unsullied_spy
03-23-2012, 03:54 AM
I posted this over on scoobymods as well, but figured I should make my first post here a useful one.
I have an 04 Legacy (BE) with factory fog lights, but the beam pattern makes them more like a flood light. In fog, rain, and snow they just provide a bunch of light reflecting back into my eyes, making them more of a hindrance than anything. I decided to add some fog lights to my car that would actually work, but I wanted it to look as factory as possible. Here's my walkthrough of how I did it, hopefully someone can make use of all the hard work I put into figuring the wiring of the switch out!
What you need:
I'm going to do all the linking through Amazon because it's cheap and you can easily put 90% of what you need into a cart and order it all at the same time.
Lights of your choice http://www.amazon.com/FORWARD-LIGHTING- ... 740&sr=8-2 (http://www.amazon.com/FORWARD-LIGHTING-SLIM-LINE-HALOGEN-64371-5/dp/B000FBWO3K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331871740&sr=8-2)
Relay http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-RLS125-1 ... 625&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-RLS125-12-VCD-Automotive-Relay/dp/B0002KR9GG/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331873625&sr=1-1)
Relay harness. This isn't necessary, you can use spade terminals to attach to the relay, but I think it makes it a cleaner install and makes for easier removal/replacement of the relay. http://www.amazon.com/12-VDC-5-PIN-RELA ... 625&sr=1-4 (http://www.amazon.com/12-VDC-5-PIN-RELAY-SOCKET/dp/B0002ZPUMG/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331873625&sr=1-4)
Factory switch with wiring pigtail. I got one from a local Subaru mechanic/junk yard for $10
New light bulbs. These are optional, but if any of your bulbs are burned out they're easy to replace and it's nice to have your switches lit up. The dealer will tell you that you need to replace the entire switch so either buy them off the internet or bring the following part numbers with you:
-Amber (Indicator) bulb: 93426AA051
-Clear (Illumination) bulb: 83426AA040
(BTW, the look on the part's lady's face was priceless when I pulled out a paper with part numbers after she told me I had to buy the switch. They had the bulbs in stock.)
Fuse tap http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0956pt-Mini- ... sim_auto_2 (http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0956pt-Mini-Fused-Circuit/dp/B001QRSBW0/ref=pd_sim_auto_2)
Some wire. You will need enough to get from the dash to where you choose to mount the relay, plus another foot or so for another hook up. 16 gauge will be plenty for this as there will not be much current going through this section of wire. If your fog lights do not come with the wire needed to hook them up, pick up an adequate amount of 12 gauge wire to get from the relay to the lights and make sure you have enough wire to ground the lights and the relay.
Fuse holder. http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0965pt-Mini- ... 22&sr=1-15 (http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0965pt-Mini-Holder-16awg/dp/B00030CPU0/ref=sr_1_15?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331874222&sr=1-15) This is only 16 gauge wire, if you're running more than a typical 55w light you may want to go with a 12 gauge fuse holder & wiring.
Quick splice connectors. http://www.amazon.com/3M-3MT-R-100-22-1 ... 341&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/3M-3MT-R-100-22-18-Gauge-T-Tap/dp/B00152RH4O/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331874341&sr=1-1)
A couple ring terminals (a red one for the switch and a yellow one if you want to ground the lights and relay to the battery)
Metal coat hanger. Trust me on this one, it will make your life so much easier!
Then some butt splice connectors or solder & heatshrink depending on how you want to connect everything up. Zip ties are also nice for tidying up your wires, and you may want a sheet metal screw to mount the relay with.
I decided to start by mounting my lights, I mounted mine back far enough that they are mounted into the metal part of the bumper for a stronger mounting point (plus my bumper is messed up and needs replaced, body shops frown on having to re-do your custom work!). You want to make sure they are mounted facing as straight-forward as possible. Running power to them directly off the battery for this is helpful to get your aiming just right. Use some tape to hold the brackets in place while you sort out the aiming if necessary. The kit I purchased came with 3M sticky pads cut to the shape of the mounting brackets and provided a very sturdy mount. Once the brackets are on, I drilled screw holds into the bumper to make sure they don't go anywhere. I used a level to aim mine down by 5° to make sure they would work as fog lights and not blind anyone (and these seem to fill the gap between where the low beams are focused and the front of the car very well at this alignment).
It is very difficult to drill through the metal bumper, especially with the plastic bumper cover still on. You will need some good drill bits, a Dremel with a right angle attachment or some other compact way of drilling, and a LOT of patience. It took me several days to finally drill through my bumper because I smoked a few drill bits and lost patience a few times. Once the pilot holes are drilled, some self-tapping machine screws and washers will make the bracket VERY sturdily mounted. Note: self-tapping screws alone will not cut through the bumper, it took me a while to figure that out. Despite how thin the metal may seem it is very tough.
Here's a pic of mine mounted on the car:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02891-1.jpg
With the lights mounted, give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy a well-earned cold beverage of your choice. Next up is wiring in the switch and running a wire from the engine compartment into the cabin.
Before we go on to wiring up the switch, we need to run a wire for your relay. Straighten out your metal coat hanger and use some electrical tape to tape your wire to the end of it. Next, locate the rubber grommet in the next picture and remove it. Use a knife and cut a + into it, then feed the coat hanger through it (remember to feed it through the right way). Once you have a few inches through it, put the grommet back into the fire wall and push your wire into the car a little further.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02909-1.jpg
You can see the air box and clutch slave cylinder for location reference. The wire will end up feeding through right near the throttle pedal and some hard lines for the A/C system. Once you've got a hold of it, cut the tape off and run the wire up behind the switches.
Note: This is for 00-04 Legacy/Outback switches. I am not familiar with the Imprezas or other years' wiring or if this applies. I will outline what each wire does and you can verify with a multimeter if this does, indeed, work on your car. The concept is all the same, I just don't want anyone burning something up because they hooked it up wrong.
Getting to the switches on these is super easy, just look at the side nearest the window and you will see a little tab near the top. Use a flat bladed screw driver and pry against that tab and the trim panel should come loose without much effort, there are 3 total tabs holding this panel in but once it is loose it pulls out fairly easily. The blank plastic piece in the 3rd switch position is there for L.L. Beans with the heated windshield, and in the following picture you can see that the wiring is already in place for it. Just unhook it from the blank, press the tab on the bottom of the blank, and press it out through the front of the trim panel.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02889-1.jpg
The brown plug at the bottom is the extra one we will not be using.
For the purposes of this post I am making up my own wire numbers. These are likely not accurate to the wire numbers in the factory service manual but, frankly, I'm too lazy to dig through the manual again looking up where every wire goes.
Looking at the switch, this is what you should see:
1 - - 2
3 4 5 6
Start with number 2, on my car this is white with a black stripe. Crimp some extra wire to the end of your pigtail and ground this wire to a metal point in the car. I found a little 10mm nut not too far from the switches and grounded to that. If you want your factory fog lights to stay on with your high beams then ground this wire for your stock lights. This is not the independent mod where they will come on whenever (that is far more involved), but for those that want their stock fogs on with high beams all that is involved is leading that wire to a constant ground.
Wire number 6 is black with a pink stripe (on my car, I have no idea what other cars use the same colors). This needs to be hooked to a switched 12v source. Fortunately the interior fuse box is right below the switches and has a plethora of fuses you can tap. Open the little compartment that's normally by your left leg, then pull straight out and it should come out easily.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02905-1.jpg
In these pictures you can see my fuse tap. I did this about 6 months ago so I don't remember all the details (plus lost my good pictures :smt021) Basically just pull one of these fuses out and put it into the first position on the fuse tap. Second position will be the fuse leading to the switch, a 5 amp fuse will be plenty.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02906-1.jpg
Connect the wire off the fuse tap to wire 6 of the switch.
Moving down to #5 (Purple with silver spots) this is the positive wire for the illumination. If you want your switch to light up with the rest of the interior use one of the quick splice connectors to hook it to the purple wire on the other switch. Easy peasy.
Next step is #4 (Yellow with black stripe and silver spots). Attach this to the wire you ran through the firewall.
Wire #3 is for the little amber indicator light. I used a quick splice connector to hook this to wire 4 and it works perfectly
And finally, wire #2 is the ground for the illumination bulb. Use another quick splice connector to hook this into the same wire on the factory switch.
Now you are almost done! Test the switch out to make sure all the lights work, the way it's wired up it will also function properly with the dimmer.
The last step is to wire up the relay.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02831-1.jpg
This is the wiring diagram for the relay, but the relay I am using is a 5 pin rather than the 4 pin from the diagram. If you purchase the relay I linked to note that the 87a pin is not going to be used; this wire is hot when the relay is off and will run your battery dead if attached to anything. Feel free to cut that wire off of the harness to keep it out of your way and avoid confusion.
Attach your inline fuse holder to the battery, but leave the fuse out for now. This will attach to the 30 pin on the relay.
Pin 86 is the ground, I ran the ground for the lights and the ground for the relay into a single ring terminal and attached it directly to the negative of the battery.
Attach the wire you ran through the firewall to position 85.
Finally, attach 87 to the positive side of your new lights.
Make sure all of your fuses are installed, double check your connections, and it's good to go! The video I posted below isn't great, but shows the function of the lights. As long as the key is at least in the accesory position the lights will come on, independent of the headlights. If you leave them on, they will turn off when you turn the key off. Hopefully this can be of help to someone!
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/th_Foglights-1.jpg (http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r37/Unsullied_Spy/Fog%20Lights/?action=view¤t=Foglights.mp4)
And a final note: Please be courteous to other drivers. I can't stand it when idiots drive around everywhere with their fog lights on, it really does add a lot of extra glare (especially for those of us sensitive to light as well as those of use with "corrective lenses" that amplify the light coming at us). The lights I added have a great dispersal pattern, have a special anti-glare coating, have a baffle over the bulb, and use a special reflector to put the light where it needs to be and not in other people's faces. I actually turn off my headlights in heavy snow/rain/fog and just use these and can see better, but these are severe conditions where 25 MPH is all the faster I'm confortable driving.
I have an 04 Legacy (BE) with factory fog lights, but the beam pattern makes them more like a flood light. In fog, rain, and snow they just provide a bunch of light reflecting back into my eyes, making them more of a hindrance than anything. I decided to add some fog lights to my car that would actually work, but I wanted it to look as factory as possible. Here's my walkthrough of how I did it, hopefully someone can make use of all the hard work I put into figuring the wiring of the switch out!
What you need:
I'm going to do all the linking through Amazon because it's cheap and you can easily put 90% of what you need into a cart and order it all at the same time.
Lights of your choice http://www.amazon.com/FORWARD-LIGHTING- ... 740&sr=8-2 (http://www.amazon.com/FORWARD-LIGHTING-SLIM-LINE-HALOGEN-64371-5/dp/B000FBWO3K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331871740&sr=8-2)
Relay http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-RLS125-1 ... 625&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-RLS125-12-VCD-Automotive-Relay/dp/B0002KR9GG/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331873625&sr=1-1)
Relay harness. This isn't necessary, you can use spade terminals to attach to the relay, but I think it makes it a cleaner install and makes for easier removal/replacement of the relay. http://www.amazon.com/12-VDC-5-PIN-RELA ... 625&sr=1-4 (http://www.amazon.com/12-VDC-5-PIN-RELAY-SOCKET/dp/B0002ZPUMG/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331873625&sr=1-4)
Factory switch with wiring pigtail. I got one from a local Subaru mechanic/junk yard for $10
New light bulbs. These are optional, but if any of your bulbs are burned out they're easy to replace and it's nice to have your switches lit up. The dealer will tell you that you need to replace the entire switch so either buy them off the internet or bring the following part numbers with you:
-Amber (Indicator) bulb: 93426AA051
-Clear (Illumination) bulb: 83426AA040
(BTW, the look on the part's lady's face was priceless when I pulled out a paper with part numbers after she told me I had to buy the switch. They had the bulbs in stock.)
Fuse tap http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0956pt-Mini- ... sim_auto_2 (http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0956pt-Mini-Fused-Circuit/dp/B001QRSBW0/ref=pd_sim_auto_2)
Some wire. You will need enough to get from the dash to where you choose to mount the relay, plus another foot or so for another hook up. 16 gauge will be plenty for this as there will not be much current going through this section of wire. If your fog lights do not come with the wire needed to hook them up, pick up an adequate amount of 12 gauge wire to get from the relay to the lights and make sure you have enough wire to ground the lights and the relay.
Fuse holder. http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0965pt-Mini- ... 22&sr=1-15 (http://www.amazon.com/Pico-0965pt-Mini-Holder-16awg/dp/B00030CPU0/ref=sr_1_15?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331874222&sr=1-15) This is only 16 gauge wire, if you're running more than a typical 55w light you may want to go with a 12 gauge fuse holder & wiring.
Quick splice connectors. http://www.amazon.com/3M-3MT-R-100-22-1 ... 341&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/3M-3MT-R-100-22-18-Gauge-T-Tap/dp/B00152RH4O/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331874341&sr=1-1)
A couple ring terminals (a red one for the switch and a yellow one if you want to ground the lights and relay to the battery)
Metal coat hanger. Trust me on this one, it will make your life so much easier!
Then some butt splice connectors or solder & heatshrink depending on how you want to connect everything up. Zip ties are also nice for tidying up your wires, and you may want a sheet metal screw to mount the relay with.
I decided to start by mounting my lights, I mounted mine back far enough that they are mounted into the metal part of the bumper for a stronger mounting point (plus my bumper is messed up and needs replaced, body shops frown on having to re-do your custom work!). You want to make sure they are mounted facing as straight-forward as possible. Running power to them directly off the battery for this is helpful to get your aiming just right. Use some tape to hold the brackets in place while you sort out the aiming if necessary. The kit I purchased came with 3M sticky pads cut to the shape of the mounting brackets and provided a very sturdy mount. Once the brackets are on, I drilled screw holds into the bumper to make sure they don't go anywhere. I used a level to aim mine down by 5° to make sure they would work as fog lights and not blind anyone (and these seem to fill the gap between where the low beams are focused and the front of the car very well at this alignment).
It is very difficult to drill through the metal bumper, especially with the plastic bumper cover still on. You will need some good drill bits, a Dremel with a right angle attachment or some other compact way of drilling, and a LOT of patience. It took me several days to finally drill through my bumper because I smoked a few drill bits and lost patience a few times. Once the pilot holes are drilled, some self-tapping machine screws and washers will make the bracket VERY sturdily mounted. Note: self-tapping screws alone will not cut through the bumper, it took me a while to figure that out. Despite how thin the metal may seem it is very tough.
Here's a pic of mine mounted on the car:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02891-1.jpg
With the lights mounted, give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy a well-earned cold beverage of your choice. Next up is wiring in the switch and running a wire from the engine compartment into the cabin.
Before we go on to wiring up the switch, we need to run a wire for your relay. Straighten out your metal coat hanger and use some electrical tape to tape your wire to the end of it. Next, locate the rubber grommet in the next picture and remove it. Use a knife and cut a + into it, then feed the coat hanger through it (remember to feed it through the right way). Once you have a few inches through it, put the grommet back into the fire wall and push your wire into the car a little further.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02909-1.jpg
You can see the air box and clutch slave cylinder for location reference. The wire will end up feeding through right near the throttle pedal and some hard lines for the A/C system. Once you've got a hold of it, cut the tape off and run the wire up behind the switches.
Note: This is for 00-04 Legacy/Outback switches. I am not familiar with the Imprezas or other years' wiring or if this applies. I will outline what each wire does and you can verify with a multimeter if this does, indeed, work on your car. The concept is all the same, I just don't want anyone burning something up because they hooked it up wrong.
Getting to the switches on these is super easy, just look at the side nearest the window and you will see a little tab near the top. Use a flat bladed screw driver and pry against that tab and the trim panel should come loose without much effort, there are 3 total tabs holding this panel in but once it is loose it pulls out fairly easily. The blank plastic piece in the 3rd switch position is there for L.L. Beans with the heated windshield, and in the following picture you can see that the wiring is already in place for it. Just unhook it from the blank, press the tab on the bottom of the blank, and press it out through the front of the trim panel.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02889-1.jpg
The brown plug at the bottom is the extra one we will not be using.
For the purposes of this post I am making up my own wire numbers. These are likely not accurate to the wire numbers in the factory service manual but, frankly, I'm too lazy to dig through the manual again looking up where every wire goes.
Looking at the switch, this is what you should see:
1 - - 2
3 4 5 6
Start with number 2, on my car this is white with a black stripe. Crimp some extra wire to the end of your pigtail and ground this wire to a metal point in the car. I found a little 10mm nut not too far from the switches and grounded to that. If you want your factory fog lights to stay on with your high beams then ground this wire for your stock lights. This is not the independent mod where they will come on whenever (that is far more involved), but for those that want their stock fogs on with high beams all that is involved is leading that wire to a constant ground.
Wire number 6 is black with a pink stripe (on my car, I have no idea what other cars use the same colors). This needs to be hooked to a switched 12v source. Fortunately the interior fuse box is right below the switches and has a plethora of fuses you can tap. Open the little compartment that's normally by your left leg, then pull straight out and it should come out easily.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02905-1.jpg
In these pictures you can see my fuse tap. I did this about 6 months ago so I don't remember all the details (plus lost my good pictures :smt021) Basically just pull one of these fuses out and put it into the first position on the fuse tap. Second position will be the fuse leading to the switch, a 5 amp fuse will be plenty.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02906-1.jpg
Connect the wire off the fuse tap to wire 6 of the switch.
Moving down to #5 (Purple with silver spots) this is the positive wire for the illumination. If you want your switch to light up with the rest of the interior use one of the quick splice connectors to hook it to the purple wire on the other switch. Easy peasy.
Next step is #4 (Yellow with black stripe and silver spots). Attach this to the wire you ran through the firewall.
Wire #3 is for the little amber indicator light. I used a quick splice connector to hook this to wire 4 and it works perfectly
And finally, wire #2 is the ground for the illumination bulb. Use another quick splice connector to hook this into the same wire on the factory switch.
Now you are almost done! Test the switch out to make sure all the lights work, the way it's wired up it will also function properly with the dimmer.
The last step is to wire up the relay.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/DSC02831-1.jpg
This is the wiring diagram for the relay, but the relay I am using is a 5 pin rather than the 4 pin from the diagram. If you purchase the relay I linked to note that the 87a pin is not going to be used; this wire is hot when the relay is off and will run your battery dead if attached to anything. Feel free to cut that wire off of the harness to keep it out of your way and avoid confusion.
Attach your inline fuse holder to the battery, but leave the fuse out for now. This will attach to the 30 pin on the relay.
Pin 86 is the ground, I ran the ground for the lights and the ground for the relay into a single ring terminal and attached it directly to the negative of the battery.
Attach the wire you ran through the firewall to position 85.
Finally, attach 87 to the positive side of your new lights.
Make sure all of your fuses are installed, double check your connections, and it's good to go! The video I posted below isn't great, but shows the function of the lights. As long as the key is at least in the accesory position the lights will come on, independent of the headlights. If you leave them on, they will turn off when you turn the key off. Hopefully this can be of help to someone!
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/th_Foglights-1.jpg (http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r37/Unsullied_Spy/Fog%20Lights/?action=view¤t=Foglights.mp4)
And a final note: Please be courteous to other drivers. I can't stand it when idiots drive around everywhere with their fog lights on, it really does add a lot of extra glare (especially for those of us sensitive to light as well as those of use with "corrective lenses" that amplify the light coming at us). The lights I added have a great dispersal pattern, have a special anti-glare coating, have a baffle over the bulb, and use a special reflector to put the light where it needs to be and not in other people's faces. I actually turn off my headlights in heavy snow/rain/fog and just use these and can see better, but these are severe conditions where 25 MPH is all the faster I'm confortable driving.