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General >> Rally >> Aux Lighting on an 02 WRX
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Message started by Dave Cotie on 11/18/13 at 11:04:39

Title: Aux Lighting on an 02 WRX
Post by Dave Cotie on 11/18/13 at 11:04:39

Okay lights are on and the electical harness is all installed except one thing.

The Hella harness I am using uses a 12V trigger voltage from the high beams to turn on the circuit if the switch is on. This enables you to kill the Aux lighting by kicking off the High beams.

Problem is that Subarus do ground switching. So the high beam circuit has 12V on at all times. It only activates when the relay closes the ground circuit.

I fixed this on my old Outback by triggering off the low beam. When the high beam went on, the low beam went off. So I pulled out the FSM, got the wiring diagram, pulled out my multimeter and got to work. Well it appears that an 02 WRX runs both the low beam and high beam filaments when on high beam! Crap.

Any insight on how to make this work? One option that I guess I can look into would be to get a Normally Closed relay instead of Normally Open. I didn't want to have to buy anything else but that might be the solution. Anyone else come up with a solution?

Title: Re: Aux Lighting on an 02 WRX
Post by uglydogrally on 11/19/13 at 15:06:40

I spliced right into the wire that activates the hi-beam. Right into the harness that connects to the bulb. I Think from there, I wired it to my switch and back to the relay. Hope that makes sense for you.

See this diagram I used as reference.

http://www.rallylights.com/auxiliary-lamp-wiring

It's worked like a charm for the past year. The only downside, the lights go on with DRL, if I don't switch them off.

Title: Re: Aux Lighting on an 02 WRX
Post by dtompsett on 11/19/13 at 22:16:13

Subaru uses a switched ground, instead of a switched positive.

I made this mistake once when wiring a friend's subaru just hours before a rally...

Normally (as the hella diagram would show), you tap into the +ve high beam wire, run that to a switch, switch to a relay, relay to ground. Turn on the high beams, and turn on your switch... the relay turns on.

On the Subaru... Tap into the -ve high beam wire, run that to a switch, switch to a relay, relay to +ve battery.

Some switches have a light that uses the incoming +ve and a second ground connection to illuminate the switch when "on"... I've yet to figure out how to wire that using the -ve feed from the high beams.

Title: Re: Aux Lighting on an 02 WRX
Post by Dave Cotie on 11/20/13 at 16:01:13

uglydogrally wrote on 11/19/13 at 15:06:40:

Well that didn't work. I get the driving lights on any time I turn on the switch. Back to the garage tonight again.

Title: Re: Aux Lighting on an 02 WRX
Post by Bruce VA3BRS on 11/20/13 at 20:37:17

Try doing it this way Dave and see if it works for you.

http://s368.photobucket.com/user/bajabreaker/media/WiringDiagram_zpsa0959c99.png.html#/user/bajabreaker/media/WiringDiagram_zpsa0959c99.png.html?&_suid=138499764524302477380256399071

Title: Re: Aux Lighting on an 02 WRX
Post by Dave Cotie on 11/20/13 at 22:23:03

Dave Cotie wrote on 11/20/13 at 16:01:13:

uglydogrally wrote on 11/19/13 at 15:06:40:

Well that didn't work. I get the driving lights on any time I turn on the switch. Back to the garage tonight again.

Imagine all the amazing things you can do with electricity when you actually check your BLEEPING connections! :-[

Matt was right. Following the information in the link he posted works. I even have the switch lighting up when lights are on.