Update 12/29/2021: On my 2003, I ended up tapping the a/c-heater fuse #21. The raptor lights turn on when you turn on the air (air conditioned, vented air, heated air). Lights go off when air is off or ignition is off. It looks like 2003-2004 have big fuses blocking access to the seat heater fuse.
Update 1/04/2022: @Gonzdan reports he had no issue tapping fuse #24 seat heater on his 2005. Fuse #24 is the best option if you can tap it. Raptor lights go on when ignition is on. Off when ignition is off. It looks like 2005+ can easily tap the seat heater fuse.
The goal of this post is to gather information and answer basic questions on how to wire the "raptor lights" to the GX470 using the tap-a-fuse (aka add-a-circuit) method. There are a lot of YouTube videos on how to do this, but this is the first time I'm using the tap a fuse method and there's a lot of little details I didn't understand. This post won't focus on the raptor lights themselves, but rather focus on the GX470 details on the tap-a-fuse method.
1. What fuse type does the GX470 use?
There are at least 4 types of fuses that cars use. The GX470 uses the MINI fuse type (aka ATM). I looked at the Lexus web sites to buy new fuses and the Lexus parts sites says MINI for the GX470 fuses.
2. Should I tap the engine bay fuse box or the fuse box inside the cabin under the steering wheel?
Since I don't plan to use a switch, I'm going to tap the engine bay fuse box. It seems easier to get to than trying to wire to the fuse box inside of the cabin. Also, the goal is to have the raptor lights turn on and off automatically.
3. Which existing fuse circuit should I tap?
On my 2003, I had a hard time tapping most of the fuses in the fuse box because the wires in my tap-a-circuit connector weren't very flexible and wouldn't bend to fit in most fuse locations. The 2003/2004 has large fuses/relays that other model years might not have. Also, I was trying to avoid tapping fuses that are critical to the operation of the engine.
Update 1/04/2022: It turns out that the engine fuse box varies by year. The 2005 fuse box allows you to easily tap into fuse #24 - seat heater. The 2003/2004 fuse box has a large block of fuses/relays that block access to fuse #24.
On my 2003, I started trying to tap fuse #24 seat heater (best option in my opinion), but my tap-a-fuse connector was blocked by larger fuses. So, I abandoned fuse #24. Instead, I ended up tapping the a/c-heater fuse #21.
My raptor lights are on whenever I have the air on (air conditioned, vented air, heated air). My raptor lights turn off when you turn off the car or you turn off the air. For me, this is good enough. I have the a/c on like 95% of the time, the heated air like 1% of the time, and vented air like 2% of the time. So, my air is on 98% of the time.
I read on the T4R forums that someone tapped a critical circuit like the INJ (multiport fuel injectors) and then their car had issues starting and running. They took it to the dealer to find out what's wrong and the dealer charged a good chunk of money to determine the tap-a-fuse on the INJ circuit was causing the issue. So, tap at your own risk.
If you can tap the seat heater fuse #24, then that's the best option. Raptor lights go on when the ignition is on regardless of seat heater switch. Turns off when ignition is off. You can follow all the same directions in this post whether you tap fuse #21 or fuse #24.
4. What parts and tools do I need to do this tap-a-fuse?
Parts required:
* ATM or MINI Tap-a-fuse adapter. The most common MINI tap-a-fuse connector on Amazon seems to have a 90-degree angle wire that's a little inflexible at the black plastic and limits your options of where to tap due to issues fitting the wire into the fuse box.
* New MINI 5 Amp fuse (Raptor lights only use like 3 Amps).
* Insulated ring connector to connect the raptor lights ground wire to the body of the GX470 at some bare bolt in the engine bay.
I found a tap-a-fuse kit on Amazon that included 3 MINI tap-a-fuse connectors with wire and a whole bunch of fuses to carry as spares. Kit was like $12. Just search for "car MINI tap-a-fuse kit" and several kits come up. Some are just the MINI tap-a-fuse connector by itself, some include 15 Amp MINI fuses, some add zip ties and fuse extractors. So, pick the one that fits your needs. People have been using MINI fuses ranging from 5 Amps to 15 Amps. Since the raptor lights are LED and draw very little amperes (say 3 Amps), then I'm going to use 5 Amp fuse.
Tools needed:
* Wire crimping tool to crimp the ends of the tap-a-fuse connector to (a) ring connector to attach to the ground nut on body of car, and (b) raptor lights red wire.
* Zip ties to manage the raptor lights wires going across the grille into the hood cover/padding.
* Optional: Multi-meter or circuit testing device to figure out which direction to connect the tap-a-fuse correctly into the fuse box. Direction matters. Make sure you insert the fuse-tap connector in the right direction. Or just copy someone who tapped the same fuse that you are interested in tapping. I inserted the tap-a-fuse connector to several fuses without any issues, so I was able to try tapping several fuses in both directions until one worked.
5. How to get the raptor lights wire into the engine bay fuse box?
There's an existing opening on one corner of the fuse box, so use that opening to get the wire into the fuse box. This will enable you to tightly put back the fuse box lid like it was intended to prevent water from going in there. So, avoid introducing new gaps/holes into the fuse box.
6. What direction to insert the tap-a-fuse connector onto fuse circuit in the engine bay fuse box?
On the photo of my install, you will see that fuse #21 is in the middle of the fuse box. I pointed the red wire towards the driver's side tire. This allowed me to insert the tap-a-fuse and then curl the wire around a large fuse and towards the existing opening in the engine fuse box. No drilling required. Fuse box lid closes tight without crimping the wire. The wiring should be similar for fuse #24.
7. Why is tapping to a fuse a good option?
Seems like an easy and safe option. Fuse #24 is the best option in my opinion, but I couldn’t tap that one due to inflexibility of the wires in my tap a fuse connector. For me, fuse #21 was the only other option that I could get to work. I used a new 5 amp fuse for the raptor lights circuit and it's working great.
If you want your raptor lights to be controlled differently, then try tapping into other fuses like the fog lights, low beam headlights, or the daytime running lights. The raptor lights will turn on/off according to how power is sent to those circuits.
Here's a silent video on the GX470 fuses (doesn't cover year specific differences):
Here are photos of the various model year engine bay fuse boxes. It appears that 2003-2004 have big fuses that block the seat heater fuse. The 2005+ look like it's easy to tap the seat heater fuse. You can see the various engine bay fuse box photos by model year in these posts:
1. 2003-2004 -- See post #17 above by @HomersCanyonero
2. 2005 -- See posts #13 and #14 by @Gonzdan
3. 2006 -- See post #24 by @FROADER
4. 2007-2009 -- post #26 by @CGIB
Update 1/04/2022: @Gonzdan reports he had no issue tapping fuse #24 seat heater on his 2005. Fuse #24 is the best option if you can tap it. Raptor lights go on when ignition is on. Off when ignition is off. It looks like 2005+ can easily tap the seat heater fuse.
The goal of this post is to gather information and answer basic questions on how to wire the "raptor lights" to the GX470 using the tap-a-fuse (aka add-a-circuit) method. There are a lot of YouTube videos on how to do this, but this is the first time I'm using the tap a fuse method and there's a lot of little details I didn't understand. This post won't focus on the raptor lights themselves, but rather focus on the GX470 details on the tap-a-fuse method.
1. What fuse type does the GX470 use?
There are at least 4 types of fuses that cars use. The GX470 uses the MINI fuse type (aka ATM). I looked at the Lexus web sites to buy new fuses and the Lexus parts sites says MINI for the GX470 fuses.
2. Should I tap the engine bay fuse box or the fuse box inside the cabin under the steering wheel?
Since I don't plan to use a switch, I'm going to tap the engine bay fuse box. It seems easier to get to than trying to wire to the fuse box inside of the cabin. Also, the goal is to have the raptor lights turn on and off automatically.
3. Which existing fuse circuit should I tap?
On my 2003, I had a hard time tapping most of the fuses in the fuse box because the wires in my tap-a-circuit connector weren't very flexible and wouldn't bend to fit in most fuse locations. The 2003/2004 has large fuses/relays that other model years might not have. Also, I was trying to avoid tapping fuses that are critical to the operation of the engine.
Update 1/04/2022: It turns out that the engine fuse box varies by year. The 2005 fuse box allows you to easily tap into fuse #24 - seat heater. The 2003/2004 fuse box has a large block of fuses/relays that block access to fuse #24.
On my 2003, I started trying to tap fuse #24 seat heater (best option in my opinion), but my tap-a-fuse connector was blocked by larger fuses. So, I abandoned fuse #24. Instead, I ended up tapping the a/c-heater fuse #21.
My raptor lights are on whenever I have the air on (air conditioned, vented air, heated air). My raptor lights turn off when you turn off the car or you turn off the air. For me, this is good enough. I have the a/c on like 95% of the time, the heated air like 1% of the time, and vented air like 2% of the time. So, my air is on 98% of the time.
I read on the T4R forums that someone tapped a critical circuit like the INJ (multiport fuel injectors) and then their car had issues starting and running. They took it to the dealer to find out what's wrong and the dealer charged a good chunk of money to determine the tap-a-fuse on the INJ circuit was causing the issue. So, tap at your own risk.
If you can tap the seat heater fuse #24, then that's the best option. Raptor lights go on when the ignition is on regardless of seat heater switch. Turns off when ignition is off. You can follow all the same directions in this post whether you tap fuse #21 or fuse #24.
4. What parts and tools do I need to do this tap-a-fuse?
Parts required:
* ATM or MINI Tap-a-fuse adapter. The most common MINI tap-a-fuse connector on Amazon seems to have a 90-degree angle wire that's a little inflexible at the black plastic and limits your options of where to tap due to issues fitting the wire into the fuse box.
* New MINI 5 Amp fuse (Raptor lights only use like 3 Amps).
* Insulated ring connector to connect the raptor lights ground wire to the body of the GX470 at some bare bolt in the engine bay.
I found a tap-a-fuse kit on Amazon that included 3 MINI tap-a-fuse connectors with wire and a whole bunch of fuses to carry as spares. Kit was like $12. Just search for "car MINI tap-a-fuse kit" and several kits come up. Some are just the MINI tap-a-fuse connector by itself, some include 15 Amp MINI fuses, some add zip ties and fuse extractors. So, pick the one that fits your needs. People have been using MINI fuses ranging from 5 Amps to 15 Amps. Since the raptor lights are LED and draw very little amperes (say 3 Amps), then I'm going to use 5 Amp fuse.
Tools needed:
* Wire crimping tool to crimp the ends of the tap-a-fuse connector to (a) ring connector to attach to the ground nut on body of car, and (b) raptor lights red wire.
* Zip ties to manage the raptor lights wires going across the grille into the hood cover/padding.
* Optional: Multi-meter or circuit testing device to figure out which direction to connect the tap-a-fuse correctly into the fuse box. Direction matters. Make sure you insert the fuse-tap connector in the right direction. Or just copy someone who tapped the same fuse that you are interested in tapping. I inserted the tap-a-fuse connector to several fuses without any issues, so I was able to try tapping several fuses in both directions until one worked.
5. How to get the raptor lights wire into the engine bay fuse box?
There's an existing opening on one corner of the fuse box, so use that opening to get the wire into the fuse box. This will enable you to tightly put back the fuse box lid like it was intended to prevent water from going in there. So, avoid introducing new gaps/holes into the fuse box.
6. What direction to insert the tap-a-fuse connector onto fuse circuit in the engine bay fuse box?
On the photo of my install, you will see that fuse #21 is in the middle of the fuse box. I pointed the red wire towards the driver's side tire. This allowed me to insert the tap-a-fuse and then curl the wire around a large fuse and towards the existing opening in the engine fuse box. No drilling required. Fuse box lid closes tight without crimping the wire. The wiring should be similar for fuse #24.
7. Why is tapping to a fuse a good option?
Seems like an easy and safe option. Fuse #24 is the best option in my opinion, but I couldn’t tap that one due to inflexibility of the wires in my tap a fuse connector. For me, fuse #21 was the only other option that I could get to work. I used a new 5 amp fuse for the raptor lights circuit and it's working great.
If you want your raptor lights to be controlled differently, then try tapping into other fuses like the fog lights, low beam headlights, or the daytime running lights. The raptor lights will turn on/off according to how power is sent to those circuits.
Here's a silent video on the GX470 fuses (doesn't cover year specific differences):
Here are photos of the various model year engine bay fuse boxes. It appears that 2003-2004 have big fuses that block the seat heater fuse. The 2005+ look like it's easy to tap the seat heater fuse. You can see the various engine bay fuse box photos by model year in these posts:
1. 2003-2004 -- See post #17 above by @HomersCanyonero
2. 2005 -- See posts #13 and #14 by @Gonzdan
3. 2006 -- See post #24 by @FROADER
4. 2007-2009 -- post #26 by @CGIB
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