Near tragedy!

[SteveinUT]

Man, I just about started a fire on my Pioneer the other day. I hooked this lightbar up with this harness and within seconds I saw smoke coming from the harness and so I immediately ripped the ground off the battery negative and kept the harness from catching fire, but the insulation on the wires was burned and I'm not sure what I did wrong. The harness grounds to the negative post on the battery. So, I don't know if I need to run an additional ground from the switch? I jumpered like the illustration shows. Is the ground out of the harness (that ultimately grounds at the negative battery post) insufficient? Do I need to tap this 7-8 jumper and run it to a frame ground? I'm a little nervous about trying it again after the harness burned the last time! I really don't care about the switch lighting, so am I correct that if I don't need the backlighting on the switch that I can just run the wiring on the left side and have it work, minus the backlighting on the switch?

This harness and switch:

Nilight LED Light Bar Wiring Harness Kit 12V 40Amp Fuse Relay ON/OFF Switch 1PC | eBay

5 pin on/off rocker switch 12V DC automotive Relay inline blade fuse (added three extra fuses for you). Product features: 12ft heavy duty wiring harness - 1 lead. 5 pin on-off rocker switch rated at 12V 20A and 24V 10A DC.

www.ebay.com

With this lightbar:

Curved 50inch LED Light Bar 2W Flood Spot Combo Roof Driving Boat SUV 4WD 52'' | eBay

Beam Angle: 30 Degree spot + 60 degree flood combo beam. Proper Spot & flood beam combo spreads optimal light pattern without dark zone or foggy light. Beam Type: Combo Beam. 1x 288W Curved LED Work Light Bar;Mounting Brackets.

www.ebay.com

Thanks for any input. I want to get it right without burning down my Pioneer!

 

[Admin]

 

[SteveinUT]

Moderators- Sorry, I meant to put this in the Pioneer section, not the Talon. Please feel free to move it!

 

[Hondasxs]

If you don't care about switch lighting then all you need is 2 and 3 connected to the switch.
2 being the red wire HOT source
And 3 being the white wire hot feed.
These wires are for relay control only.

Which wires burnt up the most. At the battery or at the switch? Or at the light?

Also, what fuse is in it? It should have blown.

 

[SteveinUT]

The wires closest to the switch. The fuse never popped, which also concerned me. It was a 40A fuse, if I remember right. So, if I go withh terminals 2 and 3, should I run 8 to a frame ground, or is the ground not necessary because from the relay there is a wire to battery ground? Thanks for your help!

 

[Hondasxs]

Ok. This tells me something is wrong with the switch. The actual switch or how it was wired.
You didn't change the switch out did you?

Ground to the switch is not required. Its only for the backlighting.

 

[Moab_Marty]

I have a couple of observations and questions.
Based on whats happening ( wires overheating) I assume you are NOT using a relay in this case and direct wiring the 12V source power and light bar to the switch .
If your light bar actually consumes 288 Watts, it would draw about 24 Amps. The switch is rated at only 20A.
A 40 Amp fuse won't blow at only 24 Amps.

What size wire are you using to connect to the switch? Should be 12 gauge or larger. ( again switch only rated at 20 A.)
If burning wire near switch, a bad crimp or connection will heat up and conduct that heat a way down the wire.

As stated previously by others the ground connection to the switch only for internal switch lamps which would draw less than 1/10 Amp.

This high power light bar must use a relay to switch power to the light bar, The switch should only activate (power) the relay control which is also very low current ( assume 1/10 Amp)

In the case you are using the relay then I suspect the wiring is not correct and the load current is not supplied by the relay but the switch instead.

 

[SteveinUT]

Marty- The harness came with a relay and I did use it. I'm not putting myself past having wred the switch incorrectly, tho. I've been known to do dumb stuff before!

 

[SteveinUT]

Ok. This tells me something is wrong with the switch. The actual switch or how it was wired.
You didn't change the switch out did you?

Ground to the switch is not required. Its only for the backlighting.

I might have goofed up the wiring at the switch. The new harness I have coming has a new switch. I'll swap it out along with the harness in case the switch is bad.

 

[SteveinUT]

I think it may have been a bad switch. I put the new harness in and good to go. No issues and its working fine. Thanks for you guys help!