How does one hook into a spare Tige switch?

[Moki]

Help me Tige MD, Spharis, Chpthril, Lee, Tom Cruise, Oprah, anybody who can help...

I want to figure out how to hook up my tower lights to an unused switch on my dashboard. I have one accessory switch that it appears is not being used.
Below is a picture of the dash with the switches:

a picture of the backside of the switches:

the current toggle switch that my lights are currently hooked up to:

and a picture of a relay that may have something to do with all of this

[chpthril]

I would look for any unused leads/wires coming from the control/relay asm (pic 4) and check it for power with testlight or DVOM when you turn switch on. Not a lot of help, I know, not a set-up that I have come across.

[Moki]

Thanks, that's a good start!

[spharis]

See on that bank (is that a fuse box) the sticker says ACC....more than likely when you turn the ACC on, you are going to have power there. You will need to find the wire that is attached to the switch you need. I don't know if the labels match up with the sticker or not. If it were me, I would run a relay off that switch wire, and use it to turn on the current wiring.

There may not be a lead running out of the switch box for that soft switch, in which case you will need to add a wire. All those orange wires should be marked to the corresponding bank somehow. Whenever a switch on the front is turned on, the corresponding orange wire will have 12V on it. You need to find which orange wire, or add one, and then fuse it and tap the wires, or run a relay. From what I can count I see 8 wires, so I think they are all there.

Is that red wire with the white stripe running to anything, or is it just coiled up. If it doesn't have anything on it, that's probably it.

Is that wire on the hot post (has a blue ring terminal on it on top of a red with a yellow terminal) the one that runs to your lights? If it is, that is the one you need to either switch to the realy, or fuse and run it straight off the proper switch wire.

[spharis]

Studying the pic more it looks like you have ????, stereo, shower, ACC....what is the ????

If that is correct, then you can eliminate those wires. That leaves a grey, grey w/red, orange?, and a yellow?

I would use a multimeter and test on the backside of that first Molex connector, all orange to colored. Clip to a ground somewhere, and then poke into that connector to see where/when you get voltage with the switch on.

[Moki]

Studying the pic more it looks like you have ????, stereo, shower, ACC....what is the ????

If that is correct, then you can eliminate those wires. That leaves a grey, grey w/red, orange?, and a yellow?

I would use a multimeter and test on the backside of that first Molex connector, all orange to colored. Clip to a ground somewhere, and then poke into that connector to see where/when you get voltage with the switch on.

Spharis,
It is Ctsy. I am assuming it stand for the Courtesy lights. On my dashboard, the only button that doesn't seem to do anything is ACC. The other ACC is hooked up the heater.

The thing that is confusing to me is that I have 8 switches and there are only 4 fuses in the relay

I will get in there and check the wire with a multimeter.

Thanks!

[spharis]

You only have 4 fuses, because on 4 of the items on there are run through it. The others either did not require fusing, or are run to relays, or similar. For whatever reason, they aren't fused is all. You can ignore the fuses, and just treat it like a continuation of the wire while you are tracing it out. Each of the orange wires in the back of that module is tied to one of the switches in the front. You simply need to trace which one it is to a harness, and tap it.

How may wires are in the Molex connector plugged into the main, orange wire Molex? It looks like there may only be three in the upper row. Check the switch on that open one if so.

[Moki]

I will check the switch to see. Do You think that I run any risk of damaging the relay or the switch by running tower lights, in other words is it better to keep it out of the relay and on its own?

[spharis]

I would use a relay just incase you ever want to add more lights. I doubt that soft switch allows much power to pass through. The only items fused are very low amperage. You can always test the output with your multimeter. I am sure a dealer or mech may chime in with better/more info.

[typerider]

when i installed my amps for tower speakers and a sub i just ran the remote wires from the amps directly to the switch itself. works great. have the sub amp and tower speakers wired together so i can turn them both on or off from one acc. switch. i'm guessing the lights would have some kind of remote wire as well. i dunno though might help you out.

[Moki]

Thanks for the info Typerider. I don't see why that would not work.

[spharis]

type did you have those soft switches as well. i don't think there is an actual mechanical switch in there. Not a typical rocker. It just toggles a timer on and off down in the control box from the looks of it. I really don't know though, if you were closer??