Driving light problems - need help

[justin_palmer]

I'm new to the forum, but have been poking around for a few weeks and have found lots of useful information. I've tried searching here and all over the internet, but still haven't found much in the way of my question. I recently purchased and installed a set of Navigator NV-331 onto my bumper of my '06 Sport and love the look, but one light is brighter than the other. The kit came without a relay, so the power goes directly from the battery (fused, of course) to the switch and the switch to the lights. Each light has an individual ground, which I mounted both to the metal bumper beneath the plastic cover beneath each light. I ran the main positive lead to the passenger side light (the brighter of the 2) and the supplied splicer to the drivers side, which is the one giving me problems. I've tried regrounding, but it didn't change anything. Suggestions?

 

[tommudd]

First you should have a relay in there
second you're sure that one is grounded well
third, try only hooking up that light directly to make sure if it the light or is really a wiring issue
my first thought though is where it splits off to the less powerful one

 

[LibertyTC]

X2 as above.
The relay is best protects the circuit/switch.
The one thing I look for when doing wiring is quality job one.
Which includes the little things like soldering all connections, heat shrink tube on each end, and ensuring a clean ground (non painted surface and a continuity meter checked.)
You can also check the voltage into the weak light and at the switch.
When it comes to external wiring I will only use Marine Grade tin/copper by Ancor-marine store available.

 

[Ry' N Jen]

Like Tom and Tim said!
Go to a quality automotive parts store and buy a proper auxiliary wiring lighting harness for your Jeep.
BTW,No need to solder the connections as long as they are crimped properly.

 

[J-Thompson]

what it the light wattage?
I would say 90% of all the "kits" dont have the proper gauge wire for the current draw
checking voltage will tell little to nothing
you need to check for a current drop ,lights on then lights off
a voltage drop will tell you a good bit also say 12.8 lights on and 11.9 when they are on
then you have a wiring issue ,probably not a large enough gauge
also keep in mind that the cheep relays they sell that are rated at 30A which is also 360W will not hold up to a 25A load ,I melted 1
and all connections were proper ,I am an instrument tech by trade so this is easy
I was using A 10 AWG with proper crimps

 

[Ry' N Jen]

what it the light wattage?
I would say 90% of all the "kits" dont have the proper gauge wire for the current draw
checking voltage will tell little to nothing
you need to check for a current drop ,lights on then lights off
a voltage drop will tell you a good bit also say 12.8 lights on and 11.9 when they are on
then you have a wiring issue ,probably not a large enough gauge
also keep in mind that the cheep relays they sell that are rated at 30A which is also 360W will not hold up to a 25A load ,I melted 1
and all connections were proper ,I am an instrument tech by trade so this is easy
I was using A 10 AWG with proper crimps

Good point!

Personally I like running one 30 amp relay per lamp used!

 

[RenegadeJay]

Here is the less knowledgeable response..... are you sure they are both aimed the same? If one is amied slightly downward, it will appear dimmer.

 

[justin_palmer]

Thanks for all the responses. I figured it might be the lack of a relay and/or wire gauge. The lights are 55w's. I know its not just how they are aimed, because you can tell just by looking at them facing the front end that the drivers side is weaker. The main power lead going from the switch to the light connects to the passengers side and then a splicer off of it to the drivers side. I'll try connecting the passenger side lead to the drivers side and see if that solves it. That would at least rule out a bad ground. How large of an amp load should I go with for a relay? I may just go ahead and rewire with a thicker gauge power wire just for good measure.

 

[Neal]

for the 2 55 watt lites - thats about 10 amps - will be fine with 18 gauge wire but use 16 if you want
no need for a relay whatsoever unless your switch is not rated for 10 amps dc