This article will guide you through the basic things you should know about the installation of fog light on your vehicle. If properly followed, the following steps will ensure you have a seamless installation process.
Knowing fully well that several types of fog light on the market fail to come with an installation guide, which makes the whole process extremely tiring and almost impossible to figure out, this installation guide is well equipped to fill in those loopholes.
For this task, the following are the things you need. First of all, get a fog light kit.
Other things you need are screwdrivers, mechanics gloves, ratchet and socket set, cable ties, multimeter, switch and connectors, fog light connectors, electrical tape, red and black wire, wire crimper, wire splices, and fog light relay.
The following are simple steps to follow for easy and effective installation of fog lights:
Make sure the negative battery station/terminal is disconnected
To start with, ensure you take off the negative battery terminal.
Have a layout
After you must have approximated your desired layout, the next thing is to lay and connect the wiring around the engine bay. Make sure the wiring is connected in such a way that they do not come in contact with moving or spinning parts as well as the areas that are considered hot.
Check under the steering wheel and take out the interior panels
While doing this, you have to be extraordinarily careful, especially with the parts that are made of plastic if you have an old car. To remove the panel that is below the steering wheel.
There is a need to get rid of the bolts. Make sure you are patient and also vigilant while carrying out this operation. Remember, the steering column contains several connectors that you have to be careful with.
Select where you want the switch to be installed
Pick a position where you would like the on and off switch to be positioned. While selecting, make sure you go for a location that you can easily reach.
Do not go for an area or a place where there are other parts or functions already installed which could make such areas a little bit difficult to access.
Watch out for a ground that is closer
Watch out for the closest ground wires or bolts that are connected to metal. Detach the bolt and connect the ground connector. After this must have been achieved, reconnect or tighten back the bolt to its initial position.
Search for where a positive connector is
The cover of the interior fuse box comes with a diagram whose function is to show various locations with no accessories connected to them yet.
In case you can’t find any diagram on the fuse box, then you have to make the detection of empty locations yourself using a voltmeter.
Locations to look out for or choose from should be able to supply only 12 volts of power when the engine is running and must be linked to the positive connector.
It is important to follow the process just as we have been explained.
The essence of doing as instructed is to ensure the fog light’s switch only comes on when the engine is running and as well go off when the engine goes off.
This is the only method that ensures you do not leave the fog light on when the vehicle is not in use, to prevent the battery from draining out.
Run the wiring properly
While running the wiring, make sure it is carried out right from the engine bay right through the firewall.
In some cases running the wire through the firewall may be extremely difficult, especially in a situation whereby you are using modern firewall grommets.
For ease of connectivity, look for an uncurled coat hanger, preferably an old one and glue/tape the wiring to one of the two ends.
After this has been done, the next thing to do is to thrust the coat hanger through the firewall grommet by ensuring the wiring gets across to the interior.
Get the interior panels back to their initial positions
After you must have connected the on and off switch wiring to the engine bay, look out for wires with a longer length and neatly pack them out of the way using the cable ties.
After this has been neatly done, ensure you fix the interior panels back to their positions.
Find a perfect location
Make sure the fog light connections are located or placed exactly where the fog light will be housed. The space after the headlights can be considered.
To be able to access this space with no obstructions from the other side, there may be a need to take out a fender line connected or attached to it.
Take off the plastic
Depending on your type of vehicle, you may need to take out the plastic covers from the bumper. Removal of plastic covers should be done using a tool called “Plastic trim removal.”
This plastic covers or hides the space that was initially designed to accommodate or house the fog light from the factory or manufacturer’s end.
The connection should be done rightly
Make sure the positive lead is connected to the positive battery terminal. Also, the ground can be connected or attached to the engine block using a bolt.
Test run
After installation, before you bolt in the fog light, you should conduct a test to ensure the already installed light is active. All you need to do is simply plug back the negative battery terminal.
Bolt in the fog light
After a successful test run, now you can place and bolt the fog light to its position or space. To aim the light after it is bolted in, all you have to do is to twist the adjustment screw a little bit.
Keep it neat
Make sure the exterior trim bezels that come with the kit are neatly and properly attached across the fog light. After the completion of the installation process, the goal is to ensure nothing else stands on the way of the fog light.
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