Wiring the running lights and headlight to a on off switch for a ford f 150

Asked by Tommy May 31, 2016 at 01:19 AM about the 1997 Ford F-150 XL Extended Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

How to

2 Answers

74,260

Basic electrical principles. I would imagine your headlights plus running lights pull well over 20 amps. If you plan on bypassing a relay you'll have to run about an awg 12 wire from the power source, through the switch, to the lights. The purpose of a relay is to switch a high amperage circuit with a light gauge wire from the switch. If you plan on running both sets of lights on the same curcuit, check the wattage of each light, add them together then divide by 12. That will give you the amperage draw when all the lights are lit.

74,260

Also, if you plan on using a secondary switch to control the lights, make sure it is rated for the amperage which will flow through it when the lights are in operation.

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