Aux lights and NYS inspection

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

I was planning to add roof lights or aux lights up front, but I read somewhere that if they are not wired to the high beams (off with high beam) it won't pass inspection. I planned to just wire them in and have a simple switch. Any ideas.. I don't wanna end up having to rewire them or rip them off because they won't pass inspection..

Thanks.

Jeep Dawg · **Posted:** Thu May 31, 2007 7:08 am

hey man,
you can not wire aux lights to your hi beams, that are more then 55watts and they must shut off when hi beam if flicked on.
it would be better to run new lights with another switch.

With the inspection gig, you will not pass if you have hi powered lights hooked to your head lamps.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Jeep Dawg wrote:

hey man,
you can not wire aux lights to your hi beams, that are more then 55watts and they must shut off when hi beam if flicked on.
it would be better to run new lights with another switch.

With the inspection gig, you will not pass if you have hi powered lights hooked to your head lamps.

Yeah, that's what I meant by wiring them to hi beams. So that when hi beam is on, they are off (like the stock fogs) I thought that was the requirements, so I thought I could wire them to fogs, but of course the way I want to do is just run individual wiring from roof to a switch inside, that's all.. I guess that should be no problem.
Thanks.

Jeep Dawg · **Posted:** Thu May 31, 2007 7:47 pm

yea running a new wire from the roof to a switch in the cab would be the best way.

let me know if you need help, i installed my own renny light bar.

SavageUrge · **Posted:** Thu May 31, 2007 8:43 pm

I wouldn't worry about it too much. They really don't check for things like that and not to mention - don't really care. They aren't going to take the extra time to trace your wiring, especially considering that doing an inspection in NY is such a freaking hassle for them now, what with all the extra steps and procedural changes. They want in-and-out just as much as you do. I had aux lights wired to my Ram and not once did anyone even ask me about them, let alone turn them on.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Jeep Dawg wrote:

yea running a new wire from the roof to a switch in the cab would be the best way.

let me know if you need help, i installed my own renny light bar.

No way I am installing a light bar, thinking of drilling alone makes me shiver..
anyway, thanks. All diagrams I have indicates (and obligates) wiring through high beam so it is off, so I guess I can just wire them directly to batter and run through a fuse, since most of the hellas come with fuses, cables, etc. I may need to find a good switch and find a way to run wires to the cabin easily without going through firewall.

SavageUrge, thanks for the push!

I don't think they are going to bother with them, either. I never went in for a true inspection (since they start doing the detailed one after 4-5 yrs + emissions)

thanks

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Thu May 31, 2007 11:39 pm

Had driving lights on a number of vehicles and in over 30 yrs of driving (darn, am I that old?!) I've never once had anyone turn on the driving lights.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Cacher123 wrote:

Had driving lights on a number of vehicles and in over 30 yrs of driving (darn, am I that old?!) I've never once had anyone turn on the driving lights.

you even got them facing rear.. I don't how they let you drive around like that!!!!

I might follow your routing on those cables through the doors.

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:53 am

Funny story:
Couple weeks ago I was driving down main street to go get gas. This car in front of me is driving real slow. Almost running over the curb. Being the type A personality I am, and figuring he's just clueless, maybe drunk. I flash my lights at him but he doesn't move. I turn on the driving lights, he slows down. I turn on the high beams then the Renegade lights then hit the horn. He finally stops dead in front of me and...... a local cop in uniform steps out!

Needless to say, I had some 'splainin to do. Managed to not get a ticket though.

He did point at my driving lights at one point and say "......... and I don't even know what those are but they gotta be illegal!" among other things

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Cacher123 wrote:

Funny story:
Couple weeks ago I was driving down main street to go get gas. This car in front of me is driving real slow. Almost running over the curb. Being the type A personality I am, and figuring he's just clueless, maybe drunk. I flash my lights at him but he doesn't move. I turn on the driving lights, he slows down. I turn on the high beams then the Renegade lights then hit the horn. He finally stops dead in front of me and...... a local cop in uniform steps out!

Needless to say, I had some 'splainin to do. Managed to not get a ticket though.

He did point at my driving lights at one point and say "......... and I don't even know what those are but they gotta be illegal!" among other things

so, why the hell was he driving slow like that? If they are not marked, or having lights flashing, I don't think they have right to block traffic or act as they like.. HEY you always get away with these!!!!!

stever71 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:10 pm

hyedipin wrote:

Cacher123 wrote:

Funny story:
Couple weeks ago I was driving down main street to go get gas. This car in front of me is driving real slow. Almost running over the curb. Being the type A personality I am, and figuring he's just clueless, maybe drunk. I flash my lights at him but he doesn't move. I turn on the driving lights, he slows down. I turn on the high beams then the Renegade lights then hit the horn. He finally stops dead in front of me and...... a local cop in uniform steps out!

Needless to say, I had some 'splainin to do. Managed to not get a ticket though.

He did point at my driving lights at one point and say "......... and I don't even know what those are but they gotta be illegal!" among other things

so, why the hell was he driving slow like that? If they are not marked, or having lights flashing, I don't think they have right to block traffic or act as they like.. HEY you always get away with these!!!!!

Hey, In Westchester, I saw a an unmarked cop that was driving a crappy grand prix, I thought it was a joke, but it had all the techie stuff in it, and the guy was in uniform.

As far as the extra light goes, I just added an extra light, I had a Manik grill guard, so they put my stock KJ lights on that, and there was more space in the middle, so I added a third KJ stock light, I lowered the beams a little, I probably should lower them a little more, but no one gives me a problem, and it looks kind of cool too.

RQuarte · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:42 am

i have 6 hella 500 driving lights wiried to two seperate switches and have no problem. I think the only thing they really care about is that your not driving around on the streets with them on. :lol:

Gris · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:55 am

Hyde, I have a suggestion, but I need info before I make it...

1) Are you going to use relays, or just run straight thru the switches to the lights?

if 1 is yes
2) Will you be running all switches off the same power? i.e. I run ALL of my switches (Air, lockers, lights, CB, etc...) off of the radio power. I love radio power. Off when the truck is off, on when the truck is on, and designed to handle a good bit of power draw. And then running battery power through the relay to the lights?

let me know. I have a simple solution to your dilemma.

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

No I haven't wired them, didn't even buy them when I saw the price was jacked up to $80 for a pair and I spent my "allowance :roll:

" for the time being.
My plan was to get cheaper lights from Walmart, but they looked really cheap so I decided to wait.
I also consider getting Angel Eyes, but I am not sure how good they will look up in the roof. I think there is some law I cannot have blue ring lights in the roof..

Anyway, sorry to drag this.
The relays/switch would get power from the parking lights, instead of radio. What I wanted to do is to draw the light's power from the fuse block for easy connection, instead of fiddling with my corroded battery posts, and run two relays with two switches, since I didn't know how I could wire two fuses to same switch. :oops:

Plus, if I end up with angel eyes they come with 3 way switch, so it will be more complicated to run two set of sets to single switch via two relays.

By the way, they look like this when turned on half way:

Gris · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:29 pm

Think I get what you are saying.

Here's how it works...

Parking lights come on and electricity flows through the NC (normally closed) relay to your SINGLE (Sw 2 in diag.) switch. The switch passes electricy and splits into 2 wires, 1 to each relay for that set of lights. the NO (normally open) relay is then charged, closes, and passed elec from the fuse block to your lights.

That part, minus the NC relay, is your basic light wiring schematic.

Where I changed it was adding the NC relay. It is normally closed, so by default, passes electricity if it is not getting any juice. When it gets juice, it opens and cuts the flow.

You run a highbeam wire to a switch (Sw 1 in diag) located somewhere hidden from view (only you know about it). From the switch it goes to the NC relay.

When this switch is turned OFF no electricity can get from the high beams to the NC relay, meaning the parking light signal can flow thru the switch and turn on your new lights.

When the switch is ON, high beam power goes through it, opening the NC relay and cutting power from your parking light, which in turns cuts the electricity that closes the relays passing your power from the fuse block to your new lights.

conclusion:

SW1 on or off, SW2 off: Lights on the roof are off because SW2 is off.

SW1 off, SW2 on: Lights on the roof are on because you turned them on and because the high beam signal is being blocked from he circuit.

SW1 on, SW2 on: Lights on the roof are Will come on with parking light or head lights, but will turn off when High beams are turned on.

So put SW 2 somewhere in your cabin that is easy for you to control on a regular basis. Put SW1 in the glove box, under the seat, etc... so that you can switch it before and inspection to set the lights to a legal operating mode.

Got it? Any questions?

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

This looks nice, I gotta catch my plane so I am heading out now.

Aux lights and NYS inspection

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