do you have a brand or type you like

Bob

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joel Walker" <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: drool...drool

> > Anyone wire the factory fog light switch so that the fogs go on only
> > with low beams or all the time - depending on the position of the
> > switch?
>
> well .. not exactly. i've got mine wired so the fogs come on whenever
> the parking lights are on. :) then the 2nd position on the fog switch
> is for a red rear fog light.
>
> the trick is which trigger-voltage/signal-wire you use for the relay.
> that's all.
>
> the relay has four connections ..
> - 87 -> power wire goes to the lights.
> - 86 - signal wire from the fog light switch.
> - 85 -> ground wire. to the battery is best, but anywhere to a good
> clean connection on the chassis will work.
> - 30/51 -> goes to the source of power for the lights. through a fuse
> (10amps) to the battery.
>
> on the switch, you've got four connections ...
> 83a - output to the relay (from the trigger/signal wire). connects to
> the 86 terminal on whichever relay controls the light(s) you want
> turned on by clicking to the first position on the fog light switch.
> 83b - output to the relay (etc). connects to the 86 terminal of
> whichever light(s)/whatever you want turned on by clicking to the 2nd
> position on the fog light switch.
> + - input from the signal/trigger wire.
> - - ground. goes to battery or chassis connection.
>
> ok, so where you connect the + wire is the key.
> i connected mine to the left front parking light (NOT the turn
> signal!!). got a piggy-back connector that plus onto the back of the
> parking light housing (allows two female connectors to plug on,
> instead of one. should be able to find them at any auto parts
> supplier) and ran a wire up into the dash to the switch. the rubber
> boot on the parking light easily covers the new wire and connector.
>
> at the switch, i connected that wire to the 83a terminal. first click
> turns on the front fog lights.
> then i put a red rear fog light, another relay and connected them to
> the 83b switch in the same way.
>
> but!!there's a Gotcha. them sneaky germans intended it to be the other
> way: first click turns on rear; 2nd click turns on front fogs. so the
> 2nd click position KEEPS the 1st position lights ON. so it's not a
> separate this-or-that-one switch .. it's this-AND-that-one!  just so
> you know. :)
>
> so if you wired the trigger wire to the low beams, you get fogs only
> when the low beams are on. if you wire the trigger to an always-on
> source (i'd suggest a switched source ... that's only on when the
> ignition is on), you get fogs all the time.
>
> anyway, technically, it's illegal in some states to wire it this way
> cause the fog lights can stay on when you blip your headlights to high
> beams. so you need to exercise some caution when driving on the
> highway with the fog lights on. i always figured if i had my fog
> lights on, why would i want my high beams on? :)
>
> one real advantage of wiring the fog lights to the parking lights is
> that you can click the headlights off, leaving the fog lights and the
> parking lights (and the rear tail lights) ON ... in dense fog or
> misting rain or blowing snow, this helps a lot .. you don't get as
> much glare bouncing back through the windshield to your eyes. but! you
> need really good fog lights to do this ... you NEED to be able to see
> out in front at least as far as the normal low-beams. so spend some
> extra money and get really good fog lights. :)
>
> hope it helps. good luck!
> joel
>