacking)

[Meerkat]

--> Grease


Dear Kenny-the-hijacker,
You lights may look dim because they are cheap, but even cheap lights will usually shine more brightly if you run them directly off the battery with the proper gauge wire.

HTH

[Phil Gerard]

Originally Posted by greasefingers

We do not use our horns, here in New Jersey. There is hardly anyone on the roads and the ones that are, seem to be very polite

We just flip em the bird, floor it and kick rocks and dirt on their windshield. Lou Pinella lives in NJ or he did! - Remember the way he kicked dirt on umps - that's the foot equivalent!
Who needs a horn?
Phil